Svalbard, Arctic Norway
Svalbard - the top of the world! While I may have had every intention of keeping a detailed, daily blog here… the Arctic quickly put me in my place. Long days and hard work tired me out, so this post is only about six months late, and more of a summary, than a diary. But better late then never, and having had some time to reflect on the unique area has only made me more grateful for the experiences I had while there!
So let’s jump right in, shall we? You may be asking yourself, where exactly is Svalbard? Good question. Look on a map, find Norway, and then go up. More up than you think. Finally, at about 77° N, you’ll see islands. Welcome to Svalbard!
While you can fly in to a small town here called Longyearbyen, I came via ship, en route from Iceland. The crossing took us several days, so the snow-capped peaks of the mountains and the surprisingly lush tundra were welcome sights to our sea-trained eyes. It was a privilege to wake up every morning in such a beautiful place.
The lush tundra in front of beautiful mountains. Classic Svalbard scene!
I hadn’t been to Svalbard before the summer of 2023, and as such, I truly was not prepared for the beauty. The mountains, of course, were stunning. The geology was incredible. The roaming herds of Svalbard reindeer, an endemic caribou, the smallest of all caribou, were special to see. But what really blew me away the most were the plants!
Over 150 species of plants (not including mosses or lichens) are found in Svalbard. Compare that to the two vascular plans that live in Antarctica, the other pole, and you’ll understand my amazement. Small, flowering plants not only survive the harsh winter - and summer - conditions of the area, but bloom en masse in the summer. While they may be hard to spot at first (the tallest only grow to about 3 inches maximum), once you start spotting the flowers, you just can’t stop.
We were lucky, over the course of the season, to see a few polar bears, some walruses, lots of amazing birds, and gorgeous scenery, but what sticks with me - all these months later - are the resilient, beautiful plants of the high Arctic.
A big pile of Walrus! So fun to watch.
