|
Approaching Tromsø
|
|
Note the bridge in the distance.
|
|
Our plane. Air bridges were good, but they take you straight onto the tarmac.
|
The bridge overshadows the terminal.
|
An hour on the ground and we were off to Longyearbyen.
|
|
Descending into Longyearbyen...
|
you get the first glimpse of rocks and snow
|
And not much else.
|
|
Longyearbyen Airport.
|
Landing here was a novelty even for the aircraft crew....
|
Coming into Longyearbyen you pass the university...
|
|
And lots of warning signs - Polar Bears...
|
Scooters - snowmobiles....
|
And angry birds....
|
|
Snowmobiles are everywhere.
|
And so were families of birds, but this lot did not attack us.
|
The airport in the distance.
|
|
And a view out to the open ocean.
|
Triffids - the old coal mine cableway still marches across the hill.
|
The town - a collection of buildings all in "Governor-approved" earthy colours.
|
|
Longyearbyen's main street.
|
The odd miner still walks the streets.
|
Heading up-town to the supermarket and the bar.
|
|
The old coal mine on the hill.
|
The church on the hill.
|
Hostel and snowmobiles.
|
|
Little boxes all in a row. "There's a green one, And a yellow one, And they all look just the same."
|
The church and coal mine.
|
The former resting place of older citizens. The frost pushed the coffins out of the ground...
|
|
Looking up the valley - plenty of snow even at Midsummer.
|
The coal mine...
|
The red soil resulted from a mine fire that lasted over 3 years.
|
|
One of the triffids, where coal would spill from the buckets as they passed over the pulleys.
|
A local cabin.
|
And finally a pub....
|
|
Complete with bear at the bar.
|
Longyearbyen is full of bears.
|
And warnings about bears.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
More snowmobiles - no wonder the Governor wants to set up designated parking places.
|
The most exclusive hotel in town - also the most isolated.
|
Hotel - looks more like a power station.
|
|
But we found it full of locals celebrating a wedding - this was the bride and one of the men was the groom, bu they were not sure which one...
|
So back along the road we strode...
|
|
|
|
|
Coal train - this is the local mining museum.
|
|
|
Work this out - "Barne" looks like "Bairn" in Scottish, and "Hage" could be "home" - yes, the local school.
|
The sturdy fence around the school - not to keep them in but the polar bears out!
|
|
The church - outside.
|
And inside.
|
More coal triffids.
|
|
Meltwater in the local stream.
|
|
|
|
Our Hotel
|
Immortalised in stainless steel.
|
|
|
Santa's Post Box and our cruise ship entering the port.
|
The MS Expedition tied up at the wharf.
|
Other ships in the harbour.
|
