Day 11 - Longyearbyen, Norway

This morning we arrived in the town of Longyearbyen, on the west coast of Spitsbergen.  This was originally a coal mining town, established by an American business man named John Munro Longyear. He set up the Arctic Coal Company to begin mining here in 1906.  There is still an active mine here, but most coal mining has moved to another location on the island.  A university, research, and tourism are now becoming the primary industries here.  Although technically part of Norway, it is covered by a treaty that makes it more international .


We didn’t have a tour scheduled until 1PM, so we took advantage of the open morning to have breakfast in the restaurant for a change.  After breakfast we went into the lounge to read, in order to give the cabin stewards more time to make up our room.  When the cruise director announced a crew safety drill around 10AM, we went back to our cabin to get out of the way.

Conveniently, the locals had a large tent set up just off the pier with a big sign “souvenirs”, so we went shopping once the crew drill was over.  This was one of the best set up souvenir shops I’ve seen - a good variety of desirable tourist items, postcards, stamps, and a mail drop as well.  We got a few postcards and had time to write them and bring them back to the mail drop before our tour.







The tour was very good for such a small town.  First stop was to the edge of town where we were shown the Polar Bear warning sign.  Anyone going outside the town limits is warned to take polar bear protection such as a rifle and a flare gun with them.  Although they rarely come into town, this is their country.

We then visited a place where they raise and train arctic dogs.  These are not all huskies - many are mixed breed.  It is run by Carl and his wife, and they have been doing it for over 30 years.  Carl talked to us about how to train a dog to be good with children as well as adults and encouraged us to pet the dogs as part of their socialization. They were beautiful animals, 2 or 3 to a cage and a few out in the compound for us to interact with directly.  It is also a sanctuary for the Eider duck.

Carl's wife treated us to Swedish pancakes and a wonderful berry tea as well.

Next we drove up to the old mining building and saw the pulley system used to carry the coal ore down the mountain.  This spot also was high enough to provide a great view of the bay.

As we drove around town, our guide, Chris, told us about the town’s history and present culture. He pointed out many significant sites, from the original mine on the side of the mountain and the pillars remaining from the original settlement, to the administrative, church, and cultural buildings.

 Our final stop was to spend an hour at the Svalbard Museum. This is an excellent collection showing the history of exploration in the area, as well as the native plants and animals.  It is designed in a circle, with photos and explanations on the outer wall, artifacts on the inner circle wall, and the center set up with taxidermy animals from the area and other life-size exhibits.  We were required to either remove our shoes or place disposable covers on our shoes before entering in order to protect the wooden floors.  Our guide said the university is set up the same way, with everyone required to remove their shoes inside.



There was a shuttle bus running between the ship and town so a few people on our tour asked to be left off in town.  It is a very small town, so we just came right back to the ship.  We were planning to go for a coffee in the coffee cafe, but it was full.  I guess everyone was looking for something to warm them up. 

No satellite service today, so this will get published a day late.