Anticipation!

Well the Anticipation has been finally realised after an initial stressful 24 hours!

SAS decided to leave the checked bags of half of their passengers in Dublin, including mine, so my initial impression of Norway was not very positive!!! This stress has now faded however, as the majesty and remoteness of this truly wonderful environment has calmed me down considerably! As I walked along a beach beside the Barents Sea just a few hours ago, looking at Glaciers that are hundreds of thousands of years old and hundreds of meters high, the concern of not having my favorite fashion with me, faded into insignificance!

I will also give Oslo a second chance when I return there next week and will let you know what my impressions are!!!

On arrival on Monday evening in the hotel in Oslo I met some of my travelling companions. Mainly white, middle aged, well travelled and very articulate! Ones’ typical A, B1, B2. There are 180 passengers on the ship from the US, Canada, Australia and Europe. Many Scandanavians and a group from South Africa. The majority are regular cruisers, but a few Virgin Cruisers like myself ( Silverseas pet name for first timers) . Quite a number of Solo passengers, both male and female, and everyone very jolly and friendly. Stories of previous cruises abound , with subtle points being scored, as in ” oh, you only did the 28 day one, we did the 42 one!” You get the picture!!

An ancient 757-200 eventually got us here on Tuesday morning after being on the tarmc for 90 minutes as we were told ” there a light in the control panel that we cannot turn off”….information overload for me, but the Bloody Mary’s and Prosecco they served while we waited ( 08.30 a.m.) patiently helped to while the time away! I sat beside two sisters from Sweden, who were charming company and like myself, visiting Svalbard for the first time. One of them told me of her Round the World Cruise of 4 months in 2020, which was curtailed by the arrival of Covid after their departure. This necessitated them spending 6 weeks at sea as they were not allowed dock anywhere while the World came to terms with this new mysterious virus.

Towards the end of our three hour plus flight, the clouds parted and we caught a glimpse of the Barents Sea- finally we were within the Arctic Circle!! We could see snow covered mountains stretching for miles towards Russia and the Steppes, excitement was mounting!!

We landed in Longyearbyen, the northernmost settlement in the world! 78/15 N. Population 2,100, slightly less than the Polar Bear population in Svalbard! Signs abound in the town showing a Polar Bear which means ” be careful”! There are research stations further North, but no communities.

We spent a couple of hours here in the town, as the Ship had 6 hours to be sanitized after the previous guests departed. There was an interesting Maritime Museum and a number of specialised Expedition shops selling just about everything one might need in terms of apparel ( thermal of course) and equipment. There was a fur shop also, but I passed on that, as I needed some basics from the supermarket! Everything is SO expensive! Here’s hoping SAS will reimburse me!

While in the town, I met a charming young man from Enniskerry, who had just covered a Wildlife Guiding course of 9 months and is now working with a local Tour Operator He so very kindly offered to help me with SAS but to no avail. So great to meet such fab young adventurous Irish people in remote areas of the world.

Eventually, 48 hours after leaving home, I am escorted to my Suite on board, and met my attendant John and my Butler Rhodec, both from the Philippines. Life in Grove Lawn will never be the same again!

To be continued……