Bearded seal | pod of belugas | birds galore | magnificent glaciers
By Eileen Ogintz
The Bearded Seal is having his afternoon snooze on an ice floe in front of Lillehookbreen. This is one of the largest glaciers of northwestern Spitsbergen in the Svalbard Archipelago in the Arctic north of Norway. We are in a zodiac about 100 yards from the 1,800-pound seal—so named because of his big whiskers.
Wow! We hear the huge glacier—some 20 miles–long-calving slabs of ice with big booms like echoing thunder. At the same time, pieces in the water make crackling noises, kind of like Rice Krispies. This is caused when air bubbles trapped in the ice pop open, our guide and zodiac driver Augustin Ullmann explained.
[Photos by Andy Yemma]
It’s just day two of our Abercrombie & Kent Arctic Cruise Adventure: “In Search of the Polar Bear.” We are already wowed by the knowledge of the 16-person expedition team, the crew on board our ship catering to 120 passengers, the food, and the fact that we can sit in our cabin and watch the mesmerizing glacier.
We haven’t seen a polar bear yet but we will and already got a safety briefing from Morten Joergensen, the on board arctic and polar bear expert who has written two books about these amazing creatures endangered by climate change that is fast shrinking the ice here
Of the 120 passengers, 80 have traveled with A&K before and 46—more than a third—have done a luxury expedition cruise.
We are from all over the country and abroad including London and Peru. One California grandmother is traveling with her 16 year old grandson. She aims to take one grandchild on a trip at a time, she explained, allowing them to choose the trip.
There are three guys from Houston traveling together. “Our wives said they’d rather go to the beach,” said Jeremy Daniel, adding that their kids had scheduling conflicts, not to mention this is a very pricey trip.
There are solo travelers, like Linda Turley, an attorney from Dallas, and Marilyn Lindenbaum from Denver, as well as couples, including one woman in a wheelchair. I’m hobbled using a cane by knee problems but am pleased at how navigable the crew makes this adventure for all abilities.
“You know they do a really good job,” said Linda Turley. Another plus: The trip is completely all inclusive—no need to pay for drinks, tip guides or other extras as on other adventure trips and cruises.
“Some parts of the world you need someone who knows what they are doing to lead you and put together the itinerary,” another guest opined.
The group met in Oslo before a chartered fly to the tiny town of Longyearbyen with just 2500 people, Including a brewery that makes five different beers, a church that serves Lutherans, Catholics and Buddhists, and a Global Seed Vault established by Norway in 2008 as a safety back up deep inside the permafrost of a mountain where some 4.5 million seed samples can be kept in optimal condition. It holds the promise for ensuring there will be food to feed the populations of the future.
It feels like A&K does everything to make adventures to far flung locales seamless. I thought that when we traveled to Antarctica. The expedition staff were equally and impressively knowledgeable about whales, birds, glaciers, and the history of the region.
We are provided cozy parkas, water bottles and waterproof backpacks to keep and high rubber boots and waterproof pants to borrow making it much easier to pack. We get a detailed pocket guide to the animals and plants of the Arctic region and a map of the Arctic Region to help us follow our two-week itinerary. There are lectures on board from our experts and guided walks when we are on land.
This morning, for example, we explored Ny Alesund where the famous Norwegian explorer Roald Amundson flew over the North Pole in a dirigible that was launched from this far flung place. He was the first do explore the Northwest Passage and was one of the finest polar explorers of all time, said our affable guide Rob Caskie who is our history lecturer and promises more details during an on-board lecture on polar explorers. “Human stories beg belief in the Arctic. Such human drama,” he said.
On board, there is an indoor heated pool, a spa, and two restaurants, one buffet style and one with relaxed sit down service serving delicious food–I had salmon for dinner last night: a choice of burgers, soup, mussels, a variety of salads and local cured fish for lunch. Tonight is the Captain’s Welcome party and dinner
Beluga Whales! A pod so the ship turned around for turns around for us to get a better look—and photographs. here are some serious shutterbugs on board, others just shooting with their iPhone. There is also a photo enrichment coach, Richard Harker, on board to help you make your pictures even better.
“Look for the wildlife when you see it. It is special! “said Dr. James MClintock, a professor of polar and marine biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. I’m looking forward to his talks on the impact of climate change.
“Welcome to a trip of a lifetime,” said Augustin Ullmann.
Today we are especially lucky, he says, because the visibility as we motor around the glacier is spectacular. “Keep your weather Karma on!”