All tagged Arctic
I had never heard of the Lofoten Islands until I read this: “Take in the magnificent archipelago within the Arctic Circle, with its jagged peaks, sheltered bays of bright blue water, white sand beaches, and windswept grasslands.” A visit there was being pitched as “the grand finale” of an itinerary to Norway. Of course, I was immediately intrigued.
“Walruses! These giant, bushy-‘stached, improbable creatures with those enormous canine tusks erupting from within their fleshy mouths have always intrigued me. They especially captured my attention when Fridtjof Nansen wrote about various walrus encounters in Farthest North around the same time I learned I was joining a small group in the Arctic waters of Svalbard in June 2020.”
“After a frustrating stutter-start of two years (thank you, Covid), a group of twelve like-minded souls set off at last on a small ship in the far North. We shared the common goal of searching for polar bears living in their own authentic world on and near the tiny archipelago of Svalbard… It is amazing how such a tiny dot on the map could be so stunning. How easy it would be to get lost in its immensity.”
“Known for having more snow machines (snowmobiles) than automobiles, Svalbard’s capital town of Longyearbyen (pop. 2400 in 2019) is at the latitude of 78 degrees North, making it the northernmost community of greater than 1,000 inhabitants in the world…”
“…While deeply appreciative of all winged creatures, I haven’t (yet) made time to learn their names and details… Still, it was mesmerizing to watch the birds as we crossed the Bering Sea…”
“After many trips to our 49th state, I’ve found that every nook and cranny is wonderful in its particular way.”
“Alaska is just...immense, no matter where you are: on the rivers, in the mountains, or in the interior. No wonder the place enjoys such a mystical, far-away reputation.“
