Last Updated on April 30, 2023 by PowersToTravel
Back to “Two Weeks in Norway – Pyramiden, Svalbard – Days 13- 14”
Day 15 – The Day to Remember of all the days on the trip
We started to fall into a rhythm in Longyearbyen. I arranged morning adventures for us. We would have a large lunch, stroll back to our hotel, sleep the afternoon away, then wake up in time for the evening adventure, which generally included a small meal. We would arrive back at our hotel at around midnight.
This meant that our afternoon siesta became very important in order to keep us going in this land of the Midnight Sun. After all, when the sun is up twenty-four hours, what difference does it really make if you sleep at 2am or 2pm, as long as you sleep?
Dog Carting with Green Dog
Up for our adventure which started at 8:30am. I’ve already written a special article / review about our chosen operator, “Green Dog”, with all the details of our wonderful experience. Check it out here. If it weren’t for what followed later in the day, I would say that our Dog Carting experience was the high point of our Svalbard trip.
It was wonderful to see whales in the fjords, unusual birds, but they were naturally seen from a distance. We experienced our sled dogs so very up front and personally. I think of how frightening the dog yard first appeared to me, with the barking and bouncing dogs, and how friendly the dogs actually were once we harnessed them.
I don’t know if all operators let you participate in the harnessing and building of the team but it was a special experience.
It would have been nice to have gone on a real snow sledding experience, but that would have meant a trip to Svalbard in the winter, and I had my sights set on summer and the Midnight Sun.
Following our dog experience we were dropped off at the Svalbar for lunch. Interesting lunch it was – pizza with venison. I can’t actually recommend it; it was tough and gamey.
On to our nap.
“Catch of the Day” with Better Moments
It was hard to decide upon the boat operators. While the Billfjord trip to Pyramiden was memorable, I didn’t want to spend all my sea time in Svalbard on such a large boat competing with so many other passengers. The Better Moments boat, while small, was still enclosed for comfort. It allowed indoor seating for warmth and outdoor access for photography. They served chowder and bread for an evening meal.
I also wanted to experience land adventures such as the Sled Dogs, occurring during the daytime, which conflicted with the time many boat operators are running their trips.
I found Better Moments offered a trip at six in the evening, with the itinerary based on what had been reported that day. If lots of seals were in a certain location, the boat would have gone there. If… a polar bear had been spotted somewhere, the boat would go there. It seemed our best bet for finding our polar bear.
To find out more, read my story My Polar Bear in Svalbard!
In addition to our polar bear, we saw a bearded seal on an ice flow.
We also checked out the bird cliffs, the Brunnich’s Guillemots, we saw on the previous day. But we learned this day about the July flying of the chicks. At the end of July (and our trip was at the very beginning of July), it’s time for the chicks to fly for the first time.
They have been raised on the bird cliffs, and have no way of getting to the water except flying. So at the end of July the chicks take that step off the cliff, or get pushed by their parents. It may be that the chick flies, which is a very good thing. Or it may be that the chick doesn’t fly well enough, but the parents rescue him in flight, and that’s ok too. Or it may be that the chick falls to the ground where he is not killed upon impact, but is quickly eaten by the foxes which gather below the bird cliff. That clearly is the least desirable outcome for the parents and the chick.
Once the chick has successfully made it to the water, he will live for weeks on the water until he has gained all his skills.
At least that’s what the boat guide told us.
Next “Two Weeks in Norway – ATV ride and more Better Moments – Day 16”
