Installment 3 Aug 6

Mist is the Gist for ARCTIC Outings

Ngaire arranged for us to dine with the some of the expedition staff last night. We joined the Bittles with .. dare I say it? Juan Carlos. It was a lovely dinner. He thought we should take particular notice of the wildflowers along the paths when we make our landings. He grew up near the coffee growing region of Colombia. The sea trout was especially good for dinner. Today has been scheduled for full-on expeditions .. first one at 8 am, then cruising through a bird area over lunch where we'll be allowed on the foredeck, concluding with a second landing late in the afternoon.

The staff has advised us, due to the unusually light amount of ice in northern Svalbard, they plan to circumnavigate all of Svalbard this trip. The last time this was possible was in 2006. Our sleeping bear on Edgeoya must have been caught too far south when the ice started to shrink. S/he better find some food quickly as s/he was very thin for this time of year.

We came back from dinner to an anniversary celebration, Silversea style, laid out before us. I won't spoil it for others, but simply say be sure to sign up for it when you fill out your guest information form. It was really well done!

The mist rolls in, the mist rolls out this early morn … as does the expedition staff. At present, they have returned to the ship, having deemed our planned walk too risky. Mist = can't see polar bears = see Captain's rule from yesterday (bears or visitors on the island – never both). It is just too early to be thinking about math right now. My educated guess is no early landing today.

Our captain announced he keeps an open bridge policy, so long as we observe two more rules: first, don't press any buttons; and second, keep conversation to a minimum and be quiet about it.

We missed our early landing due to mist. We had an up close encounter with the cliffs of the Guilletmots around lunchtime. In the late afternoon, we backtracked to a spit of land with around 20 walruses catching some zzzz's. Finally! Feet on terra firma. We zipped over and followed the flags to the walrus wallow. Our polar bear guards were stationed a good distance from our landing site. The weather was sparkling clear. Once we arrived at the wallow, we noted at least one walrus was keeping a watch lest there be a need for the walruses to hustle back to the water. They really are land challenged. Heave – ho; heave – ho is the effort needed to move up the beach. There was plenty of pushing and shoving for the prime spots in the wallow. Meanwhile, several walruses were offshore, flipping, turning and catching their breath between dives. A small ice floe headed in their direction. As quickly as the weather had cleared, it began to mist in again. The polar bear guides radioed to the bridge two bears were on the move. They like to stalk just inside the cover of the mist .. so we were urged to leave quietly and quickly. Zodiacs were loaded, lickety-split, with a final score of Tourists 47 – Bears 0. No word on whether the walruses fared as well as the tourists.

Dinner concluded with the most spectacular sail alongside the Brasvilbreen (traditional NORGES for Sudden Impact Glacier, modern NORGES for Brazil Glacier). We broached the bridge and watched waterfall after waterfall pour from the sides of the glacier. Kids, this thing runs for 190 nautical miles alongside the southern and eastern edges of Austfonna (NORGES for East Icecap per Juan Carlos). The expedition staff said it's the best glacier sighting they've ever seen. We headed off to bed, as we had a 6 am check-in for more glancing at the glaciers.

August 7

Tapping Into the Ice Cap

We awoke with anticipation at 6 am, the memory of the beautify Brasvilbreen glacier fresh in our memory. The stabilizers were drawn in, as ice is plentiful in the seas, giving us just that little bit more of a rock and roll sensation. Gary headed up to the bridge to get the scoop. The scoop meant 90 more minutes of sleep before we rolled out for the day.

Before I report further, I must comment on just how calm the seas are here in the Arctic. The quick difference between Antarctica and the Arctic is as follows: Antarctica is a continent surrounded by seas; the Arctic is a sea surrounded by land masses or continents (depends if you buy into Greenland is the unacknowledged island continent or not). Motion has been at a minimum, due in no small part to our Captain's skill in piloting these waters. If you want to know accurately where we are, go to the silversea website, look up the Prince Albert II and check for the voyage summary. The expedition staff is posting a daily blog (delayed for internet interruptus) and you'll get much more accurate place and names than I can possibly pronounce (ergo, or can remember).

We continue to be impressed with the entire staff's focus on the expedition aspect of this sailing. This morning was a case in point. The 6 am glacier cruise was, no surprise, lost in the fog and mist. We continued up towards Isispynten. We did arrive at a small bay where our scout zodiacs spotted 3 .. count 'em, 3 .. polar bears. We suited up and swiped out for another zodiac cruise. Bear number1: white block in rocks. Bear number 2: white blob on snow field. Bear number 3: took one look at the approaching Red Coat army and beat a hasty retreat. Our guides invoked the 'not a PEEP out of you!' rule and we sallied forth, going back and forth between the bears sighted.

We moved out of Edgeoya towards Nordaustlandet, the easternmost island in the Svalbard region. (English is North East Land; this word is another spellcheck buster, my friends). The birds are the 'tell' when it comes to bear spotting. Food is scarce, so the bears help themselves to what eggs and young birds in nests they can find. The parent birds go berserk. Pack of berserk birds? Polar bears must be nearby. Suddenly the Bear Latitude Alarm System Event (blasé) was triggered around 25 minutes into our ride. Bear #2 arose and posed. Bear #1, not to be outdone, started to stretch and look around. Bear #4 rose over the top of the hill, a la John Wayne, and showed all of his 42 teeth to Bear #1. Bear #1 started heading over to Bear #4, all 42 teeth also at the ready, intent on remaining King Blob of the Black Rock Block. Bear #4 halted in his tracks and surveyed the red coat/black boat army. He appeared star struck .. perhaps he could garner the much sought after National Geographic Polar Bear gig .. all the ring seals you want, so long as you can be cute on command. Bear #4 ambled down to the waterfront, wherein our guides quickly backpedaled the Zodiacs to stay out of the bear's reach. He was deciding whether to dive into the water .. evidently he REALLY wanted the NG contract .. and we were going nuts with electronic images imprinting themselves on memory cards at double the speed of light. The captain let our Zodiac driver know he wanted to drive the boat .. but only after we'd seen what was up with the Bear Idol contest. We drove back, where the Captain awaited the wheel as we off loaded the Zodiac.

Half of the early group zodiacs had returned before the start of Bear Idol. The expedition staff and captain opted to extend our stay (Bear #4 was really playing it for all s/he was worth) so those in the first 3 zodiacs could go out once again and get their bear pictures. That's really impressive in my book.

POOCH and Hearts were underway to take us through to lunch. Ngaire and I both found ourselves boxed into attempting shoot the moons .. and fell just short. Brayden is also a good hearts player. Jim Turner trucked it home, winning by 2 points. He's earned the moniker 'Spade Smoke-Out Shark' for his ability to force the holder of the queen of spades to eat all of those luscious 13 points themselves.

We'll be late to Storoya this afternoon for what we hope will be another landing and walk. Our aspiration is to cross 82 degrees north on this trip. Who cares, so long as we see such wonderful bears?

No Lyin' .. Tigers and Bears, oh my!

We made it to Storoya in the late afternoon. The expedition staff was abuzz with anticipation .. and they were well rewarded. First, we all got thoroughly showered by arctic waters on our zodiac rides to the bay; second, we have it on good authority (no less than Nanook of the North) that walruses are the tigers of the North. The first group saw the polar bears stalking the tigers of the north, who closed ranks, with the biggest tusks on the outside of the groups. No less than 3 bears were on the water's edge, checking for signs of weakness in the walrus pack. Several of the walrus had taken to the water, bobbing, weaving and generally making hippo-esque noises. I have no idea how the staff will top this stop. We enjoyed a later dinner with Jim and Pat Bittle, and then toodled off to bed. The morning would come early, and the bridge is open. Time for another short night's sleep .. perchance to dream .. of lions, tigers and bears.

August 8

Packin' it In

We awoke to the crunching and munching of the pack ice cruise scheduled for the early morning. Gary was up and at 'em, visiting the bridge to check on the day's developments. We enjoyed the pack ice going by the ship, noting a few of the floes had obvious evidence of recent animal habitation .. and yes, it was because of colored snow .

Captain spent time looking for the perfect spot .. which happened to be 81 degrees north .. to conduct the Polar Plunge. I opted for the Princess Plunge, washing my hair and heading out into the frigid air to give it an air dry. Brayden, accompanied by Ralph on the video camera, opted for the real Polar Plunge. His 12 honorary grandparents stood by, with cameras at the ready. First, though, there were any number of Polar Plunges parading in their various swimming costumes onto the zodiacs. It would make for a great episode of Project Runway .. some of the attire choice was .. er .. particularly choice.

The teen aged skinny girls had the greatest yells and were fighting it out to be the first of the two up the ladder back onto the zodiac and the comfort of dry towels. Those who enjoyed a greater body mass index tolerated the cold better than most (was that sufficiently PC?). Bikinis and more were on display. The only questionable plungers were the two executive chefs .. topped by toques .. who took the plunge in full chef attire. Hmmm .. fortunately, no heart-stopping responses to the chilly polar water for those two essential members of our ship's company. It was finally Brayden's turn to sample the waters. He demonstrated his mastery of 'Practical Applications of Logic' coursework from last semester, opting to jump right over the ladder off the zodiac. There was no doubt he'd be first back on the zodiac following the plunge. Good for him .. he earned the respect of the ship's company on behalf of the ARCTIC group.

We opted for a day off today, reading a little, sleeping a little and waiting for the afternoon adventures. We missed the blue whale spotting by the POOCHers. Instead of announcing the blue whale (who was on a different heading than the ship so the two paths diverged in short order), the afternoon expedition rolled in, with the prerequisite mist, and we were scheduled took the 6 pm zodiac transfer for a land hike in Sorjfjord (loosely translated as the Worry Fjord). This was the 'tell' for the afternoon adventure. It was a rocks and not much else kind of a walk .. complete with lots of wind chill on land and an in-your-face full frontal polar splash bath returning to the ship. In other words .. for me .. this fell in the 'one and done' category. We didn't return until close to 7:30, and hustled to join the Venetian Society party. Our reward was some caviar and champagne. Daniil was our Venetian host, and he valiantly spoke on behalf of the Italian owner. The resident Italians thought his pronunciation of the owner's name was (you guessed it) “not so bad” for a Lithuanian from the second largest city in that country.

We joined new friends from Australia for the Venetian dinner, featuring rack of lamb, osso bucco and sea bass. It was a delightful evening.

Tomorrow begins early again .. we're on the 8 am zodiac departure, weather and schedule permitting.

August 9

Monacobreen and Sylicabreen

We awoke to the gentle knocking of our coffee-bearing waiter at 6:30 am. We both groaned, until the irresistible smell of coffee drew me from under the warm covers. I raised the shade to see clear blue skies. Gary's eyeballs were bombarded with full sun. He gasped in shock and, I think, a bit of pain.

We were starting to dress around 7 am when the PA system crackled: bear on ice at 12 o'clock about ¾ of a mile in front of the ship. Adrenaline kicked in, and we were hoofing it to the bridge for our bear-on-ice sighting.

Bear Idol has now entered the semi-final round, and this morning's entry has raised the bar. He was standing on an ice floe, with a fresh seal carcass on the other end. Birds were grabbing tender morsels of seal as the bear tried to size up the purpose and nature of our mission. Our captain slowly sailed us into the floe's vicinity, until the bear decided he wanted to protect his seal prize. He lumbered over and chased the birds away, only to lose the seal between his legs. The bear stared between his legs, then stretched over the edge and slid into the water. All this before 8 am! We hurried back to check our photos (two good ones apiece) and clear the cards before we suited up for a zodiac cruise.

How could a glacier cruise possibly top this outing? We repeated our mantra: We will never be here again so take full advantage! We pulled Robin, the expedition leader and Lasso, our bear guide, as our zodiac staff. Off we headed to learn about glaciers.

The glaciers thought better of a sedate cruise. We heard the first clap of white thunder .. and a portion of the glacier calved. PEEPS were heard from the several zodiacs on the water. Robin stopped the lecture and said “Lasso, hit it!” and off we cruised at higher speed towards the calving. CRRRAAAACK .. RUMBLE .. TUMBLE .. SPRAY .. REBOUND WAVE. The calved ice broke up quickly and speedily headed towards us into the open waters of the fjord. We must have seen 10 different places where the glacier calved in about 80 minutes' time. An upwelling of the melt ice brought lots of food out for the birds in one cave, meaning thousands of birds were in a feeding frenzy. That lasted until THAT section of the glacier calved. A piece of ice rose suddenly from the floor, taking several unsuspecting birds on a one-way trip to Davy Jones' locker. The loss of bird life must have numbered at least a hundred. Thousands more were flying around like crazy, having managed to flee with their lives.

What more could we ask for? It was time for the Seabourn Smackdown .. sure, they sometimes have caviar in the surf. We had Champagne and Strawberries on Ice – Arctic Ice. Our captain had stealthily brought out his zodiac, loaded the dining room manager, executive chef, hotel director and a few waiters out with a champagne and chocolate covered strawberry snack for the guests. ARCTIC all went in for seconds (duh) and continued to sip champagne and watch for more calving glaciers and rattled birds. We got a group photo WITHOUT capsizing the zodiac. Lasso, our bear guide, gave us a quick lesson on which bullets to use, and in what order, when a polar bear threatens. Pepper spray was roundly rejected as a safe and effective alternative. We asked Lasso if he lived in northernmost NORGES .. he said, “Why no. I live in Oslo and am a social worker for people who have suffered brain damage.” Great fit for our group, don't you think?

We settled back onboard for POOCH or Hearts, or photo sorting before lunch. We had good news and bad news: first, the trappers would welcome 125 visitors to their hut (so long as we bring some beer). Bad news? The Captain's rule has been invoked: a mother polar bear and her cub are on the land between us and the trappers. Zodiac cruise only; hopefully with today's second Bear Idol semi-final contestant. We are promised another wet, bumpy ride. Bear Idol contestant #2 got off to a slow start, as people and cameras were soaked in short order. We got into the bay, where she was resting on a rocky area. We circled .. and circled .. and she raised her head then resumed her slumber. Just as we were ready to turn back, the cub decided to nurse. Talk about snatching the Bear Idol daily title straight out of the jaws of defeat! The cuteness factor zoomed northward as the cub played and nursed with its mom. She held her right paw so carefully out of its way .. and all of those claws were in sharp contrast to the tender scene unfolding before our soggy eyes. I'm pretty sure there were 2 cubs, but we could only see the one clearly. The rain was lightening up as we headed back to the ship. Hopefully, the second group will get some pictures and get less wet in the process.

Some bears will do ANYTHING for the national geographic gig .. and we are the lucky beneficiaries of another fantastic day of wildlife and nature on parade.

August 10

Whale of a Tale, or an EmBEARassment of Riches

We had our first rocking and rolling seas last night as we steamed over to the Smeerenburgfjord to anchor for the night. I awoke around 7 am, well satisfied I would pass on the whaling station archeology walking excursion this morning.

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast with Brayden, Ralph, Jim and Pam as Brayden considered whether to head to the shore or rustle up a game of hearts. Gary returned to photo analysis and sorting, so I wandered up to the bridge.

Timing is everything, right? There was considerable hub bub, as Capt. Kirk and another passenger were staring, along with Janna, at a teensy weensy white blob. Yep … Polar Bear #20 or #21 is a late entry for Bear Idol. He swam ashore from the sea, landing on a beach not far from the zodiac landing site. Robin, our leader, was on the radio, directing the shoreside staff to quickly round up guests and get them into the zodiacs. Daniil headed over to grab the remaindermen and women, along with the bear guide and spotter. All are now on the zodiacs, and the expedition has moved on to our late Bear Idol entry, arriving via the open fjord waters. He's said to be 3 to 4 years old and recently well fed.

Our captain reported to the bridge, wherein much discussion ensued as to the timing and nature of the remaining morning's expedition activities. Why are half of the officers on duty so absorbed in this schedule? Silly me .. it's the 10:30 REQUIRED Tuesday crew emergency drill. Neither rain, nor snow, nor bears, no whale remnants will alter our emergency drills. Today's episode revolved around a suspect paint locker somewhere in the nether regions of this ship. These drills are more extensive than those I remember on the larger ships .. we get all the way to virtually calling passengers with lifejackets to muster stations (except that doesn't mean us) and crew to the fire stations (except that does mean them). Confused ? If not, I can get you there. We finished up with a non-abandon ship order, followed by a required debriefing by all officers.

The groups are returning from the bear sighting, and group 4 is about to grab the zodiacs. Bear sighting? Late entry to Bear Idol? I had to go see for myself. We're the last to go ashore this morning. We put on our warm clothes and headed down to the boot room. Dang! Forgot my zodiac life vest, so ran back to grab it. We headed out with Robin Aiello, our resident marine biologist.

Our late Bear Idol entry was playing hard to get. He occasionally lifted his head, looked around and then slumped down in slumber. Our semi-finalists have nothing to fear from this entry. We headed over towards the whaling area, coming across a ring seal in the water. I hope that seal stayed at sea, or there was risk the polar bear would decide two lunches were better than one.

The clear sea was shallow in this area, giving us a great view of the sea bed. Robin was in her element, as the jellyfish came out in force. We learned all about the jellyfish, including one jumbo one who liked brown colored algae as part of its diet. We were ordered back to the ship, thinking we would head to Sallyhumna, site of the whale carcass. We did pick up the word 'magdafjord' on Robin's radio but thought little of it.

Expedition leader Robin announced we have exceeded our Maximum Observations of Polar Environments (MOPE) and, in keeping with a need to walk in the arctic, we are heading directly for the Magdelenafjord. I was torn .. this was one fjord I hoped to see but missed on the FJORDS trip in 2007, but who wants to miss the whale and the bears? We moped around during lunch, thinking of the missing whale carcass and its mother and 3 cub resident bears. A further evil thought filled my brain: who says there won't be a polar bear hanging out in Magdelenafjord, disrupting our landing plans?

We steamed around into the Magdelenafjord around 2 pm, and it is a scene of wonder. Some expedition huts are in the area, along with gorgeous skies, beautiful symmetrical peaks, a glacier and some interesting ski run possibilities. A group arrived on a yacht and had landed on a small sand island spit in the fjord. We were waving to them and getting ready to greet them from our zodiacs. Instead, Robin came back on the loudspeaker. Guess what? We'd had yet another polar bear sighted on land, thereby scrubbing our planned walk in Magdelenafjord.. The expedition staff was reworking the plans and they'd advise us shortly. Fine .. so it's time for POOCH. The revised plan was .. ta daaa .. go see the whale carcass at Sallyhumna and hope there are some bears when we arrive. The bear count now stands at #21 or #22, but who's counting anymore?

We reversed course out of Magdelenafjord, with a reputed Polish expedition ship from Gdansk that was, in reality, a Norwegian coast guard cutter entering from the open sea. Brayden swore he couldn't see the gun on the front of the ship (it was there) and there was a cool helicopter stationed at the back of the cutter

We got the call around 5:45 pm to board the zodiacs. We turned a corner and found two satiated bears snoring on the cliffs above the water. It was high tide in the fjord, meaning the whale carcass is submerged. The first group had both snow and hail on their ride; we missed that particular weather event. The dining staff, once again, will have to push back the farewell cocktail party and dinner. I got a few photos that are somewhat clear. These guys win the 'best bear on a cliff ledge' subcategory, but I still think either the ice floe bear or the mother and cub(s) are the favorites for the Bear Idol National Geographic winner, Svalbard Division, Summer 2010.

August 11

Suiting up for the Summit!

Robin wished us a very good morning, ladies and gentlement, at 8:15 this morning. This morning is our last chance to zodiac tour in Svalbard. The expedition staff ran shuttle zodiac service as we could stay out as late as 12:30 pm.

Gary was shuffling around, urging me to get a cup of coffee in the observation lounge and take off to the shore. Umm .. that means no blueberries. We compromised on a speed english muffin and blueberry breakfast, then resumed our preparations for the landing. The staff was available but did not insist on guided walks. Hard to believe, but no polar bears popped up to greet us and/or mess up our plans. Upon arrival shoreside, zodiac life vests went into the blue bins and we were free to roam within the prescribed perimeters. We went off looking for the arctic fox; instead, found a snow bunting feeding and drawing us away so its chick could eat in peace. The rocks are covered with near-neon orange lichens, splashed with a bit of black. I think Jasper Johns may have drawn inspiration from Nature's own abstract artworks.

It was time to turn around and tackle the glacier. Staff advised this was the first time they'd been able to take passengers onto the ice itself. Allons-y! We headed over towards the glacier path, just as one of the faces on the water calved. KA-BOOM! Three minutes later, the beach path was submerged with the rebound wave. I got a little way back from the edge, but that rebound wave came within inches of the top of my gumboot. Whew!

A short rock scramble up to the narrow footpath down towards the mud ice and up to the glacier ice was up next. Walking up in stocking-stuffed gumboots is a bit tricky. We arrived to meet Franz and Chris, our staff on the summit. They were at the two hour mark of their assigned stations. They took turns sprinting back and forth, mostly to restore feeling in their feet.

Most of the passengers attempted and, I believe, made it to the glacier. We were off the ship for a total of three hours. Our treat on the ride back was a stop at the puffin colony along the rocks of the bay. We think we got a few good shots of the little guys.

Back in the mud room, boots were stowed for the last time. We walked to our room, and were greeted by the dreaded suitcases placed on the plastic packing cover. Ugh. Lunch is underway, so perhaps we'll tackle that odious chore later.

This afternoon, outside of one last round of cards, will be a mix of pack, yack, snack and hitting the sack for our merry band of travelers.

Congratulations to Pam for winning the Pooch Poo-bah title for this cruise. Brayden is newly addicted to hearts.

August 11

Ship Matters – Final report

This has been one terrific trip – out of the ordinary for us, and much enjoyed. Our heartfelt thanks to our fellow travelers and intrepid leaders, Ngaire and Ken, for a trip that will long be remembered. Our ship's crew, officers and expedition staff delivered far more than we dared hope .. and for this, we are ever so grateful.

Are you tempted? Seriously consider this itinerary, subject to the provisos below. It's more remote and less traveled than Antarctica. The penguins may be missing, but there is much in the way of wildlife that is active and vibrant here.

Musings (in no particular order):

-Weather gets you down? Mindset is important, as well as the twin benefits of adequate warm and waterproof clothing.

-The zodiac rides have varied from serene to soaking.

-Take a quart sized ziploc with two small holes cut in the fold to run your camera strap through so the plastic protects the camera for the wet trips.

-The ship provided parkas are great. Get a parka big enough to zip around your camera for those wet and wild rides. I got a medium and it was just right. Yes, you can exchange sizes if you've gotten it wrong on your guest information sheet for a few days after embarkation.

-Ski glove liners with waterproof outer gloves are best

-Can't take the cold and wind? This may not be the best itinerary for you, as weather changes in the blink of an eye

-You're also provided with a backpack for shore excursions. We used ours once. We made do with zipping cameras or binoculars into our jackets for the rest of the trips.

-Want quiet dinners a deux? It's unlikely, unless you want room service. 90% of the tables are for 4 and 6 people in the dining room. Breakfast and lunch are buffets with limited table service.

-The sun deck is in far less use than our Lunch Loungeabouts on the sun and pool deck in Antarctica.

-Vista suite is fine (picture window, deck 4, 230 sq ft). Some of the explorer/adventure class rooms vary in size .. I'd not want a room much smaller than the one I have, but if that was the only choice for this trip, I'd have taken the trip and made the best of the space situation.

-Storage space is in abundance in the cabin. Two drawers under the bed, two spaces for 26” suitcases under the bed, four drawers on desk, four bedstand drawers in total, shelves in closet, small shelves behind full length mirror, lots of shelves in bathroom .. very well thought out.

-$300 nonrefundable shipboard credit. There does not appear to be a big run on spa services. Silversea also throws in the bottle of vintage Dom Perignon as an Amex platinum card perk.

-Suzanne and Tonya, there is hope .. I did see a rare pole dancing warm-up in the theater yesterday morning.

-Pre-dinner and post-dinner bars are pleasantly full on this ship. Our group has pretty much decamped to bed and nature documentaries to lull ourselves to sleep apres dinner.

-Entertainment is a very good pianist. There's no risk we will break the record set on ICE for number of people on the dance floor doing the Penguin.

-This has been the most difficult trip in memory for wildlife photography. Adjusting one's expectations is important. I have a 15x zoom with 10 pixels, and it's barely enough to get good pictures.

-A group has been a great way to go on this trip. With the photography challenge in place, it's helpful to have fellow travelers who are willing to rotate places so all can get their prize photos on the zodiac. I think it would be more difficult should we have drawn pot luck on the zodiac tours as opposed to sharing a zodiac with our group.

-Zodiac drivers matter .. and you can't do anything about it.

-Let's talk about the bootroom, shall we? Gum boots on board were fine. There's a small space to hold those boots between outings and to hold your shoes whilst you are out with the gum boots. Easy enough to hold the shoes; two pair of gum boots barely fit.

-One will decide for oneself as to the tradeoff between cabin space and public space. For me (and this is entirely irrelevant since Explorer II no longer operates as it did two years ago), the public spaces were larger and easier to access on a per capita basis than they are on Prince Albert II. Ngaire, the Bittles and others who were in smaller cabins on Explorer II would, I think, disagree with this assessment.

-Shore excursions are very much luck of the draw, and have changed constantly. We've seen an enormous amount of northernmost NORGES, thanks to thinner ice and a stoked expedition team leadership.

-Food has been good to great.

-Silversea staff, if they remember you from a prior trip, sparkle at keeping up acquaintances. This is additive to the overall experience.

-I expected limited internet connectivity; I did not expect it would be off line for nearly the entire trip. Plan accordingly. Buying an internet package is a risky thing .. but logging on to only be bumped off is risky, too. 75 cents a minute on the as-you-go plan; 250 minutes on the $85 plan.

-A daily lecture presentation, meals, one or two expedition stops and daily briefings are about it for planned shipboard activities.

-The library is largely populated with adventure books. I'm enjoying a selection of National Geographic explorer articles from the first half of the 20th century. The movie selection is heavily geared to arctic and antartica themed documentaries.

-10 days was just right. The sightings have been tremendous. For us, it's time to leave and head for home.

From your intrepid reporter - cheers! Anne

Wow Anne, what a great report.

Yeah internet Kens pictures hopefully will follow.

Continuation August 6, 2010.

Got back from a GREAT walrus sighting and have some "on and off" internet. Ken will try to post some pictures that may or may not work. It keeps losing the signal.

I continue the saga of ARCTIC

We were in the first group to leave for the landing to see walrus on a beautifully sunny day with no wind and totally calm seas. We were not disappointed. Walrus can be like elephant seals in Antarctica. They just lay there like blobs. Today we had a couple that were active, well active relative to discussing walrus activity on land. One big walrus in the front was constantly scratching, sitting up and looking at us and rolling around. I am sure many have some great shots.

Ralph’s grandson Brayden is an absolute doll who I would take on any trip any time and know that everyone would enjoy having him along. He seems more like a 20 year old than a 12 year old. He is engaging the expedition staff and getting so much out of the trip. He tries new things at dinner (unusual for a 12 year old) and is a master at pooch. Brayden is a pleasure to be around. Ralph took a great shot of him today at the walrus sighting talking to an expedition team member who had a gun over his shoulder.

Shortly after the second group arrived on shore the polar bear lookouts spotted two polar bears coming from different directions towards the group and the fog started rolling in at the same time. A major fast exit from the land as everyone grabbed a life vest and boarded the zodiacs. All made it safely back from the shore and I hear from some in the group this was handled extremely well by crew and passengers. The Captain came on the PA congratulating the passengers for the fast and efficient evacuation from the beach.

Then we have a break for cocktails and dinner with Anne and Gary as they celebrate their anniversary. The menu included specially ordered lobster tails and a filet mignon with morel mushroom sauce. Just as we are finishing dinner we arrive at the next major event of the day, the longest glacier in the northern hemisphere approximately 180 kilometers of water frontage. Right outside the dining room window we pass incredibly close to a big iceberg. We leave our coffee and run for the open bridge.

Arriving at the glacier we are quite awestruck. The glacier is in glistening sunlight and there are totally calm seas. This is an ice edge of probably about 60 feet high and you can see the ice shelf stretching as far back as you can see. What was really unique is the waterfalls off this glacier something I have never seen before. This is truly stunning scenery. The edge of the glacier twists and turns and the ship follows the path of the glacier. So hard to go to bed and leave this s so I am typing this as we look out our window at this incredible scenery. Tomorrow POLAR bear watch. We are so BUSY all the time.


August 7, 2010
WHAT A MORNING! Polar Bear Heaven

We sailed very close to the glacier around 6.30 am this morning. Wonderful scenery, then at 8.30 am the PA came on that they had seen three bears on shore. We were in the first group out on the zodiacs this morning and initially we saw the bears but they were all laying down and doing very little. One was on the snow and one was on the rocks. At about the same time they both starting stirring and lifting their heads. One started walking and we could see him well in the binoculars but not that well without them. He was raiding the arctic terns nests and the birds were going crazy. We moved around the area and watched these bears for about 30 minutes and just as we were coming back in we saw two bears together moving over the rocks. We followed the bears with our zodiac and then it really got exciting. One of the bears head was spotted at the top of the rocks. The bear started to walk down to the water. He made his way very slowly and the cameras were going crazy. He came right to the waters edge and looked like he may get in the water to come and visit a nice food source - us. We were so close to the bear you did not need binoculars to see his massive feet and claws. We had the expedition leader in our zodiac and he told all the zodiacs to start backing away. It was an incredible sighting. Cannot imagine it can get better than that. We saw either 5 or 6 polar bears this morning but the one that put on a show for us will never be forgotten.

WHAT AN AFTERNOON – Polar Bear and Walrus Heaven

The wind picked up and white caps were on the ocean. We were all in the second zodiac group so we were very comfy playing cards as the first zodiacs went out. Watching the zodiacs pitching around and spray flying it was tempting to stay onboard. After all how much better could it get than this morning? All but three of us decided to venture out. Those coming in from the first zodiac were soaking wet but looked really happy and said “get wet it is worth it”. Then we heard there are three polar bears and lots of walrus and the bears are circling the walrus and the walrus are everywhere in the water. So now we were all pretty excited about the adventure. It was not as rough in the zodiacs as it had appeared and then right after we started going to the shore line the SUN broke through and the wind died down a little. It was still choppy but not bad. When we got to the shoreline there were walrus in the water all around us. It is amazing how graceful they are in the water. Our zodiac driver had to be very careful as he maneuvered our zodiac among the walrus and the other zodiacs. Three polar bears were on the shore all slightly separated from each other. The best was one bear that was really close to a group of walrus and started circling around the walrus. We were hoping he would make a charge at the walrus but no such luck. The walrus is as likely to win that battle as the polar bear. The bears only go for the old and weak or for young walrus. This was a scene straight out of National Geographic. The walrus were everywhere in the water and on land, three polar bears, and an incredible cloud formation that looked like mountains. We got a little wet coming back and the cold was starting to set in but worth every second for the sight we saw.

August 8, 2010

This morning we got close to 81 degrees and then we stopped to do the POLAR plunge. Those brave souls that wished to take a tip in the Arctic ocean. Brayden was the only one in our group that took that challenge and we all took pictures as he plunged under the water. Sharon got a great video. It was fun watching people jump in and come out as fast as they could. The two executive chefs took the plunge complete with Chef’s hats.

I have to admit Ken and I were lazy this afternoon and decided not to take walk on shore. We stayed in the lounge and played cards with Brayden and Pat and watched Silversea reconfigure the observation lounge in about three different ways for the Venetian repeaters party. They really do put a lot of work into these parties. The reports back from the walk confirmed we had not missed much.

Rack of Lamb tonight that was really fantastic. We really enjoyed our dinner this evening.

August 9th, 2010

Morning activity:
Incredible Polar Bear, Glacier and Birds

At about 7.00 am the PA announcement made us aware of a polar bear on an iceberg with a seal kill. We had about 10 minutes to get up on deck to see this wonderful sight. The bear was really quite close to the ship. He was eating the seal and the birds were flocking around for a few scraps. Unfortunately the seal slid off the ice and then the polar bear went into the water and then started swimming to the shore. What a way to start a day.

At about 8.00 am we departed the ship for a zodiac tour of the Monacobreen Glacier that proved to be another wow experience. The water was dead calm, the sun was shining and it was not very cold. We were fortunate to have the expedition leader Robin as our guide. The glacier was large and angled around the bay. There was a cave at one point that was constantly calving in HUGE chunks causing waves and swell. In the zodiac we edged as close as we could safely and saw some of the biggest calving I have ever seen and the appropriate waves and swell. We then stopped at another zodiac where the Captain was serving champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. Gives a new meaning to champagne on ice!!

Then we went over to an area that has thousands of birds that feed in this area due to the food that is churned up from the glacier activity. As we watched another major calving took place and the birds scattered in every direction. A scene out of Alfred Hitchock’s “The Birds”

We looked at a large piece of black ice that has large rocks embedded that had come off the moraine of the glacier where two glaciers met. Plus we got right next to a huge blue iceberg where we could touch it and stand in the zodiac and see how beautiful it was on the surface of the iceberg.

To finish touch to the morning was when a huge piece of blue ice popped up on the surface from below. I never knew this would happen but our guide said this is always a danger as these pieces break off the glacier below the water line and pop up to the surface and there is no way to know when that will happen. Another reason there is a distance that must be kept. As Jim B said – it was like the glacier giving birth.
Afternoon activity
Lunch was a leg of lamb. Can life get any better than this?

We were supposed to visit a trappers hut and do a landing the bears are everywhere this trip This trip has seen 19 bears so far. A large polar bear was between the landing spot and the hut so that made a landing impossible. However, the good news was they also spotted a mother bear and cub and so the plans were changed and a zodiac ride to view the mother and cub was planned.

The wind had picked up and the seas were white capping. It was obvious that it was going to be a wet and bumpy trip. The zodiacs are so stable that you can go in weather that you would not consider in a tender. Four of our group opted to stay on the ship and the ten could not resist the lure of a mother and cub. It took forever for them to load the zodiacs and instead of taking us as soon as we were ready this time we had to wait for our larger zodiac and we were the last to leave. The ride over was wet and big splashes hit us all. It took about 5 – 10 minutes in the choppy seas and spray to reach the polar bears. Then it started to rain lightly.

It looked like one bear sleeping curled up in a ball. We went round and round in circles looking at the bear but it looked like the bear was not going to move. She would raise her head from time to time and then just flop down again. So we decided to head back to the ship and had just started our return when we saw the bear had moved a little and you could see the cub. Quick turn around and we headed back. We were rewarded with the mother rolling on her side with her head up and cub started nursing. The area they were laying had some nice moss and flowers it was a lovely setting. Of course if we had sun, no rain and calm seas it would have been picture perfect. Ken was still able to get some nice shots and I am so ready for him to post some of these pictures as they are worth a thousand words.

August 10, 2010

This morning we were are at Smeerenburg and old whaling station. The plan was to do a landing and visit the remains of this old whaling station. We were in the second group this morning. After the first group landed a bear was sighted in the water that had come on shore and was heading towards the landing site. So everyone quickly headed back into the zodiacs again and abandoned the landing site. Both groups did a zodiac ride to watch the bear. He was laying down and not too exciting just raising his head from time to time. We then did a zodiac tour of the whaling station. This is a stunning area with beautiful mountains that had just received fresh snow. Our zodiac driver was a Marine Biologist and spotted some jelly fish. One was really large with huge long tentacles and this added to the enjoyment of the morning excursion.

The original plan for the afternoon was to visit an area where a whale had washed up on shore that the polar bears were feeding on. This had been written up in earlier logs of the ship so I was enthusiastic about this plan. However the expedition leader came on and said we had seen enough bears already so we were going to head to Magdalena Fjord where people could do a landing and some walking in Arctic. This is an area where there are not a lot of bears. Lots of complaints from the passengers – how can you ever see ENOUGH bears? So off we went and when we arrived in the Fjord – you guessed it immediately they spotted a bear. With a bear spotted no landing was possible. This is a beautiful fjord and everyone enjoyed the scenery while an alternative plan was put in place. YEAH the expedition leader decided to return to the area of the whale carcass and polar bears. So we headed in that direction.

The weather changes so fast. The first group went out and came back saying there was hail and snow and rough water and it was very cold, but they saw four bears and it was worth it. When we went the sea had calmed down the sun was shining, no snow or hail and it was not that cold. We saw two bears, both sprawled out on the rock and sleeping. By the time we headed back the seas had become rough and the wind had picked up. The weather changes in an instant.

I am not sure of the count on the polar bears not but it is in the low twenties.

The contest in cards is heating up, a few of us have been playing hearts and Brayden is streaks ahead of all of the adults. This is one smart kid! Tomorrow is the final chance we have to topple him off his throne. Pam T is winning the pooch battle but Jim B has the highest score at an amazing 140 points.

Only ONE day left how quickly this time has passed

August 11, 2010

This morning we arrived at the July 14th Glacier. This is a spot that we visited last year. The expedition team map out the easiest route (still not easy) to go up to and stand on the glacier an activity many enjoy. If you do not want to do that climb then you can wander around on the shore and see the bird cliffs with many birds, including puffins and hope for a sighting of an arctic fox raiding the birds nests and walk to the base of the glacier. It is a really nice landing the base is small round rocks for the most part with the bigger rocks and boulders closer to the glacier. The conditions were good only a very light wind and an overcast sky with patches of blue. I decided to be lazy and stay on board start on my packing so I would be available today for the final card battles, get this report updated ready to post when we get the internet later today and update my notes on the ship for those planning on coming to Antarctica in 2012 on the Prince Albert 11. It is almost 11.00 am and everyone left at 9.00 am so they are obviously having a wonderful time.

I couldn't stop looking at the birds photo, amazing!!!

Amazing report Ngaire and Anne and fantastic photos as always. Ken I swear you could retire and make a fortune selling your pictures.

Thanks everyone.

Ken, did it again. What fantastic pictures! Thank you for sharing this wonderful trip with us.
Elaine

I can't remember having better seamail than we're getting from you guys AND THE PICTURES.... Extraordinary! Your seamail will sure be missed. Sounds like the trip of a lifetime.

Ralph, in my next lifetime can I come back as your grandson ??

I have loved reading your seamail and Ken's pictures are the icing on the cake! Thanks!

Kathy

Oh I can't believe you have to leave and go home!
It seemed so great. So great!

What are gum boots?

AWESOME pix, Ken. Great reporting Ngaire and Anne. I will miss the ARCTIC seamail! :(

Forget my question. looked it up. dolt.

Such a wondertrip you all had. Cold and wet but full of bears and walruses and youth.

Wow!! Looks like an absolutely amazing trip.

Terrrrrific!! Great moments w/ the bears!

These pictures are absolutely amazing. Ken's pics are always great, but I think these take the cake.

The reports and photos are fantastic....the call of the wild! Wish we were there.

today i spend all day with boppa puddling around the norwegian city of oslo. first we ate breakfast with our new friends Dick and Sharon that live in florida. after that we went to the airport that is right outside our hotel to buy some train tickets to take us to the center of oslo and then back to the airport after we do some other things. once we got our tickets we decide to go get our train that will take us to the center of oslo. this was my first train ride so it was pretty exciting once we started to move alond the track after about ten minutes it went from an exciting first train ride to a boring time sitting down in a seat. after we finally got there we found our way to the tourist information tower and waited about ten mintes until our number was called and went to the person behind the desk to ask our questions and wat not. when we got to the desk we ended up purchasing tickets to the hop on hop off double decker bus to get around the town and the oslo pass wich gets you into all the museums and also some other things and even giving us a discount on the bus tickets and dinner. after that we went to the bus stop to wait for the bus while it was raining cats and dogs by the way but luckily i had my parka from on the prince alber 2 our expedition boat. once the bus got there we got into the bus and went to the top of the two story bus because there werent any seats below and sat down before the bus started moving and once the bus turned water poured into my lap so we decided to just go stand in the bottom floor rather than sit but get soaked. after a while the bus stopped at our stop and we hopped off at the kon-tiki and fram museums. we first went into the kon tiki museum that was about the polynesian islands and then the framm museum which is all about a ship that made expeditions in the arctic and antarctic called the fram and in the museum was the origional fram ship. after those two museums we hopped on the bus again and headed for the next stop on the buses map the viking ship museum. once we were in the the viking ship museum which we used the oslo pass to get in we saw many viking artifacts including wagons weapons boats ores and even sleds. we then left the museum and waited to hop on the bus again to take us to city hall which was not our actual destination but it was near our next destination dinner. we hopped off the bus at cityhall and went to another tourist information center to find out where the restaurant we were looking for was at, it turned out it was right down the street we ate at tgi fridays for our dinner. later after we finished dinner we went to the train station on foot this time instead of on the bus and got on the train back to the airport to get back to the hotel. finally when we got back to the hotel we went up to the room and relax.

Welcome to LCT Brayden! You and Boppa have been having such an amazing trip....I am hoping Boppa will adopt us so we can join you on your next fun trip. I'm so happy you could have such an fabulous cruise, you are a very smart and lucky young man.

Poor Tony Mondae and my sister Marilyn missed the Viking Ship Museum because Joanna and I wanted to get back to the ship......never heard the end of THAT!!
Enjoyed your Oslo report Brayden....I had wet pants on that HOHO bus too :rolleyes:

Hi Brayden! I have to tell you, your posts make me laugh, they are so funny! Keep up the good work!

Hey Brayden, Welcome to LCT. I enjoyed reading your report. You guys have had a wonderful trip. WAY cool that the two of you could do this one together!

With Anne's and Ngaire's posts of the cruise, there isn't much else to add. It was a fantastic journey that we all enjoyed. We debarked the ship, identified our luggage and boarded busses to Spitsbergen town center (about 3 blocks from one end to the other.) The luggage went by separate truck to the airport. We had 2 and a bit hours to explore the town and the Arctic/Polar museum is a gotta do - one of the best in Northern Europe. Princess Ngaire, having been there a few times, volunteered to watch all of our carry on bags so we didn't have to lug them all around. Sandwiches & bacon wrapped hot dogs were consumed for lunch. The busses picked us up and took us to the airport where, unlike Regent efficiency, we waited about 30 minutes for the luggage to arrive. It took the luggage 3 1/2 hours to make the 3 km trip from ship to airport.
The flight to Tromso was uneventful but, since Svalbard is a duty free zone, we had to collect our luggage, clear customs (walk thru "nothing to declare" exit, drop our luggage at check in, go thru security again and reboard quickly. The flight to Oslo was smooth. We all said our goodbyes at baggage claim and Pat & I joined Anne & Gary the take the Airport Express train to Oslo central station. We each walked to our respective hotels and, shortly after, Anne & Gary met us at our hotel and we went for an enjoyable dinner. August is a hot month, usually the only one, so air conditioning is not a feature of the hotels or restaurants. The windows open a bit, but it's not bad later in the evening. As we left to walk back to our hotels we remarked that tonight would be the first darkness we'd seen for 12 days.
As Brayden mentioned, today poured rain. we used a break in the rain to walk to the harbor area for a wonderful Norwegian lunch but had to linger for a couple extra wines until it let up. The sun finally came out around 3:00pm and it was glorious but steamy. For us it was a day to catch up on emails and post photos on Facebook and wind down. We have 3 more days here before heading off for 3 more weeks in Scandinavia. Stops on cruises are far too short so we're going to see the cities for 4 days each.

"Poor Tony Mondae and my sister Marilyn missed the Viking Ship Museum because Joanna and I wanted to get back to the ship......never heard the end of THAT!!" Suzie he is still complaining and last time he talked to Marilyn first thing he brought up!

Brayden thanks so much for your great posts - glad the trip was so wonderful for all - pics are terrific!!

Fantastic reports, Ngaire and Anne. Thanks for "taking us along." And Ken, well, I really don't know what to say about the photos except that you have outdone yourself this time -- and that's saying something! Honestly, your photos are National Geographic quality -- and THAT'S saying something too!

BRAVO! Thanks for the fantastic reports and photos!

YEAH Brayden so glad you posted and nice to see your smiling face, got used to that as he beat us all up at cards. Officially the youngest member of the LCT family.

Wonderful write ups by all. Now, I want to go here too. I love the photos. I really like the one with the birds. Beautiful.

Brayden, great report. You are so lucky to have a grandpa to introduce you to such fun travel.

Ken's pictures are over the top. Leaves me speechless, except to say, "I want to go."