When we decided on August for our Svalbard visit I wasn’t sure whether we would see any pack ice. As the summer progresses the ice retreats northwards, beyond the area our itinerary was scheduled to cover. But on an expedition cruise the planned itinerary can often be abandoned because of weather conditions, wildlife viewing opportunities or other factors.
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Anyone who thinks of the Arctic as a bleak and desolate place, devoid of life, needs only to visit the bird cliffs of Alkefjellet to dispel that illusion. I have never seen so much activity, so much life, concentrated in one small area.
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We were to see Svalbard at its most dramatic and bleak today. Yesterday’s weather had been surprisingly (unnaturally) warm, but today, though still milder than we had anticipated, was much more mixed. But rain or shine, this landscape is unrivalled in its beauty.
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Christiane Ritter spent a winter in the harshest conditions that Svalbard can offer. Living in a tiny hut with her husband and another trapper, but sometimes left alone there for many days. Constant darkness, cut off from the world by snow and ice; her Arctic was not my Arctic. But I think editing some of my photos in black and white has helped to emphasise what sense of bleakness I did find in this stunning environment.
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We were only in Paris for a few days and I hadn't planned to send any virtual postcards. But on our last evening we had an after dinner stroll along the Seine and were treated to an amazing sunset. I just had to share it!
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We were to experience a sense of peace on every day of this trip, the silence often only broken by the noise of the kittiwakes and other birds. Surprisingly today we were also to experience warm sunshine; not something I expected to find in Svalbard.
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Today was definitely a day for ‘big boots’ and also definitely a day for adventure. But then, so was every day on our expedition cruise! The morning brought low clouds in places and some rain. As we finished breakfast an announcement came over the PA that beluga whales had been spotted ...
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The Arctic is a magical place, wild, bleak, hauntingly beautiful. It is also, surprisingly perhaps, full of colour. However there are plenty of scenes that lend themselves to black and white photography too.
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For several years now I have longed to visit Svalbard. A land where the sun never sets in summer, nor rises in winter. A land 60% covered with glaciers and home to exciting wildlife such as polar bears and walrus. And finally this year I made it.
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Who hasn’t been mesmerised at times by the sight and sound of the sea? Watching the movement of waves, whether on the shore or from a ship, can be almost hypnotising, or so I find.
