Longyearbyen – life at the edge of the world. The town was our base during the expedition to Svalbard.
LLongyearbyen is one of the most extraordinary places on Earth. It is the northernmost city in the world, where life unfolds in extreme climatic and geographical conditions. For several months of the year, there is polar night here, when the sun does not rise above the horizon. This is a time when residents must cope with complete darkness, but at the same time, they can admire the spectacular northern lights.
We flew to the city from Oslo. We had a layover in Tromso, where our passports were checked. There is no border control on the island itself.
Upon exiting the plane, we were greeted at the airport by a polar bear - the symbol of Svalbard.
We picked up the suitcases and went to the bus
On the bus, we received our first instructions - what is allowed and what is prohibited in this area. Additionally, a warning about polar bears!
We were already admiring the views while travelling by bus
We got off at Svalbard Muzeum and we continued on foot to search for our cottage.
We have settled into a small flat at number 40
We were only supposed to spend three nights here, so the only important thing was that it was warm. It was!
After unpacking/repacking etc., we went to explore museum and then the northernmost brewery.
On the way, we saw Svalbard reindeer walking around the town.
The city surprised us in many ways, not least with its unusual road signs...
.. or unusual vehicles
we had our eyes wide open the whole time, here is the view from the main street in the city
We also passed by the northernmost: petrol stations
... and the church.
We entered the local Coop shop, where we found such a sign on the door
We did the shopping and returned home for a little rest.
In the evening, we decided to visit a local restaurant and pub.
When we were coming back, it was already dark, the city looked completely different
It was the darkest it gets at night. The above photo was taken at 00:30
The next day we went to a company that deals with renting snowmobiles
We went to Pyramiden where we slept in hotel. We only returned the next, third day, in the afternoon. That day we didn't feel like going anywhere, mainly for a rather mundane reason. It took us almost half an hour for everyone to get dressed. Six people, a small space, and each person had to put on a jacket, a hoodie, trousers, a hat, big boots, etc. I suppose that's the only downside of living in such a climate.
On the fourth day in the morning, we first went to the hotel, from where we took a bus to the port and then a ship to Barentsburg.
When we returned, we went to take a photo with the sign warning about bears.
and then to the restaurant. We ordered whale carpaccio
and then steaks and burgers - also made from whale.
After dinner, we went to the bar for a while, for a few shots. Thanks to Łukasz, we managed to try whiskey from our vintages. It was an interesting experience.
On the last day, we set off to the airport early in the morning.
We boarded the plane like this:
I hope to return to Longyearbyen again!
