Today was the first full day of our expedition aboard National Geographic Resolution traveling from Southern Norway to the High Arctic in Svalbard, and what a day it was. We pulled into Faleidfjorden early in the morning, catching glimpses of high peaks close on either side and anchored offshore of Loen at the mouth of the fjord.
Here we went ashore to travel up to Briksdal glacier, an arm of the largest glacier in mainland Europe. At first we were met with a dense, almost eerie fog, but soon the sun came through, giving us views of immense, sheer cliffs and pouring waterfalls on either side—both closer than expected and much higher. This was a stunning sight that was only magnified in impact by the slow reveal.
After boarding the ship again, we traveled north to Ulsteinvik, a very special location for National Geographic Resolution. Ulsteinvik is the ship’s birthplace, the very location where she was built. We passed by here shortly after dinner as a special homecoming. What a way to start the trip!
