This is part of a series called Nordic Sojourn 2022 Today, we started the third phase of our Nordic journey — a two-week trip around the Ring Road of Iceland, a 828 mile, two lane road that encircles much of the country. We have really been anticipating this part of the trip, both because of…
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This is part of a series called Nordic Sojourn 2022 Well, our destination has changed again. We were originally scheduled to go to Vigur, Iceland to look at the extensive bird colonies there. Given the lateness of the season, it turned out that most of the birds had already left. Instead we went to Patreksfjordur,…
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This is part of a series called Nordic Sojourn 2022 Today, we visited the most isolated town in one of the most isolated countries in the world — Ittoqqortoormiit in Greenland (the nearest town is about 500 miles away!). It is located on the north side of the mouth of Scoresby Sound, the entrance to…
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This is part of a series called Nordic Sojourn 2022 Today we made it to Greenland. Even though it is well south of the polar ice pack we visited, it is 10-15 degrees colder here. That’s because Svalbard has the Gulf Stream that skirts it, while Greenland gets the cold polar currents from the north. …
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Today we visited Jan Mayen Island, a tiny volcanic island in the North Atlantic that is 600 miles west of Norway and 350 miles north of Iceland. It is a territory of Norway, has no native population, and only has 18 rotational people who run the weather and radio stations. The skyline is dominated by…
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This is part of a series called Nordic Sojourn 2022 Today, we visited Poolepynten, a headland at the eastern coast of the Prins Karls Forland in Spitsbergen, Svalbard. This mile long stretch of beach is part of the Forlandet National Park and is home to a group of walruses that use that area to rest. …
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This is part of a series called Nordic Sojourn 2022 This morning dawned bright and sunny, with a temperature in the mid-40s! We entered the Kongsfjorden and are at Ny London, a mining operation that went bust in the early 20th Century. We are at 78 degrees, 55 minutes. As little as 15 years ago,…
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This is part of a series called Nordic Sojourn 2022 By the next morning, the pack ice had thickened and we got a chance to see the ship’s icebreaker bow in action. At 6:40 am, the Expedition Leader made an announcement that there was a polar bear off our starboard bow, about 150 yards out. …
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This is part of a series called Nordic Sojourn 2022 We continued our northward sail during the night to the area of Woodfjorden and Liefdefjorden to visit a trapping cabin known as Texas Bar. In the morning, however, we were pretty heavily socked in with fog, causing a delay in going ashore. Texas Bar was…
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This is part of a series called Nordic Sojourn 2022 Our first landing of the trip was at Gravneset that is rated as one of the most beautiful fjords in Svalbard. It is surrounded by tall mountains and glaciers. It’s also one of the largest burial grounds (over 130 graves) in Svalbard dating from the…
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