Category: Europe

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Europe Latvia

Rundale Palace

As one of the countries shining glories- the Rundale Palace is  popular and it is easy to see why. it was definitely one that we would pay entry for- to get a tour and see the interiors as well as gardens. 

Here is the e-guide to it if you would like your own guided tour :).

It was from Rundales that we drove to Kaunas – and that has been described already earlier.  After spending a couple of nights here -mainly drying out the tent and our gear- as well as sightseeing of course – we drove back to Poland.

Once we arrived back it was real busy catching up with everyone -finally meeintg the sister, celebrating Grandpa’s 92nd birthday! Spending time with the nephew and also meeting his 18-year-old daughter. So, it was as intense as we usually seam to pack it in …and a few days after arriving it was time for me to make my way back down south to where my parents stay.

All was not lost though as we had made rough plans for him to come visit down south-for my birthday -which was in a couple of weeks. It was a sad goodbye before I picked him up at the Wroclaw train station some weeks later. We packed in more activities and meeting more of his friends that were Wroclaw based -who he hadn’t seen in years -so it made for interesting catch ups 😊. The time came though for me to get back to my planned travels- and fly to Iceland-and Greenland from there. We kept it going long distance- and as I eventually made my way to Australia the distance grew even larger. In the end of the day- a few months down the track- we didn’t make it in the long term. 

Either which way – a time I look back at real fondly !

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Europe Latvia

Lake Burtnieks

Lake Burtnieks was not some official planned stop- but as we drove and enjoyed the scenery a time came when we needed to find some place to camp-so why not by a lake – why not this one? This relatively simple decision ended up being a pretty adventurous one as the we ended up crossing fields through which only tractors should drive.  Neither of us were sure if the car bottom was going to be able to make it across the ruts! But somehow it did!! Phew- and we were the only ones there for the night, so it was lovely and peaceful but also the damn coldest night!! Did some wood collecting and thought it would be good to make some potatoes on the fire- well—they turned out to be charcoal by the time we fished them out!! Ooops!

 

After the lake we continued -down a much easier road-thank goodness! We were headed towards the castles around Sigulda however we ended up not staying for too long and there was some concert taking place and it was rather busy. We spent another random night somewhere in the forest before heading to a palace that I have been excited to see for a few months now!

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Estonia Europe

Parnu

Back on the mainland we stopped by Parnu and happened to come across a small cultural festival in the main square. We got to enjoy performances from around the whole region. 

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Estonia Europe

Saaremaa Island

Once the rain had stopped a little bit so that we could pack up in slightly drier conditions we headed west to Saaremaa Island. We wild camped here – not a problem in Estonia- as long as you practice leave no trace and also don’t camp on private land or in view of other dwellings. We did a few dirt roads for which the car was perhaps not ideal 😊 – nervous laugh.

Now I cant remember where it was that we spent our second night- but I experienced one of the most beautiful sunsets ever! The pale pinks, blues and purples were so calming and stunning! Someone missed it cause he was busy at the car ! 

The next day had a mix of activities- with some lighthouses and a stop by Kuressaare linnus – a small castle with a moat around it. 

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Estonia Europe

Lahemaa National Park & surrounds

Heading east from Tallinn we went day tripping around Lahemaa National Park and the coast and inland areas here. There are multiple walking trails around but with the weather looking somewhat uncertain we just took a couple of short ones.

There is nothing quiet that fills me with a smile as finding a gem of a manor house. This one was stunning- again, well maintained but the gardens were so unexpectedly charming! They were planted by colour with some rare flower colours that I had not seen before. Spent more time here than we originally expected – just strolling around the gardens. This manor is known as Sagadi.

The rain that we had tried to run from for a few days now had finally caught up with us- it was time for some lunch but no undercover spaces around that we could find for the last hour- until we came across another old manor house- Kolga. This one has not been restored and my heart lit up to its restoration potential- my spirit not at all matching my budget!!! We hid under a veranda on an old bench here and had some warm team and lunch while it poured down!

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Estonia Europe

Kadriorg Park & Manor

Kadriorg Park and the presidential palace is outside the Tallinn city centre and really takes your breath away. The park covers 70 hectares and construction began by Tsar Peter I in 1718!

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Estonia Europe

Tallinn

After overnighting in Riga we headed to what ended up being all the way in Estonia capital city- Tallinn. The long summer nights help to explore city centres when you arrive a bit later. We both enjoyed this capital city too- his favourite…though I think mine was Riga 😊. I will just bombard the blog with photos again- but they speak louder than words for sure! My love of all old buildings also comes to ahead in these (and other) photos!

After having a super 60Euro (!!) steak in an Argentinian steakhouse in Tallinn we needed to walk it off a bit and went out the the Patkuli lookout again to see Tallinn by night. 

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Europe Latvia

Riga

Riga was even quieter than Vilnius from a tourist perspective- it was a very odd feeling when we hit the main square and there were hardly any people?! Are we in the right place -we wondered?!? So many stunning Art Nouveau buildings in the city- and so beautifully maintained and restored! The city also has beautiful gardens, and we spent a lot of time walking around enjoying it all!  

 

One of the first things that caught my eye on the drive in was the tall and very familiar building of Latvian Academy of Sciences. This was not because I had been here before but because there is a very similar building in Warsaw- The Palace of Culture.  

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Europe Latvia

Western Latvia

After catching the ferry across the river mouth again from Smiltyne to Klaipeda we kept along the coast and headed north towards Latvia. As we hadn’t booked any accommodation, we just went with the wind depending on what we wanted to see or how we felt about a place. The distances are also not big and the roads were pretty good- so you can cover a lot of ground with longer stops. I had also been keeping an eye on the weather as we planned to spend some time on the island of Saaremaa -Estonia. However, when we planned to this was going to be rainy for a few days- so we were working around trying to avoid this band of weather.

We stopped at Liepaja as the golden domes of The Naval Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Nicholas caught our attention. No photos were allowed inside, but the outside was rather eye catching. On the northern outskirts of town were the Northern Forts but these were pretty disappointing and dilapidated. And caused a stumped toe in jury to my dear travelling partner.

We kept going up north towards Kolka -where there was a small national park. We had a late lunch BBQ on the beach and kept heading all the way to Riga! This is Latvia’s capital city.

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Europe Lithuania

Kaunas

***Note*** this is on the return back from the north that we stopped in Kaunas-and headed back home to Poland after a couple of nights here.

 

We did a bit of a detour and stopped by the Hill of Crosses on the way to Kaunas.

It is insane as to how many crosses have been placed here by pilgrims. The exact origins of how this tradition started is unknown but the first reference made to this hill in written word was in the 1850s. During the Soviet era the whole hill was bulldozed-not the first time a regime had done this. It was a symbol of defiance to build it back up again each time.

The time in Kaunas was a mix of street art, history, good food and a fantastic local restaurant with old charm atmosphere too!. 

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Europe Lithuania

Nida Peninsula

We headed over this way to make our way to the Nida Peninsula. It is a very long and skinny peninsula that juts out from Kaliningrad. We headed all the way down south to see the dunes.

We then spent a bit if time near the Hill of Witches near Juodkrante walking around the forests checking out all the wooden sculptures. They represent Lithuanian folktales and legends of years past.

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Europe Lithuania

Klaipeda

Within about 3 hours we were by the coast- at the only port in the country. We set up camp, had a bit of a cook up in the camp kitchen and went down to the cliffs above the beach to watch the sun set. 

The town of Klaipeda has quiet a German feel to it. 

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Europe Lithuania

Vilnius

Its no-good writing a blog over 18 months after you’ve done something as you can’t recall all the details unfortunately!! So here we are -using a bit of googling to check place names every now and then. What I do recall though is that I really enjoyed walking around this small city- especially the old town. It was very compact which made it easy. With the whole RuXXian war, there was also not a lot of tourists around (relevant to all the Baltic countries that we visited).

I liked local cuisine quiet a bit- note it is based on potatoes- so which Polish girl doesn’t love that 😊. I have provided some photos of these dishes.

A bit of Literatai Street- lots of quirky wall art and also the rebellious , arty district of Uzupis. 

I do enjoy getting up early in the morning- and even more so-having a city nearly to myself. I had a chance to go back to the cathedral -as before we were too late and also to check out the more of the city- so well preserved! 

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Europe Lithuania

Paneriai & Vilnius TV Tower

Paneriai is between Trakai and Vilnius and is home to a stunning manor house- with out-buildings such as stables and incredible gardens. Voke Manor Park as it is known had no other tourists except us-which made it even better to visit. The inside of the manor is still be renovated but the outside is stunning!

The park was established in 1884.

It is not my usual sort of stop- a TV Tower- but my man was into hanging off cliffs and buildings alike. With my fear of heights, it was not my preferred activity, but I was interested in seeing the views over the city. As can be expected in is very communist – the apartment blocks all look rather alike and just a few small hills around the city. To give an idea of size- the city has a population of about 600,000. This was our last stop before settling into our pretty central Airbnb near the centre of Vilnius- walking distance to everything we wanted to see. 

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Europe Lithuania

Trakai

The following morning once fed and packed we headed towards the capital- but with a planned longer stop in Trakai- a medieval residence for Grand Dukes of past. It is conveniently located on a island on a lake- so it is rather surreal and fairytale looking.

The castle was rather ornate- as they often are- and had many types of displays. Oddly- they start with modern art rather than the history etc. I think all of us visitors were thrown by this judging by the looks on our faces 😊. We were lucky enough to have a band practicing for a show and enjoyed some of their music too.

We stayed in a small motel/ BnB type of accommodation just outside of the town centre as we knew we would be at Trakai for a few hours. The next morning he went out for a run while I went around taking way too many photos of the colourful wooden country architecture in the town.

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Europe Lithuania

Metelių regioninis parkas

Our little car was packed with items borrowed from across the family and with camping gear and kitchenware from wherever we found some spares.

We (or really I) had a bunch of ideas for what I wanted to see and thus we set off on a rough track with the idea to stop at places of interest along the route that might have been unplanned. Leaving home we headed east, towards Suwalki and The Wigierski National Park. We’d have a bit of a morning walk and lunch before heading across the border into Lithuania. The park has many hiking, walking and mountain bike tracks and was pleasant to stretch the legs in.

After stopping to get some bread and basics we continued to a viewing tower – a cool structure- but with the country being pretty flat -not too much to see. As it got alter in the day we started looking out for a place to stay and ended up in a basic, private camping area at a lake front near Metelių regioninis parkas. A park that surrounds 3 lakes. After setting up camp and cooking up some dinner we went for a dip in the lake – pretty chilly- and hid in the tent with mosquitoes in full attack!

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Europe Poland

Mazury (Masurian Lake District)

Once I had finished my trip around Norway, I had a flight directly from Oslo to Wroclaw- where my brother and parents stay. This was in July 2022 – considering this post is occurring years later!! It was time to visit them again after last seeing them as part of my trip around the world in 2018/2019. The plan was to spend a little time with them, then maybe travel around a little around parts of Europe that I hadn’t been- but I had 2 unplanned months before I would head off to Iceland and Greenland.

 

My parents had been engaged in looking after my youngest niece full time prior to her going to nursery school. So, it was three adults against one little 18month old- so much attention!! 😊

 

What we had planned though was a family trip to “Mazury” (Masurian Lake District)– the lake district of Poland. It is in the northeast of the country. So, this was myself, my parents, my brother and his family. We hadn’t been on this type of family excursion in -I don’t know- decades?!?! Everyone was understandably nervous to see how we would all go in getting along for 10 days!

I flew up with my sister-in-law and the kids -to help her out- while the others drove two cars up.

We were walking distance from a smallish lake and my brother intended to kayak and do swimming training for his upcoming Ironman Triathlon in Gdynia in August 2022. We were also planning to do some day trips to explore the towns around the lakes.

All these plans were good, but the weather was a bit average- rainy. So, we stayed home for a couple of days- just some walks while it wasn’t raining. I thus had a fair bit of free time and decided to see what was in the European market in terms of its dating pool and installed an online dating app on my phone and started chatting to a few guys. I know you’re wondering why I’m sharing this but it becomes very important later – though not much later – hahahaha!!!

 

Our plan was to go to Mikolajki (popular town in the district) in a couple of days – when the weather cleared up. Until then – home bound – I kept chatting to online guys. It should be noted that the place we were staying was just a few holiday homes outside of a tiny village -pretty far from most things . The closest big town was Olsztyn – about 45min drive away.

 

I started chatting to a guy – on Monday afternoon. On Tuesday morning he asked me what I was up to- which was nothing due to weather – and he asked if it was ok if he came to visit. I said sure- but the next day we were planning this trip that would mean we would be closer to where he stays, and that might be easier. The 1.75hour trip one way didn’t bother him and so he said he would see me that afternoon. I was not really believing that this would be the situation -just get unmatched as what happens often and then not see the guy ever… but later I got a message stating that he was on his way. I was in shock but now had to own up to the parents as to what would be happening. My mom was excited I had hit the online dating scene again and my sister in law asked when I even had time to go online between looking after the kids. My dad was excited – but weary and my brother was like -sis you’re crazy!! I messaged said guy to check if he wanted to meet the family or we just run off and go somewhere , do something , considering meeting the family was a bit bloody soon , when we hadn’t even met! He was agreeable to the introduction -so everyone waited with bated breath.

You might be wondering who can take off in the week and meet up with a random woman – well he could as he was off on long term sick leave after a work injury.  

As far as first-time face to face and family meetings went -it was crazy enough- with the kids and parents and my brother and his wife going off to do some grocery shopping. The kids got attached and chatted away and was hard to get them back to playing I the garden when the weather cleared. We had a bit of time alone and decided to go for a walk in the forests around Olsztyn. It was very pleasant and a good way to walk and talk. Burgers were on the menu for dinner before the trip back home again.

He said he would head back home after dropping me off but ended up staying and having tea and chatting to the rest of the family – good to know the stories he told them and me added up 😊.

Considering the “baptism by fire” meeting of the family I thought it might be a bit too much to deal with and that would be that … BUT apparently not- and we met up at Mikolajki the next day again. Walked along the lake as we caught up some more and all of us family split for a few hours to do their separate things.

It was during our chats that I asked him if he wanted to come out to Lithuania with me for a few days- as this was my plan- to travel from up north here through Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. He can’t- he has appointments- he has physio… etc etc and the car was a bit on its last legs– I was like no worries- you do you and I will keep on going as per original plan (using public transport). However, towards the end of the day he said- give me until tonight and I will decide if I take the first few days of the trip with you… I was both excited and scared … this is madness!!

When he got home that evening, he messaged me and said that he would take me to Vilnius- the capital city of Lithuania. Thus we started making plans -that my parents would drop me off at his folks and on the way we could do some sight seeing together before they left me on the rest of my journey.

In knowing this guy for less than a week- not only would I now be meeting his family, but the parents would meet each other too – I just laugh at the speed of these encounters as I sit here writing and thinking through these events again!

My parents and I dropped my bags off and picked him up and we went around the region- with a focus on Hitler’s bunkers known as “Wolf’s Lair”. This included a huge complex of bunkers, barracks for army personnel, airports, railway station and water & electricity supply. The security included minefields and huge hectares of forests in the area. It was in this complex where Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg attempted to take Hitler’s life in an explosion. He only got minor burns. The Germans attempted to destroy the complex before fleeing after the war had ended.

We grabbed a lovely fresh fish lunch and then went off to meet his mom- as she had invited us for coffee. We met up with her at work she looks after a house run for people who have both physical and mental disabilities. It is beautifully run house and has wonderful people living there. It is very small scale- with less than 10 people at a time. It was great to meet them all and see how well they had been doing since they got some stability in their lives. Wonderful to see how everyone’s hearts were open to helping.

 

Apparently- as I was told later- my dad and his mom shared a moment of both liking the partners we had picked out … early days there folks!! We then headed to a minor Basilica (Święta Lipka Sanctuary / Sanktuarium w Świętej Lipce), in English known as the Holy Linden) that we wanted to see- where there happened to be a wedding taking place- so we slid into the back to listen to the organs- which were amazing!

To save some time for my parents, his dad came to pick us up from the Basilica and the parents thus met his dad too- as did I of course for the first time as well… and my parents and I went our separate ways!

Went back to his place and got a chance to unpack as well as to have a bit more of a chat with his Dad- a lovely man too! He prepared us some snacks and carried on chatting. So as not to decrease any momentum we went to meet his grandparents who lived nearby. I gave them both a hug and called them Granny and Grandpa -as we had an instant connection. When his Mom came back she prepared some dinner and then we got to know each other a bit more. His sister was away for the week so I stayed in her room and would meet her in a few weeks.

 

It was this evening, when everyone had gone to sleep and we were watching some TV, that he said you know what Jo… I will take the whole trip with you – moved appointments around and we can leave on Tuesday – as in a week after we met 😊.  We had 2 days or so to gather camping gear for the both of us, make some semi- plans, pack and go!

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Europe Norway Svalbard

Svalbard – 30 June 2022

It was all coming to an end !! Disembarkation was shortly after 9am where the airport and hotel groups were put on different buses as were the bags.

Got dropped off at my accommodation and walked in to town. Met up with Denise for a coffee and catch up, to be joined by Sam and Minne and then Caroline and Powell.

After saying goodbye in the late morning I grabbed a sandwich for lunch and headed back to my accommodation to get a ride for the mine tour I booked.

Mmmm… and I’m not sure where I took down notes for the mine tour 

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Europe Norway Svalbard

Svalbard – 29 June 2022

This was our final day of actual activities so we’re looking forward to them big time !!

In the morning we stopped at Bamsebu,  where there were old whaling huts, many piles of beluga bones as these were hunted here and a few old whaling boats from the 1930s.

The supports along the sides of the hut is to help hold up the roof with all the snow. The weak points, like windows,  also have nails hammered in, so that polar bears are deterred from pressing on the hut with their paws to break in.

The old grindstone is here, it was used to sharpen the flensing knives.

From here we also checked out a large sandstone rock that had soooo many fossils in it and traces of animal movement.  Pretty cool indeed.

We were then split into two groups and we did a 4km walk to the other side of the bay where the zodiacs were waiting.

It was exciting to see some more flowers, especially the Svalbard poppy. White and abundant on a few slopes.

The detail inside is fabulous!! Between this and the spider plant … those two are my favourite I think.

The final -final activity was due to be a landing at Camp Millar.

However a ship had to do a very quick emergency evacuation after a walking group was surprised by a bear just 30-50m away!!!! Apparently it was pretty large too…but I reckon being that close any bear would have been large!!!

So that plan was changed to another zodiac cruise off Gasbergkilen. With the red group being first again, Denise and I got on Howard’s zodiac … so we knew we would be in for a good time!!

The ship stopped off near another dramatic, geologically interesting mountain and we were off towards some more bird cliffs. It is here, at the base, that we hoped to find an Arctic fox.

We saw many eider ducks and geese , even with little cute babies. The cliffs were full of kittiwakes and guillemots but no foxes around. The base of the cliffs looked like good places for puffins to borrow into but Howard said it is very unlikely that we would see any this far north. Hold that thought…

As we scoured the base for foxes I noticed three birds on the water … I thought they were just plain old guillemots but one looked odd. Didn’t think much of it but Howard looked through the binoculars and was surprised to see a puffin !!!!

So I obviously gave him a look … not 10min later another 2 flew past !!

Howard … what’s happening… hahahahaha. One of the other guys asked where they would probably nest and Howard says … there where Jo asked originally …. hehehehe

As we came back around the corner we got a radio call that there was a pod of beluga near the other zodiacs. As they were coming towards us we cut the engine and just waited . They swam right past us about 15m away. The third pod right there!!! The guides normally don’t see that many in a whole season , never mind one trip!!

Now we were very focused on finding an Arctic fox ,slowly,  slowly we made our way along the cliffs and everyone had their eyes peeled, when finally Ken and Sergio yelled ‘fox’ at the same time.

Boy oh boy !!! The fox was very active , made its way down from the heights to the base of cliffs, found an egg, dug a hole and buried it, then found another and did the same. It came about 50m away from us then ran back up the hill and ate some greenery. Then came all the way down and along the beach!!! Spectacular ! It also had so many shades of white, cream and brown …very cool…as it changed coats from winter to summer.

It must be said that during all this exploration Howard had hit 3 rocks already …some twice … and as we were joking about this… on the way back to the ship already we hit another … I don’t know how we still had blades left!!! We were all keeping an eye out for shallow rocks too …hehehehe

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Europe Norway Svalbard

Svalbard – 28 June 2022

We spent the night sailing all the way around the southern point of Spitsbergen and into the southern fjord known as Hornsund.

Gnaloden was due to be our afternoon landing site; however the 40knot winds made it much too rough and outside the company limits of safe operation so we went around the corner to a protected fjord.

A ship had to do a very quick emergency evacuation after a walking group was surprised by a bear just 30-50m away!!!! Apparently it was pretty large too…but I reckon being that close any bear would have been large!!!

So that plan was changed to another zodiac cruise at Vestra Burberbukta.  This fjord was amazing in its scale with cliffs up to 1,500m high, loads of waterfalls cascading down the mounting sides, a hanging glacier and normal glaciers with great geology too boot!!

Sheila ,  Denise and myself were on the same Zodiac, with Howard as our guide. Whenever we have been with him he goes off exploring on a tangent, which is always good fun. Howard says …I just want to check around the corner , at the bottom of the cliffs , if we can spot any Arctic foxes. This is around the same corner that we didn’t land cause of the 40 knot winds.

Well, we held on good and got a whole lot of cold soakings with us joking and laughing about it and Howard’s driving skills as well as this being an expedition and not just a cruise .

Needless to say our adventures didn’t pay any dividends as the sea was too rough , visibility not great and we were well soaked. So we headed back to the ship all looking forward to warm showers and dry clothes !! The fox remained pretty elusive though !

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Europe Norway Svalbard

Svalbard- 27 June 2022

We had a bit of a way to go to get south for a short cut passage through Freemansundet.

We did RAT testing just after breakfast and there were 3 more positive cases. All of us are nervous before results as who knows who will be confined to their cabin next!?

We then gathered our things and landed randomly on shore before dividing up into short, medium and long hiking groups. Landing site is called Sundneset.

I joined the long hikers and we went up the snow patch, along the ridge and got some great views and reindeer from very far.

When we had made our way down to near a hut used in 1967 by a geographer,  Ben called everyone on the radio to tell them they had spotted a bear. Ulyana confirmed it was mother and cub. We thus made haste and got off the island quickly and in orderly manner. This is the protocol as you don’t really want to come across a bear on land.

When everyone was on-board we pulled up anchor and headed across the Strait to Kapp Lee.

This landing site was due to be a small place but with some old historic huts that the walrus hunters once used. We were all very pleasantly surprised to find the biggest haul-out of walrus on the beach that any of the expedition team had ever seen! Dani spent some time counting them off of a photo and landed on 387!!!

We got to see them from atop a small hill overlooking the beach. The funniest of the walrus made me laugh inside…as not to make a noise! He wanted to go in the water and wasn’t far from it. Rather than go in the normal way, he lay down and rolled over and over in slow motion until he touched the water and then rolled again until in it properly. What a lazy walrus!!

 

We then swapped activities to go for a short walk with Howard and had a close encounter with two, then three reindeer. They were pretty inquisitive. We hadn’t really seen reindeer up until today and there were quiet a few!

Right before we swapped groups again to get some history from Ben, had an Arctic fox pointed out to us. But it was really a bundle of fur and didn’t move at all. So doesn’t quiet tick my list of having seen one really just yet.

Something interesting to note is that all hunting for fur animals was done while overwintering as that is when animal pelts are at their thickest and lushest. Note that reindeer fur is very brittle and cannot be used for anything really but meat is good and lean.

 

As a matter of fact, there used to be so many bears that 10 or more would bother hunters every day! 

During our recap , before dinner, we were told that we had an additional 5 Covid cases after testing this morning. So we have had about 10 this trip.

Dani also told us a few facts about the walrus. What literally stuck out the most, is that the walrus is one of few animals that has a bone within their penis that is up to 0.5m long!!! I just don’t know where the hell they put it when they are done!?!?!

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Europe Norway Svalbard

Svalbard – 26 June 2022

Upon waking up our lovely geology location and mountains were covered with low lying clouds and the blue skies were no longer visible. It was 0C and we hoped that the cloud would lift before our later landing so we could see some more of the scenery .

I joined the long walk group an we made our way up to and along the Ridgeline. Jeff was way up high , with rifle, as our sentry. Howard lead the way with his rifle and stopped and went ahead a few time to check for polar bears in small valleys.

As we climbed up the scree and through some streams and across peat we saw many tiny flowers , lichens and mosses. You need to get down low to see all the details but it’s worth it!

As we got up the Ridgeline we could see the length of the beach but not much more as the fog was coming in again.

Got back on-board and someone had spotted a minke whale but it didn’t come up for air again when I was outside and many of us didn’t see it. Had lunch and the sailed around north up the Hinloppen Strait to try and find whales … but alas…

We were going in for a landing at Andreneset to see the research buildings, when someone on the bridge spotted a polar bear a few islands over. So the plan changed slightly to zodiac around the island, check out the bear and then zodiac in to see the research buildings built in 1957.

The only problem was that now the bear was no where to be seen ! After much searching by a scout boat we abandoned that mission and zodiac-ed all the way to the research station.

We only had 20min and were guided by a rifled Ulyana.  The station was only used for 1 year and then called a cultural heritage site, left intact but not open to visitors. Some more research done 50 years later for the anniversary.  Otherwise it’s abandoned.

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Europe Norway Svalbard

Svalbard – 25 June 2022

We awoke to another fabulous morning, blue skies, wonderful sunshine and such still seas!!!

We got to our planned walrus landing area just at breakfast and we’re all happy to go for a long walk, however that plan had to change as all the walrus were parked up on the one and only place we could land on!! So, no walk and get re-dressed with more layers for a zodiac cruise.

As we got closer we got to experience the curious walruses in the water . They would come up closer to the zodiacs in a group of 6 or so, have a quick look around, get spooked and then quickly make a get away … and repeat their investigation process.

There was also a group who were laying on an iceberg that was tipping more and more with time. Not that there were no other ice sheets around but they all fought over that one!!

From the zodiacs we also saw the beach master, big daddy of all the walruses, wobble his giant body up the left hand side of the herd that was on land! He was like double the size of the others!!

We spent a long time with the walrus and then headed around the corner to try and find a polar bear that was spotted from far.

I was the one who eventually spotted in at the base of a mountain that was far away. I noticed it as a white moving blob then saw it was a bear either binoculars .

The stunning sunshine and beautiful blue skies continue through the afternoon as we very slowly made our way to Alkefjellet Cliffs. We had to wait for our booked slot though. So to kill time we were doing some whale watching …or trying to find whales to watch. Unfortunately,  no luck. 

What we did have the whole way in to Faksevagen was stunning sunshine, blue skies, white ice caps and snow as well as some soft clouds nestled on and around a few peaks. The scenery was amazing , 360 degrees around us.

Our parking space for the evening had us surrounded by some great geology and a couple of glaciers. This made for a truly fabulous jacuzzi  location !!!

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Svalbard- 24 June 2022

The night was pretty smooth as we made our way east and then south to Stroya. This is a small island where walruses are often seen.

The expedition team went to scout out the island but saw no walruses, nor polar bears and with a temperature of  -4C , the decision was made for no zodiac cruise. A landing was not possible as there was sea ice collected around the landing area. This drove the decision to continue south west then.  We came across some pack ice and got an announcement that there is a mother and 2 cubs on the ice ahead of the ship.

The cubs were at first cuddled up to mom, then mom got up and they started moving around , even hopping between some ice and then actually swam off to another far off ice patch . We watched until you couldn’t see them well with the naked eye anymore. They were very cute and we hadn’t see the bears swimming before.

Lunch was scheduled after this excitement, followed by a late zodiac cruise. Here we saw a huge variety of birds in a bit of a feeding frenzy. There were eider ducks, guillamonts, kittiwakes and Arctic terns bomb diving.

Further around the corner I noticed a lone polar bear on the ridge of the mountain that ran along the side of the island. It posed nicely ,walked further along the ridge then disappeared down the other side. Howard tried to go around the other side but we got a radio call that the bear was back on the ridge and turned back. It walked around some more, then plonked down and stayed in place.

We watched the bear for a little while longer then headed down to check out some of the sculpted icebergs, and then finally, cause we were with Howard- expedition leader- we quickly went to check out the ice shelf .

It was very expansive, 116km across its width and approx. 30m high.

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Svalbard – 23 June 2022

We were expecting pack ice through the night but it was all good, still and good sleep.

Pre breakfast Covid test for day 3. Then off to breakfast. I wasn’t sitting for long when Howard made the announcement that there is a polar bear on the port side . Dropped everything and went to check him out. Pretty far away and only really visible with binoculars .

As I eventually went back to breakfast and got some warmer clothes to go back on deck we crept ever closer to the bear for a 3 hour encounter.

I was pretty cold at one stage and needed to pee so went off quickly as the bear hadn’t moved much.

Upon my return he was so close to the ship, walked right towards us. I saw his paw prints where he was but he had already been heading back towards his old spot and beyond once I had returned from my quick pee- I couldn’t believe that I missed it!!

While this action was happening, Snowy, our birder, spotted an ivory gull. They are all white, black legs and patches around their eyes. He said it was the first one of the season.

With the pack ice and polar bear there was no planned landing and we headed off at approx. 11am for the open waters.

The ship sailed slightly more north to Karl XII-OYA. It has been described as the end of the earth as it is so far north – over 83 degrees. It is a pyramidal mountain with a long spit. The rocks here are basal of nature.

We got pretty wet going out as it is a bit choppy in the zodiacs. It wasn’t too far up to a little protected bay, where our whole zodiac only later realised that we were looking at a polar bear mid way up the face of the mountain rather than the birds above!

We all took 300 more polar bear photos in ever colder and windier conditions then went around the corner as we were headed to circumnavigate the strangely shaped island.

All of a sudden I saw what looked like light coloured rocks appearing above the surface of the water and realised they were beluga whales!!! Yeah!!!! They took a little while to appear again …about 4-5 of them in one pod!!! It included one young calf and another older calf. They swam around the bay and put on a bit of a show but not too much action.

As we were checking out the beluga, the polar bear started to move slowly down to shore, even sliding down the snowy slope. The bear first sank deep into the snow including his/ her face .

While all of this was occurring it also started to snow!!! Horizontally mind you, as the wind was pretty strong and we saw the snow front coming in. The day had been beautiful and sunny just hours before and shortly after !!!

After dinner Denise and I did our traditional sauna and then braved the cold in the jacuzzi. Never a dull moment as it snowed while we sat in the warm tub.

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Svalbard – 22 June 2022

Had some sleep as we spent some time overnight in the bay without movement then awoke when we set off before 3am.

After breakfast we did a split landing where some of us went zodiac cruising to a historic site where there was an attempt by the Swedish team lead by Andre to take a hot air Balloon over the North Pole .

I was part of the group that went to check out the few walruses on the beach on Smeerenberg (Grease mountain from Dutch).

We only got about 50-70m away from the group of walruses , so that was a bit far . I thought we would be able to get much closer while keeping at least 2m away from wildlife rule.

There were also a few swimming around in the water.

After this Ben, our historian on-board,  gave us a run down of the history of Smeerenberg from the 1600s. It follows below.

 

 

“Smeer” is Dutch for blubber or blubber town. It was a centre for whaling in 16th century. Established in 1614 by Dutch.

1492 the pope divided the world in half : Spanish got one half and Portuguese the other. Dutch and British were more global and not happy – they had to pay taxes where they went. Looked for ways around it. This lead to the exploration through /around the NW PASSAGE.


William Barentz discovered 1596 Svalbard. He checked for economic potential. In the European Bay of Bisque whaling had been happening for 150 years already by the Basques – Inventors of whaling so to speak.

Main species hunted was the bow head because the whale floats due to high blubber content and slow swimmers. They were hauled in entirely by human power.

The bay was ice free most of the year which allowed the whales to come in and out. The whole area is also surrounded by polar bears -which became a bit of a pest to the hunters. Carcasses left in bay and birds fed on them as well as polar bears .

Hunting of whales:

  • Transport by ship, bring workers 5-6 small whaling boats to the shallows. 
  • Rowed by whalers
  • The technology didn’t change until 1657 when the harpoon was invented
  • Whales run rope out. Tie to boat then line all up. Whale would dive down . No dorsal fin to go under ice. Would try to find ice sheet to go under it to save themselves
  • Attach barrel to line before chopping it off if required.
  • Cut up whale using flensing knives, cut into flitches.

Attach to ship, turn around and around.

Blubber pots on shore. 6-7 Dutch companies on shore.  Competing with other nations. Use coal for fire.

Little fort with cannons . 200 people on shore in summer.
By 1640 , 25 years , whaling finished on shore. Had to move off shore.

15,000 walrus here when island discovered, now very few.

Baleen used in coil, freeze in whale meat, then take out as polar bear trap.
Polar bears eat and it will spring open in stomach and die.
1% of value as payment no salary.

The people came as last resort poor people. Criminals used to look after the area when no one here as English raided the place. But they didn’t want to stay. Many explorers’ used criminals as crew.
Site was abandoned 1640

Approx. killed 100,000 bow head over 150 years in whole Arctic.

After the history lesson we went for a zodiac cruise across the bay to Virgo Hamna, where the hot air balloon attempt across the North Pole was to be taken from. In summary it was an epic fail. Story in more detail, below.

Andre, (Swedish), wanted to fly over north pole in late 1890s. he used metal and acids for making of hydrogen.
Balloon was lined with felt and a storage shed was built for protection of balloon

1896 winds were from north so couldn’t head north

1897 take #2 . Cape Canaveral.  Hydrogen balloon expected to hold hydrogen for 30 days. This was not realistic – only 15 to 20 days was the real-life situation.
Hoping to steer balloon with heavy ropes and cook using a primus stove. He couldn’t use on the balloon though , so dropped 8m on rope and cooked with the use of a mirror to see what he was doing.

Lost 500kg of ropes. Threw 200kg of ballast over . Just goes up in winds. Higher up and never seen again.

Aug 1939. Kvitoya, White Island. Buried in snow remnants.  From Logs , crashed 2 days later.  Made way across ice . Just survived a few months.

33 years later discovered. 

Balloon was called the Eagle. Movie from 60s : Flight of the Eagle.

We came back on board for lunch and were due to have some time off until our next landing at Ytre Norskoya,  a historic whaling station site and graveyard site.

As we got into our relaxation state, the expedition leader, Howard , made an announcement that polar bears were spotted very nearby and we were going to be zodiac cruising passed them and to be ready ASAP.

We hopped on to the zodiacs and were off. There was a mamma bear with an older cub as well as another adult bear, of unknown sex. They were nice visible from in the water, though a little far. The separate adult bear was eating something and then disappeared into the little valley, behind some rocks.

The mom and cub were lying next to one another then on their feet and walking around. Good to see them interacting.

We did do circles in the water with all our zodiacs so everyone got a turn to see them

However with the polar bears nearby , relatively speaking, our landing on Ytre Norskoya was cancelled and we did a zodiac cruise around it instead. We hoped to see puffins on the cliffs but no luck! There were many cute auks that made an appearance,  so they were fun too.

We got back onto the ship for some free time.

A little later , Howard, made the announcement that we had our first Covid case on-board and that we need to wear masks.

After dinner Denise and I went straight to the sauna and the into the jacuzzi. While we were in there we arrived at Moffen Island,  a rather strange sand spit island that had quiet a few walruses on the beach. It is a reserve,  so no zodiacs, we just checked them out from a distance. We were hoping that the captain would spin is around so we can view walruses from the jacuzzi, but no such luck!! So had to hop out, put on a robe and quickly go check them out , to the dismay of all the other rugged up guests !!

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Svalbard – 21 June 2022

Breakfast was at 7am, followed by a briefing on biosecurity , zodiac safety etc. We then got all our outdoor gear ready for vacuuming to get out any potential seeds/ mud etc.

The morning activity was a Zodiac cruise around Lilliehookbreen. It is a glacier face which was pretty spectacular. The fog had covered up the top of the peaks to start with but then lifted rather nicely to reveal the full glory of the surrounds.

One can’t go hungry while exploring the artic …so you need to eat 😊. The next stop after lunch was just “around the corner. The plan was an option of three walks (with 3 separate guides) around Signehamma. The choice was a short, medium or long walk. The long walk was steep and icy -so I gave that a skip and went for the medium.

Many of the older patrons also went on the medium walk. This was the start of our problems. The surface was slightly uneven- as can be expected in the wild. When it came to crossing a small-scale boulder field (more like rock field not boulders by size- less than 30cm each) the old people struggled terribly with balance and complained bitterly about it. This peeved me (and many others; off). Hereafter the descriptions of the hikes were clearer so that the older (read less fit and agile) people knew what to expect.

After we came back onboard we showered and got ready for Captain’s cocktails. It is here when we meet the whole crew- including some of the behind-the-scenes teams. Usually, we would be able to interact more with them- including on the bridge but this was not possible due to Covid.

After cocktails we had dinner and Denise and I went to sauna and jacuzzi. It was great and we booked in further sessions later in the week. Densie is an ex-Kiwi who has lived in France for decades. We sat at the same table. Ultimately, we all had to sit at the same table to help contain the germs. So, it was me and Denise, Sheila (USA), Arthur (USA) and Rod (SA/Aus). We were all a bit sad about this as you couldn’t get to know as many people as usual with this arrangement.

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Svalbard – 20 June 2022

Today is embarkation day but only much later.  I enjoy our free time by going in to town and checking out the shops. Huge supermarket and an unreal amount of outdoor gear shops. On our way into town, Belinda tells me of some of our ship passengers are missing their bags and were told they wouldn’t be seeing them before the cruise!! Luckily one of the gents had a tracker in his bag and he noticed that the location was updated to being in Longyearbyen Airport in the afternoon!! Luckily everyone got their bags just before the cruise!!

At 2pm we met up and went to the Svalbard Museum for some background on geology, nature and history.

The ship transfer was by Zodiac as there is only space for one ship in port. I was number 1 on board the vessel in terms of passengers . Yay!!!  

We had a safety briefing and did an emergency drill then dinner, a la carte.

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Svalbard- 19 June 2022

Up early today for train to catch the flight from Oslo to Longyearbyen via Tromso.

We waited for two mechanics to board the flight so they could fix a plane in Tromso. They boarded some 20min later than scheduled take-off time.

The Cole Family-the American family I met at PCR testing were on the flight too.

There was a delay in Tromso passport control, where one passenger’s paperwork didn’t cut the mustard and a long delay to find his bag- about 1 hour late for take off!

When we eventually got to Svalbard, Longyearbyen, we were met by Anna with it turning out that American family are on same cruise.

Dropped off the Americans in town centre and me approx 1.5km to Funken Lodge. Anna then gave me some of the best news ever: they upgraded all the triple share passengers to their own rooms!!!! This was due to there being fewer passengers than normal and in case anyone gets covid then we have own isolation rooms alone and not all being in quarantine. This meant that I had my own room, desk, couch, King bed and balcony!!!!  Very excited to say the least!!!

I left my bags in my lodge room and off to explore. Crossed down river , then up the other side of the river to the graveyard. These days you are not allowed to die on the islands as you cannot get buried as the bodied get pushed up into the active permafrost. Mind you, you are also not allowed to give birth as the hospital is not equipped for any complications.

I continued back down the road towards the church. Unfortunately it was under repair on the outside and is covered in scaffolding. Inside though it was open, warm, welcoming and simple. It was divided into the church portion and then a meeting area with group seating, like a church hall.

Also to note is that everywhere on Svalbard, when you enter a home or building, it is shoes off and in socks to help keep the floor clean and free of mud.

Still further down the road I walked up towards a lookout and the old coal loading station. There are still cable ways and cars that are in place as historic monuments. Coal mining started in the early 1900s after an American found coal and started up the Arctic Coal Company, soon to be taken over by the Norwegians. Production only from Mine 7 now at only 70kt per annum!!! Very tiny.  Most used for electricity generation and rest sent off to Germany. I booked a Coal mine visit for after the cruise.

Headed back to lodge as the  shops were closed. I wanted to sauna but it was not working.

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Oslo

Flew in with flight delays —due to British airspace being too busy. The captain told us this while we were all ready to go. We pushed off from the gate -, excited-  just to then park up at a random spot and waited some more. We eventually took off, some 40min late then there was no parking space in Oslo and then had to take the bus to the terminal .

I caught the train in to central station then walked past druggies to hostel to meet up with Silje and Alice – friends from my Galapagos trip back in April 2019.

We went out to sushi and great catch up!!

The next day only spent half day exploring around Palace Gardens then tried to get sleep as I had this hay fever / cold something after the pollen bomb hit in southern England. Had to get better before the ship!!

On Friday, had a pretty full day of exploring. As I walked to my first stop- I passed the City Hall- with wooden carvings of Norwegian creation legends /history & culture.  

First, my eye was drawn to Askershus Fort so I made my way all around the buildings and defence walls checking out the structure and the city views from its vantage point.

Next, I walked over to the striking National Opera and Ballet building. It is made of white marble. The floor slabs are actually quiet cracked .

As it got a bit cooler and clouds came in I headed to the newly renovated National Museum. I started on the 3rd level, which had some contemporary art , some of which was questionable but complex.

Then on the 2nd level there was a lot more classic art such as Monet,  one very normal, non abstract, Picasso , as well as a van Gogh self portrait. There are several Edvard Munch paintings, the most famous of which is one of his “Scream” paintings . He actually painted several of them.  Munch is a Norwegian artist.

After 3 hours at the museum it was straight to dinner at 5pm in Engebret Cafe, Oslo’s oldest restaurant. Again, it was Alice and Silje that organised it as they hadnt been either. It was fairly top dollar, had some yum reindeer. Another great catch up before they headed to Canada early the next morning and left me with a lots more to see the next and last full day.

Saturday, my last full day. I booked my pre-ship PCR test for 09h30. Got there at 09h00 with the hope to be in and out in 5min as no one had an appointment before me when I booked. Well, it was here that I met the Cole Family- an American family of six – inclusive of gran and granddad. Their paperwork took forever and at the end of it I was only tested at 10h00.
 
After I finally finished I went back to the hostel to do my laundry. It was a pretty tech experience as the laundry Miele machines were linked to payment via an app, that also tracked time in wash and dry cycles. It was a pricey wash and dry at approx. 13 AUD!!! But that was what was available nearby.
 
While I waited for the washing I grabbed a fancy coffee at an independent coffee shop called Tim Wendelboe; And also grabbed something to eat from a bakery around the corner.
 
Alice had given me the tip to go to the Mini bottle gallery. It was 85NOK entry. This is actually a private collection of 50 000 mini bottles of all shapes and sizes as well as themes.
 
Various displays included a safe where the dangerous bottles were kept i.e. those that scorpions or snakes in them as well as absinthe.
 
There is a raunchy, red fur lined brothel room. Use a breather to get in and penis pull lever to get out. Inside are bottles that have sexy ladies selling their spirit product so to say.
 
There are huge collections of whiskey, tequila, ouzo, brandy and rum.
 
The first displays are also by theme such as fireman, American Indians, love, trains, doll house, animals and birds etc.