We forgot to post this when we were in Svalbard and are sending it along now.
Longyearbyen is the administrative center for the Svalbard Islands. A former mining town, it is remaking itself as a tourist center and doing well. The “marina” consists of two floating docks, to which yachts raft in various formations. We’re rafted between
Southern Star (a 1970s era maxi) and the Halberg Rassey 46
Indigo .
The buildings are a mix of historic and new, with a distinctly industrial mien.
We’re told that the tourist business is year around. Late winter is the favorite time for many with a combination of snow, northern lights, and the beginning of sunlight. This is undoubtedly a more beautiful view when the ground is covered with snow.
This sign says a lot about the traffic problems. The building in the background houses (amongst other things) a wonderful museum below that copper roof. The display which caught our attention was a recently found rifle, with a stuck cartridge, belonging to a trapper who went missing some years ago. He and his two friends became polar bear fodder.
Check out the cool shopping bags, available from the local market (the middle bag which has a different provenance).
Downtown Longyearbyen has two supermarkets, lots of tax/duty free shops, along with a similar variety of businesses that you would expect to find in any small town – except this one is at 78 degrees North.
Walking into the market made us feel right at home. These signs are not infrequent in Arizona.
Wine and beer are heavily taxed in Norway, but not in Svalbard. Linda and friend Joe check out the selection. It is a long walk back to the boat, which limits acquisition volume.
A lovely summer day, the sun is shining, and it is a warm 40F (5C). Time for an ice cream.
Or maybe just hanging out and chewing the fat.
How about this for local color?
Can you imagine the business plan which came up with this concept?
Music festivals are big in Longyearbyen. Maybe we’ll come back for some blues and northern lights.
Isenfiord, in which Longyearbyen resides, is full of glaciers and spectacular mountains, which adds to the local color. On the other hand, the power plant burns coal, leaving a dirty film on boats and the rest of the area.
Twenty four hours of this civilization is enough for us.
Posted by Steve Dashew (July 24, 2009)
This entry was posted
on Friday, July 24th, 2009 at 6:53 am and is filed under Dashew Logs.
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