Krossfjorden
Welcome to Svalbard! Our arrival day yesterday was a rather “white-knuckle” day, as difficult weather back in the U.S. tried to prevent many folks from departing the country to see this special place in the high Arctic. However, with a lot of diligence, a dash of luck, and a few twists of fate, we were able to retrieve the vast majority of our guests, and our itinerary didn’t even miss a beat. It was a terrific start to our voyage in the land of the ice bears today, and we woke to the welcome reward of getting to explore such a spectacular, remote corner of the planet.
After a restful start, we sailed into the dramatic landscape of Krossfjorden. This glaciated fjord is on the northwest side of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. Our main destination within the fjord was a small bay with a giant glacier terminating at the eastern end called the Fourteenth of July Glacier. This is one of our favorite landings, because here can be a found a beautiful “Hanging Garden” of small Arctic wildflowers.
Highlights of the landing also included sights of Kittiwake bird cliffs, a beautiful shoreside walk, views of the calving glacier, an optional strenuous hike up to some fine lookouts, and lovely Zodiac cruises amidst the brash ice chunks and sea birds that dotted the calm waters of the bay. A further bonus for this place was the sighting of Puffins perched happily next to their Guillemot friends on some cliffs above the water.
We returned to the ship for dinner, and the Captain proceeded to take us further north to a magnificent fjord called Magdalenafjorden. To our pleasant surprise, he spotted the first polar bear of the voyage! This one was walking along a beach, and he eventually went down to the water to swim. Seeing this distant bear was a perfect way to round off our stellar first day in the Arctic of Svalbard.
