Viking Cruises

viking.com | 77 W I N T E R I S S U E 3 0 National Park and the famed Blue Lagoon, a natural geothermal spa. After a two-night hotel stay in Reykjavík, where we immersed ourselves in the natural splendour of the surrounding area, we embarked on our ship, the beautiful Viking Star®, on a lovely, sunny Icelandic summer day. Our first port of call was Ísafjörður, a charming small town in the Westfjords region of northwest Iceland that is home to one of the largest fisheries in Iceland. Here, we were treated to a moving musical performance by a local musician and a fascinating talk on the history of fishing by a local fisherman. What struck me was that despite living in a remote part of the world and in such harsh winter weather conditions, the local people are so happy, friendly and welcoming. In summer, they make the most of the precious sunlight and spend as much time as possible outdoors, exercising, socialising and swimming. The night before we arrived in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, I felt like a little girl on Christmas Eve. My dream of visiting the Arctic was about to come true. I opened the curtains of my stateroom and there it was, just as I imagined it to be. A small and lively frontier town with colorful houses surrounded by the permanent snowfields that blanket the island of Spitsbergen. We were ready for this adventure. Longyearbyen, the world's nor thernmost city, was founded in 1906 by American businessman John Longyear when he star ted a mining operation here. This city was almost destroyed during World War II by the German nav y, then rebuilt af ter the war. We wanted to see and learn as much as we could, so we opted to do a few included shore excursions and star ted with a visit to the Svalbard Museum, as well as a journey to Camp Barentz in the remote Advent Valley, where we met some lovable husky dogs and their handler. We also spent some time inside a gamme, a traditional Nor wegian dwelling around an open fire. Here, we enjoyed a warming drink and tasty treat as we listened to tales of the "King of the Arctic," the polar bear. The population in the Svalbard archipelago and Barents Sea is estimated to be around 3,000 polar bears. The majority of these predators depend on the ice to hunt for most of the year. However, all adult female polar bears build their dens on the Nor wegian (Svalbard) or Russian (Franz Josef Land) islands. They give bir th in midwinter to a small litter of cubs, Blue Lagoon, Iceland I opened the curtains of my stateroom and there it was, just as I imagined it to be. A small and lively frontier town with colourful houses surrounded by the permanent snowfields that blanket the island of Spitsbergen. usually ever y third year, if they live until they are weaned at the age of two. It was interesting to learn that polar bears have a ver y good sense of smell, which they use to find their prey, such as a seal on the ice some 32 km away. One of the optional excursions we chose was the Arctic Hike. We walked past the imposing Taubanesentralen, part of the coal transport system that was used until the 1980s, and we ended our hike at the Global Seed Vault, one of the most unique places in Svalbard. As of May 2024, the Seed Vault holds more than 1.3 million seed varieties originating from almost every country in the world. The seeds range from varieties of major African and Asian food staples such

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