By Matthew Harris (lambchopeindhoven)
From my hiking blog on Svalbard.
Not so long ago, in a land far far away, I spent ten days on a rocky, icy landscape, bathed in the eternal sun. This far away land was Svalbard – a distant Norwegian archipelago at 79 degrees north. We set up base camp on a remote fjord and explored the neighbouring glaciers and peaks.
I was part of a trip organised by High Places. Our base camp consisted of a large orange dome which was the mess and hanging out tent. Then we had 3 small sleeping tents. This and a few logs to sit on, a fire, and an outside loo around the corner was to be our home for the next while.
During the day we would make hikes through this barren, cold landscape. In the night – a night as light as the day – we would sleep. And we would watch for bears.
Time loses its meaning on Svalbard. The sun doesn’t set. The sun doesn’t get near the horizon. It just precesses around the sky in never ending circles. We decided to lose time, collectively, as a group. In this eternal day, we would define ‘night’ as we pleased. As a group, we decided that 22:00 would be when we go to bed – by definition. Ten hours later (8 hours sleep and 2 hours bear watch), we would get up, and it would be 08:00 – by definition. We would hide our watches, and eat when we are hungry, and sleep when we are tired. So was our time on Svalbard. Away from the world, in a timeless land of rock, ice and snow.
Sam, our guide, who did keep an eye on the real time, told us later that within 3 days we were 6 hours behind real time. Our days had been long. Our hikes had been long.
Our walks took us along rocky fjord shores and across glacial streams. Water from the glacier melts and flows down into the fjord, fanning out into long tentacles. In order to cross these icy melts, you walk to where it is most braided and cross one little stream after the next, wearing neoprene socks for the cold, and sandals for the pointy rocks.
A glacier is a beautiful expanse of turquoise blue ice, etching its way down a valley. A moraine is a pile of rocks and sludge that the glacier vomits out at the bottom. We had to cross our fair share of moraines.
Crossing all these obstacles, we were able to walk in a land of rock, cloud, ice and snow. Across glaciers, over ice sheets and up mountains.
Every ‘night’ was punctuated with bear watch. Polar bears roam around Svalbard, and, although not their first choice, a human could make for a tasty (if lean) morsel. At a different time each night, I was woken to be the only person awake at our camp, panning the landscape for polar bears. On these watches, armed with an alarm flare, I would sit on our little log in front of the mess tent, write my journal, and do some exercises. The daily two hours of bear watch became a favourite time of the day. Alone in this arctic landscape, I gazed over the fjord and soaked in the peace and tranquility. Seagulls would fly past. Arctic terns would hover above the water and then dive, dining on the fish swimming below the surface of the still fjord waters. The light would change as clouds came and went. The wind would pick up and die off. And I was here, alone, now.
On our only multiple day trek, at our advanced base camp, I presided over the most spectacular views of the whole trip during my polar bear watch, accompanied only by Genou – the guide’s dog. It was 3am, the skies had cleared, and the sun bathed the whole lunar landscape in the most amazing light.
That day saw us climb up a glacier onto the wide ice sheet above. Bathed in sun (the best weather of the trip), we trudged through the slushy snow on the ice sheet towards a nunatuk – a mountain surrounded by ice. We had beautiful views, but, due to the sludge, didn’t make it to the nunatuk.
Svalbard, apart from being a destination for tourists seeking the barren beautify of the far north, it is also a mining island. Mining still takes place there. A lot of the unused mining infrastructure, although decaying, is protected, and touching or tampering with it is against the law. Consequently, there are pylons and posts, worn and decrepit roads. There is also an (almost) abandoned Russian mining town – Pyramiden.
A captivating sight. Mining buildings and equipment, rusting and decaying in this bleak, polar desert. Walking through this ghost town, it feels like planet earth after society has collapsed, and humanity has left. Svalbard is truly at the end of the earth.
Copyright: Matthew Harris (lambchopeindhoven)
Wow, was für eine großartige und außergewöhnliche Reise und welch wundervolle Worte du gefunden hast, all dies zu beschreiben.
Das mit der Zeit ist sehr interessant, dass ihr euch sechs Stunden hinter der realen Zeit befunden habt, indem ihr es so gelebt habt, wie ihr es gespürt habt, wie es für den Moment richtig war für euch.
Hab kürzlich von einer spirituellen Lehrerin gehört, dass aufgrund des Übergangs des Zeitempfindens von der 3. Dimension in das Zeiterleben der 5. Dimension (so man so einer Theorie überhaupt folgen möchte) so viele Menschen in Zeitstress geraten, solange sie den Übergang noch nicht vollzogen haben, was im Laufe von 2013 dann globaler der Fall sein würde. Aufgrund dieser Umstände sei es auch stressig geworden, multimedial unterwegs zu sein. Es helfe, immer nur ein Ding nach dem anderen zu tun. Dabei ist mir aufgefallen, dass es mir durchaus so geht, dass ich immer häufiger immer nur eins nach dem anderen tue, weil mir alles andere zu viel wird (und ich dachte, es liegt daran, dass ich älter werde).
Liebe Grüße
Marion
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das finde ich jetzt interessant, liebe Marion, denn auch ich habe in diesem Jahr “multitasking” weitestgehend abgeschafft 🙂 danke für diesen interessanten Beitrag! herzliche Grüße Frau Blau
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Gerne, Frau Blau 🙂
Liebe Grüße
Marin
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Liebe Marion.
Vielen Dank für deine sehr netten Eindrücken.
Das mit der Zeitverschiebung fanden wir auch sehr interessant. Irgendwie das Wegstecken von Uhren und das Verlassen von der Zeit hat es uns (zu minderst mich) mehr ‘in the now’ gebracht. Man kümmert sich nicht auf was kommt, sondern man lebt jetzt, und intensiver. Das waren 10 Tage (oder besser gesagt 240 Stunden) von Abschalten vom hektischen Leben, und einfach Erleben von einem wunderschönen Ort am Ende der Welt.
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Lieber Matthew,
das kann ich mir sehr gut vorstellen! Beim Lesen bin ich mit euch in den Flow gegangen… 🙂
Meine momentane Lebenssituation erlaubt und zwingt mich ebenso, so oft wie möglich im Hier und Jetzt zu sein, alles andere ist viel zu stressig und macht mich nur kaputt.
Zweifellos war dies eine ganz besondere Erfahrung für euch, die euch niemand mehr nehmen kann und immer in angenehmer Erinnerung bleiben wird. Vielleicht trägt sie auch dazu bei, immer wieder einmal im Alltag innezuhalten und sich zu fragen: Was möchte ich wirklich? Was ist mir wirklich wichtig?
Liebe Grüße
Marion
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Flow and Now gehört ab sofort für mich zusammen. Herzlichen Dank für diese einprägsamen Eindrücke.
Dina
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What a surprise! A post about Svalbard, I can’t believe, that’s great, thank you Matthew.
I know what you mean about loosing time staying here, that goes for the long dark winter as well as the short summer.
It was a pleasure reading about your hiking trip, visit us again soon!
Greetings from Longyearbyen
Per Magnus
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Hi Per.
Greetings back to Longyearbyen. I really enjoyed my time there at the start and end of the trip. On our last evening we visited the night life of Longyearbyen, ending up at Huset. Also a surreal experience, moving from bar to bar in the middle of the night in the bright daylight.
I am curious to experience Svalbard in the winter too. I was in Tromsø last December where there was only 3 hours of (the most beautiful blue) twilight each day before the darkness fell again. Svalbard is completely dark in December, I heard.
I also heard of amazing expeditions possible in March when there is daylight. Amazing glacial caving, and expeditions through the snow and ice. I would, indeed, like to return.
Greetings from Eindhoven.
Matthew
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Eine sehr ausführliche Reisebeschreibung mit traumhaften Fotos. Das alles muss sehr beeindruckend gewesen sein und wird nachhaltig in Erinnerung bleiben.
lg magdalena
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What a wonderful post, so interesting! I couldn’t go on a trip like that, I couldn’t do all that climbing and walking, but if I could be parachuted in, I would love the experience of being in such a remote and different place!
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Parachuting there would be spectacular. Falling into the arctic panorama from a plane would be incredible. Let me know if you try it!! 🙂
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Sounds great! 🙂
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Oh parachuting! Now there’s an idea!
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I must visit Norge!
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Indeed! A beautiful country!! 🙂
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You should come! All of you!
Love
Dina
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wunderful pics and story. my favorite is the sunset. i get homesick again to norway!
thanks for this little blogtrip-experience!!!
greez, soso
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Thanks Sophia!
The sunset was actually at midnight (we found out later). That was the lowest the sun ever got in the sky. It was beautiful!
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in naturally more beautiful than on the pic I guess! 🙂
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Hi Matthew,
I would never have believed that as someone who has become used to the climate in southern Texas I’d ever want to experience anything that far north, but your posting here about Spitzbergen, as it’s called in my native German language, really makes me long for such a landscape: thanks for sharing!
Best regards,
Pit
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Thanks Pit.
It is certainly a different landscape from Texas, and indeed, my home country of Australia.. Well worth experiencing!
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Excellent pics – what a wonderful trip…
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Thanks! 🙂
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Those scenes look amazing! Looks cold though.
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It was cold. The last night was the coldest. Not a good place for a dip in the fjord.. 🙂
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dear Matthew, wonderfull pics again about an interesting jouney … to be honest, I was awaiting pics from the bears, as well 🙂
thank for sharing, wishing you a good time
heartly regards
Frau Blau
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Hi Frau Blau.
We didn’t see a bear, but we did see a bear footprint near our advanced base camp. It was maybe a few weeks old..
So, worth watching out for them. To be honest, I was kind of hoping to see one (in a safe situation).. I was also hoping to see a walrus. Didn’t see any of them either. We saw lots of puffins, though, who are really cute.
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Beautiful!
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Thanks!
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Such raw beauty indeed – where we haven’t wrestled it into an alien form – it speaks doesn’t it, right to the soul.
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Indeed it does!
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Such gorgeous landscape and your pictures captured it very very well. Your words too gave such a good feel for what your trip felt like. I don;t think I could have enjoyed the quiet bear watch times quite as much as you though, what with the whole watching for bears thing!
Thank you for this wonderful post.
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Thanks Jennifer for your kind words.
I was kind of hoping to see a bear. (At least at a distance.) But, the bear watch times were tranquil times of contemplation. Wonderful..
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Reblogged this on Travel perspective, tales, and advice and commented:
Wow. Svalbard is amazing!
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Thanks. It is indeed amazing. Also thanks for the repost!! 🙂
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Thanks! I had to spread the beauty of Svalbard. Also, thank Dina for originally posting it-she did all the work!
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Ahaa, Matthew did it all by himself, all the credit goes to lambchopeindhoven!
🙂
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Welcome! It’s a pleasure to reblog an awesome set of photos!
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fantastisch!
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Danke! 🙂
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Beautiful Nature.jalal
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Dear Matthew,
I don’t know how to thank you for all this…
A big hug and kisses
to Eindhoven,
love
Dina
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Thank you, Dina! You have a lovely blog on the beautiful north. I am glad to see that your readers liked the posts!
Greetings back to Germany!!
Matthew
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very well presented!
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Thank you for this kind comment from Dublin!
Have a lovely weekend,
Dina
🙂
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Reblogged this on The Outdoor Times and commented:
An evocative account of a trip to the Arctic region of Svalbard, accompanied by some stunning photographs. By Matthew Harris.
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Hi. Thanks for the reblog. The link still seems not to be working.. 😦
Looking forward to seeing more interesting posts on your new blog! It looks nice!
Matthew
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Matthew – you’ve got mail 🙂
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Well, now I’m really impressed – great news!
🙂
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Bleak….but definitely beautiful. Like the dog!
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Thanks Mark. Your blog is amazing! I’m looking forward to seeing your next installments.. Maybe from Norway?
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Thanks Mark. Your blog is amazing! I’m looking forward to seeing your next installments.. Maybe from Norway? 🙂
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An incredible place and experience. Bleak beauty.
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Indeed. Bleak and beautiful!
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Einfach phantastisch, was Du hier mit Text und Bildern erzählst und zeigst. Man kann sich kaum wirklich vorstellen, wie und was Ihr dort erlebt und empfunden haben mögt. Das ist schon sehr speziell. Vielen Dank, Matthew, dass wir zumindest einen Einblick davon erhaschen durften.
Wunderbar.
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Danke Dieter! Es freut mich, daß du den Eintrag magst. Es war eine schöne Reise!
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Vielen Dank für den tollen Bericht und die phantastischen Fotos. Svalbard würde mich auch mal reizen, allerdings schrecken mit die Eisbären, die dort rumlaufen, sehr ab. 😉
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Ach. Die Eisbären.. Wir waren vorbereitet und hatten einen Gewehr. Nur der Reiseführer dürfte den benutzen, aber, sicher waren waren wir. Und, Eisbären sind schön (wenn sie weit genug entfernt sind..). 🙂
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@allesistgut – herzlichen Dank für den Besuch.
Deine Berichte von Island verführen ebenfalls zum Reisen, eine wunderbare Fotogeschichte.
Liebe Grüße
Dina
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Reblogged this on norsklest and commented:
Thanks to Dina and Matthew for this wonderful post!
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Danke Buchdame für den Repost! Schön, daß es dir gefallen hat!
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Reblogged this on Svalbardpost and commented:
Buchdame and Mareike Timm inspired me to reblog this post! 🙂
Thank you DIna and Matthew.
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Thanks, Per, and all the best with your new blog!!
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I can imagine very well that time loses its meaning up there, at this place where the sun doesn’t set. Thanks for this beautiful report!
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Thanks Rotewelt!
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What an incredible adventure. Bravo.
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Thanks Ron. Beautiful photos on your blog. Isn’t nature wonderful?
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What a great, great & fun adventure! Woehoe! Cool & cold too! 🙂 Thanks for sharing. When I was younger, my parents & I climbed mountains like that on our Holiday’s in Switserland! 🙂 but in Summertime!
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Hey Sophie. Thanks for your lovely comment. Switzerland is also a beautiful country. The alps are amazing.
I am glad that I was in Svalbard in the summer. It is a very cold and dark affair in the winter (although you can see the northern lights)..
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A fascinating account superbly illustrated
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Thanks Louis!! 🙂
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A great post about Svalbard and great pictures. So far I have only been sailing along the shore of Svalbard, but one day I’ll make onshore. It’s such a beautiful landscape.
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Thanks Munchow. I would really like to sail along the coast too. Especially to the north-east where the polar bears and walruses are.. A wonderful place.
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Stunning pictures … and I’m entirely fascinated by your report. I love the thought of eternal sun .. I think I’d like that – because I always find this dark time of year from November to February quite difficult … while you could just define “night” by yourself .. but I actually wouldn’t like to be there in winter when it’s eternal darkness 😉
My favorite photo is that breathtaking view with Genou in the front and you both as “shadows” ..
Thanks so much for sharing that experience with us 🙂
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Thanks!! I am not sure if eternal darkness would be for me either. Still, you could define day when ever you liked.. 🙂
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Diese Aufnahme von Genou mit den 2 Schattengestalten gefällt mir auch sehr gut.
Liebe Grüße dir
Dina
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God! Those scenes are to die for! I love it!! You guys are sooooo blessed!!! Cheers!!
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Thanks Seyi for your kind words! 🙂 It was a beautiful trip!
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Your blog is a constant source of northern beauty for me – what breed is Genou? He looks like a very loyal companion!
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Hi Ideflex. Thanks for your nice message. I am not sure what breed Genou is. He belongs to the tour guide. A good dog.. 🙂
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What a fascinating blog! I particularly liked being able to view the industrial remains as well as the beautiful scenery – an interesting contrast.
Thanks for checking out my blog and liking many of my posts!
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You are very welcome – and thanks for visiting and commenting.
Love
Dina
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Hi Mari. Indeed, Pyramiden was fascinating. It really felt like the end of the earth after society had collapsed.
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Dina, this is so amazing and fascinating! What a place!
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Hei Silving,
takk for besøket, det var hyggelig!
Hilsen Dina
🙂
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Hei! Det stemme!! Svalbard er vakker!! Takk for besøket!
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Stunning post, Thanks for sharing this amazing adventure in such an extraordinary part of the world. Best wishes, Robert
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Dear Robert, thanks for visiting and posting such a nice comment. It’s highly appreciated!
All the best to you.
Love
Dina
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Thanks Robert!!
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Glad to meet you in blogsville. I will be follow your site, it looks great! bill
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Hi Bill, thanks for visiting, following and your kind comment. I’m glad I found you, I really enjoy your blog!
Greetings from the far North
DIna
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BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS!
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
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Thank you Francine. Have a lovely weekend.
Love
Dina
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Thanks Francine for your lovely words!
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A great report about your adventure. It brings back my memories about my journeys to Svalbard. Thank you for sharing your realistic pictures transporting the arctic mood very well.
Have a great weekend
Klausbernd
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Hey. Thanks Klausbernd. You indeed had an amazing trip and saw Svalbard from a very different perspective.
I hope you had a great weekend!!
Matthew
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I’m in awe of such an intrepid spirit! That looks like pretty rough terrain to hike, but how awesome is that landscape! Intriguing how water transforms at low temperatures … Glaciers, ice, snow, nunatuk, and the colours. A wonderful post 🙂
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In such a cold place, the power of nature stands out. With only a thin tent protecting you from the elements, you really live it there. You and nature..
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Sounds like you revel in such wild places.
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Yep! Sure do! 🙂
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Wow wow wow – Svalbard is on my wish list. Your shots are stunningly spectacular!
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Hey! Thanks! It is definitely worth a visit!!
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Hi Matthew,
hope you had a fine time in London.
Thanks once again for sharing your Svalbardexperience with us!
At the moment, ZDF Mediathek shows a TerraX film about Spitzbergen, can you see it outside Germany, I wonder?
Have a great time.
Hilsen
Dina
http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek/beitrag/video/1771988/Norwegen—Ein-Land-reist-um-die-Welt
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Yes. I can see it. It looks like an interesting documentary.. 🙂 I will look at it now, and think about the great trip I had this summer.. Thanks for sharing!
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looks like a great adventure.
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Thanks! It was indeed. Quite different colours to your beautiful autumn photos.. 🙂
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What a great hike! Gorgeous photos! I loved them all; especially coming out of the clouds!
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Hey! Thanks!! 🙂 I was glad to come out of the clouds too.. 🙂
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Dear Dina: Thank you so much for visiting my blog. This blog post is just heavenly, the photos are marvelous. A huge contrast to the tropics, where I live, of course! But I often yearn for wild, empty, wind-swept, COLD places like these. Absolutely beautiful – and, as you say, a raw kind of beauty. Thanks, and please visit again soon! Greetings from Kingston, Jamaica…
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Incredible, such a beautiful and barren landscape. Did anyone actually have to set off the bear flare?
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Thanks SJK. We didn’t see any polar bears. I was kind of hoping to see one from a distance, but, no. We did see a polar bear foot print, though..
Apparently they are common enough to warrant a polar bear watch at night. Quite exciting.. 🙂
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You are brave!
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Oh my what a beautiful place, thanks Dina, you r lovely
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Hi Matthew,
Was just researching polar bear trips to Svalbard, and wondering who might have been there – and of course thought of you.
What an amazing blog – well done!
I don’t think I will go hiking, as you probably don’t really want to find a polar bear in your camp . .do you know anything about any of the boat trips? Or other must see places in Norway?
Hope to catch you when you are in Australia.
Best wishes,
Kerry Gaudry
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Beautiful adventure, and beautiful photographs!
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Stunning & Fantastic!
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Nice. I did not see Svalbard like this, great to have a different look on it.
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Guten Morgen, liebe Hanne,
wunderschöne Fotos zeigt ihr uns hier.
Da bekomme ich gleich Lust, los zu wandern.
Leider hat uns der Schnee auch in Berlin wieder erreicht. Das finde ich nicht so schön, meine Stiefmütterchen ertrinken im Pulverschnee…..
Wie sieht es in Bonn aus? Hat euch das Wetter auch getroffen?
Einen schönen Sonntag Morgen sendet dir aus Berlin, Susanne
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