Monacobreen
After traveling north the entire night, the National Geographic Explorer found her way into Woodfjorden, a deeply incised fjord along the north shore of Spitsbergen. The day’s weather was as still as the previous was windy.
With hardly a breath of air and only a few clouds for composition it was a perfect place and amazing conditions for Zodiac cruises and kayaking. The backdrop was Monacobreen, named for Albert I Grimaldi who travelled to Spitsbergen on the royal yacht. With the new double kayak portable launching system, kayaks were swiftly launched for some to enjoy the calm waters and ice.
Others in Zodiacs also plied the bay in search of sea birds and close views of the amazing ice calving off the face of the glacier to eventually melt and return to the sea from whence it came some 1,000 or so years ago, living an hiatus in ice for close to an eon.
The afternoon was spent enjoying the beautiful weather on a walk at Reindeer Flats. The elusive animals were spotted but they quickly showed us their ability to flee. Wonderful plants and the remains of a WWII German whaling base were looked over before heading back to the ship, but not before a polar bear was seen on land some half a mile away, sniffing the air which was filled with the scent of sausage being barbequed on the back deck.
