A trip to the top of the Earth
The northernmost inhabited and visitable place on our planet, the Svalbard and Jan Mayen archipelago. We’re talking much further north than Iceland! Check the next image for the location.
We made a brief stop in Tromsø (another wonderful place over there! If you haven’t been, now is your chance) for passport control (because yes, Svalbard belongs to the Kingdom of Norway but is outside the Schengen zone). Then we took the last flight to… the top. Our landing in Longyearbyen, the ‘capital’ of Svalbard, at 1:30 in the afternoon on a Friday, was literally… Black. The rest of the world was celebrating the ‘commercial’ Black Friday. We celebrated it in our own alternative way, as the only lights we saw were those of the airport!
Svalbard – a bit of history
Before coming here, we naturally studied the history of this place first. And what we learned was the following. Longyearbyen takes its name from the American businessman John Munro Longyear. This gentleman first set foot on Spitsbergen in 1901 to spend his holidays. There he discovered the area’s prospects for coal mining and decided to make use of them. So he founded the settlement. Nevertheless, we owe the official discovery of the place to Willem Barentsz, a Dutch explorer and seafarer. Willem Barentsz set off from Holland by sea in 1596 to discover the sea route to China. He may never have reached China, but he came across a series of icebergs, among which were the Svalbard islands. From there the Barents Sea also took its present name.
We also learned that the name ‘Svalbard’ in Old Norse means ‘cold coasts’. We figured something out.
What to do in Svalbard
First of all, you have the option of doing absolutely nothing and simply enjoying the calm of the place and the nature around you. Besides, you feel it the moment you set foot here, as time stops. We strongly felt our souls shift into another orbit, an interplanetary one. But don’t worry! We’re still alive, on stage, like a rock band!]
But if you’re like us and you love activities, there’s plenty to do. From walking in the surrounding mountains (yes, even with snow), exploring caves in the glaciers, sled rides with Siberian husky guides, dinner in cabins in the middle of nowhere with a view of our girl, Aurora Borealis (in Svalbard she does us the favour more often than anywhere else on the planet), a visit to the area’s only active mine, and even canoeing and kayaking in the Arctic Ocean.
If you’re one of the alter souls who also love reading, I wholeheartedly recommend the library in Longyearbyen, called the Kulturhuset. Picture it. In Greece it’s Monday. In Svalbard it’s a Monday morning that feels like a Sunday evening, where you’re lounging in one of the very comfortable armchairs of Longyearbyen’s central library. You sip your chai latte and enjoy the calm of the place, reading your favourite book or simply observing the others. Calm, learning and you-time! The perfect recharge.
On our first day in Svalbard, a girl lost one of her gloves and Vigo, our guide, suggested we take a look at Bruktikken in case we found not only a glove but other things that might be useful to us, and that we could take from there for free. Yes, you suspect correctly, completely free.
We did tell you that in Svalbard you see the world from a different perspective!!
So we went to the Bruktikken house and had our first encounter with the place’s no-shoe policy.
A small aside here to explain what we mean by that.
In the old days it was a tradition here to take off your shoes before entering a building, so as not to spread coal dust everywhere. This tradition still exists, so in most hotels, museums and workplaces it’s the natural thing to do.
So Bruktikken is a community second-hand shop in Longyearbyen, run by the environmental student group of UNIS (the University Centre in Svalbard. Yes, there’s a University here too). In this shop you can pick up second-hand clothes, curtains, sheets, books and other things for free. You can also donate used items or clothes you no longer need. We liked it.
Something else that we didn’t just like — we were crazy about it, and for which we felt hugely blessed to have visited the place on the last Sunday of November — was the chance we had to attend a very special celebration. There, all the locals gather at Huset, a community house outside the town centre, and begin their procession towards mine no. 2, also known as Santa’s mine. They make a stop there and the local children drop their letters into the postbox, the final recipient of which is, of course, Santa Claus.
Then they walk to the town centre and the main square, holding fiery torches, where the lighting of the Christmas tree follows. And all of this accompanied by the children’s and adults’ choir, and with a little glass of hot coffee with brandy to keep the body at the necessary temperature! A wonderful experience.
What to eat in Svalbard
Reaching the northernmost place on the planet, you have the unique experience of eating at the northernmost restaurant in the world, drinking the special Jul beer (Winter Ale) at the northernmost pub in the world, and tasting sweets and different latte flavours at the northernmost chocolaterie in the world.
We ate very tasty pizza at the Kroa restaurant, fish & chips and delicious salads and burgers at the Barentz Pub of Radisson, the hotel where we were staying, and tasted lovely sweets at the chocolaterie–bakery Fruene, from which we also got polar bear–shaped chocolates (in this form we liked them more!!). Here we also found very nice and special items — specifically, from woollen blankets and shoes or slippers to handmade soaps and care products.
Sights
In general, we recommend a three-hour bus tour that will give you a very good picture and a lot of useful information about the area.
This tour includes various stops. First, a stop in the middle of nowhere outside Longyearbyen, for the Instagram photo with the sign that reads in Norwegian ‘Gjelder hele Svalbard’ and essentially warns of the presence of polar bears throughout the Longyearbyen area. Another stop at the Satellite Station, as well as at the famous Global Seed Vault. No, you can’t go inside. It’s only accessible to specific scientists, for obvious reasons.
And since you’re here, you can’t skip a visit to the Museum.
The Svalbard Museum gives you an excellent opportunity to get to know the rich history of the place. And indeed. From the age of the dinosaurs to the trappers (not what you think) of Russia, back when Longyearbyen was a town of companies. The exhibits thrill both adults and little explorers alike. Would you dare to crawl into the mine? To discover the palaeontologist within you and find the Spitrasaurus, a species of lizard found only in Spitsbergen? In any case, a visit to the museum is worth it.
If you happen to be in Longyearbyen on a Sunday morning, a visit to the town’s church, also known as Svalbard kirke, is worth it. Especially if you’re a religious soul, or even just for the experience. For the service times, it would be good to ask the hotel beforehand to be sure.
The church is generally open to everyone. After a long hike, the place offers rest, warmth (essential) and the chance to admire the beautifully designed interior.
Polar bear
The attraction of the area — not. In general it’s around; it’s bulky, yes, but nonetheless very fast and very hungry. We recommend you follow the general guideline that applies to residents and even more so to tourists. Wander only within the town’s limits and never alone or unarmed outside them. So be careful, so this really does go well.
A breath away from the North Pole, the emotions that surface in this place are simply unique.
Ready for the ULTIMATE trip of your life, a true life experience?
Still thinking about it? Come along. Let’s go.
