Reindeers, Polar Bears and Spitsbergen
As I mentioned in the previous blog, I spent part of my summer holidays lecturing on a ship bound for Spitsbergen. If I had actually looked at a map before I got on the ship, I would have never gone (seasickness), but when my Agent phoned with the list of cruises he wanted me to consider, I asked my husband "Baltic" or "Spitsbergen". I was promptly told Spitsbergen!
Fred Olsen's Braemar was amazing. A tiddler of a ship - 20,000 tons - but a really classy lady. I must admit I wasn't sure what to expect as I am so used to travelling on the bigger ships. But Braemar not only lived up to my high standards, she exceeded them. The food was the second best I have ever tasted on a ship (the first being Saga Rose), the accommodation was very comfortable, and the staff made you feel as if you were part of the family.
There were so many highlights to this trip I could go on for hours, but I'll highlight a few:
Liljehook Fjord: Picture it... midnight... 79 degrees North... bright daylight, icebergs floating past, and a magnificently hypnotic glacier in the background. The Captain sent a tender (lifeboat) out to a passing iceberg to collect some ice. The passengers thought the iceberg was about 20ft long. In reality it dwarfed the tender and was about 50ft long and a brilliant blue colour. The best show was when everyone had gone in and at midnight the sky lit up. It was more a break in the clouds rather than the Aurora Borialis, but the light show was spectacular. It was here that last year's passengers saw 3 polar bears.
Reindeers at Honningsvag, North Cape: Suddenly this huge creature was running towards me. The sound of its hooves like a horse, but the huge antlers were a tell tale sign that it was a reindeer. There were actually three of them running around the town like you would normally see cats and dogs in the street. The would run in front of cars and locals would honk wildly at them. The reindeer would dart off. These were wild reindeer, not just for the tourists.
Fred Olsen's Braemar was amazing. A tiddler of a ship - 20,000 tons - but a really classy lady. I must admit I wasn't sure what to expect as I am so used to travelling on the bigger ships. But Braemar not only lived up to my high standards, she exceeded them. The food was the second best I have ever tasted on a ship (the first being Saga Rose), the accommodation was very comfortable, and the staff made you feel as if you were part of the family.
There were so many highlights to this trip I could go on for hours, but I'll highlight a few:
Liljehook Fjord: Picture it... midnight... 79 degrees North... bright daylight, icebergs floating past, and a magnificently hypnotic glacier in the background. The Captain sent a tender (lifeboat) out to a passing iceberg to collect some ice. The passengers thought the iceberg was about 20ft long. In reality it dwarfed the tender and was about 50ft long and a brilliant blue colour. The best show was when everyone had gone in and at midnight the sky lit up. It was more a break in the clouds rather than the Aurora Borialis, but the light show was spectacular. It was here that last year's passengers saw 3 polar bears.
Reindeers at Honningsvag, North Cape: Suddenly this huge creature was running towards me. The sound of its hooves like a horse, but the huge antlers were a tell tale sign that it was a reindeer. There were actually three of them running around the town like you would normally see cats and dogs in the street. The would run in front of cars and locals would honk wildly at them. The reindeer would dart off. These were wild reindeer, not just for the tourists.
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