Silversea Arctic expedition with Helloworld

I am extremely fortunate and grateful for the recent opportunity to host our key valued clients at @Helloworld on Silversea Arctic expedition departing from Longyearbyen, Norway to Reykjavik on the beautiful Silver Wind.

The Artic is the last frozen frontier and this part of our world together with Antarctica holds up to 70% of all out fresh water in glaciers and icecaps. The Arctic is truly one of the last wild places on our planet where wildlife has perfectly adapted to their environment, where the humans are the visitors. This separates the Artic from the rest of the world. It is protected against establishment of infrastructure and exploiting for natural resources. Animals get the first rights, not humans.?

On day one we experienced our first zodiac Arctic expedition when we anchor off NY-London, Svalbard, Norway which is an abandoned mining settlement on Blomstrand?ya, Svalbard, established by the prospector Ernest Mansfield on behalf of the Northern Exploration Company (NEC) in 1911, All mining operations in the settlement ceased in 1920, after years of little to no activity. However, the settlement remains.

Our next stop Silver Wind anchored off Texas Bar, Svalbard, Norway. Texas Bar is a small shack built entirely of scrap wood. It sits about 50 feet from the water’s edge and beckons to you as a safe respite in this otherwise barren landscape. Tradition is all visitors must leave a bottle of spirits for the next guest/hunter who stays overnight, so naturally we left a bottle of whisky at Texas Bar.

Early morning of Wednesday 2nd August, Silver Wind anchored off Julibukta, Svalbard, Norway to view The 14th of July bay and glacier, named by Prince Albert I of Monaco on the Princesse Alice on his oceanographic expeditions to Svalbard from 1898 to 1907. Cruising along the impressive glacier front, there are regular calvings with bergs in the bay that attracts birds like kittiwakes. And nearby there are bird cliffs with a colony of Thick-billed Murres (Brünnich’s Guillemot) that also includes Atlantic Puffins. Options of a Zodiac landing was not possible due potential Tsunami waves from Calvings. However, we thoroughly enjoyed exploring this glacier by Zodiac’s.

Our next stop for the day was Lillenhoobreen, Svalbard, Norway a complex glacier. Its length is about 22 kilometres. The glacier debouches into Lillenhookbreen, and calved icebergs that fill parts of the fourteen-kilometre, long fjord. We could never imagine the constant popping and cracking of the glacier around us and certainly kept us all on watch. However, we were in very safe hands with the Silversea Expedition team on board.

Nothing prepared us for our next stop Gaffelbreen, Svalbard, Norway, the glacier is located at an elevation of 300 meters above sea level. The photos simply do not give it justice.

Overall being in Svalbard makes you feel more connected than living in any big city. It’s a connection of nature that you can not get in the big cities.

After two days at sea, we arrived at Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland. Formerly known as Scoresbysund, is a settlement in eastern Greenland. Some 460 Inhabitants call Ittoqqortoormitt, one of Greenland’s most isolated settlements, their home and has been described as one of the most remote settlements on earth. The population are local hunters who make a living from whale and polar bear hunting for generations, and it remains, up to the present.

The group was not prepared for our next Silversea Expedition adventure in Scoresbysund, the largest and longest fjord system in the world. The area is incredibly rich in Arctic wildlife and is one of the best places in the world to see polar bears in their natural habitat, an experience that can never be forgotten. As a polar bear was in sight closely watching a group of Walrus by the shoreline, we all stayed safely on-board Silver Wind to watch this incredible interaction between these two animals. As we sailed on the captain informed us of several large icebergs ahead that would be as large as houses (this was an understatement) given Silver Wind has 7 decks with a running track above these icebergs resembled more multi-story shopping malls.

Being in the presence of Artic glaciers makes you feel tiny, however in a good way. It’s just this incredible, powerful, immense structure of frozen water coming at you, and you are lucky to be there in that moment with those glaciers.

As the guest on board excitement had reached what we thought was a peak, something incredibly special was awaiting, our Expedition Leader “Iggy” advised all guests that his expedition team had found a iceberg and approved it safe for guest to experience walking on this magnificent iceberg. As we all jumped in our Expedition gear and headed down to the “mud room” for Zodiac clearance, we made our way out, feeling reassured of two Expedition team members position on the iceberg and armed to protect us if need.

Over the 11-day expedition from Longyearbyen, Norway to Reykjavik, Iceland we covered 2033 Nautical Miles. As our Expedition team best described the Artic in five words. Wild, remote, beautifully harsh (that is two words), crucial and magnificent.?

We all agreed no camera lens can show the true beauty of being on top of the world!