Today the weather played a trick on us and pretended that it was still summer. The sun shone and the temperature climbed into the low 20s. Where better to take a walk than in one of our favourite London parks? Well, maybe in two parks!
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On an expedition cruise not everything that is planned can work out quite as expected. We had already seen yesterday how fog could create a change of plan, as we’d been unable to land at Andréeneset on Kvitøya. Today another force of nature was to have a similar impact; not weather but bears!
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We have had plenty of warm September sun this year, but also some chillier days, reminding us that winter isn’t too far away. By the end of the month it was looking, and feeling, quite autumnal. We were home for much of the month but did make our usual anniversary visit to Paris near the start.
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It’s a sombre thought that even the most modern and stable of structures may one day become a ruin. Did the builders of the Inca cities, of the Egyptian pyramids or of the temples of Angkor stop to consider that they may not stand for ever?
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Most of us who love to travel have a bucket list, and some places I believe are on nearly everyone’s list. I’m one of the lucky ones; I’ve been able to ‘tick off’ many places from my own list although of course like you, I suspect, I’m continually adding more as I go along!
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A more low-key day today, after the excitement of yesterday's polar bear encounter. But there were no dull days on this trip and today’s highlight was ticking off another of my Arctic wish-list animals, walruses. The ship travelled south-east during the night to the small island of Kvitoya, the easternmost one in the Svalbard archipelago.
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I wonder what it would be like to live in a town where the sun never sets in the summer and never rises in the winter? A town whose population of 2,400 residents hail from almost 53 different countries? And whose residents stay only for an average of seven years? And how would it feel to have to carry a rifle every time you stepped beyond the town’s limits and to know how to use it against a possible polar bear attack?
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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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Are you a town mouse or a country mouse? Personally I choose the bustle and activity of city life over that in the country, although I can see the benefits that the latter offers. A bit of peace and quiet would be welcome sometimes, I admit.
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It’s hard to say why a symmetrical image is so pleasing to the eye. It seems that our brains are naturally drawn to symmetry, finding it aesthetically pleasing and visually satisfying. Symmetry induces a sense of order, harmony, and perfection.
