CHASING THE TOTAL ECLIPSE IN GREENLAND:
Eclipses have happened since long before recorded history, and because of that, they have always had a place in human mythology. Norse mythology is no different. The word ‘eclipse’ comes from the Greek word for, ‘abandonment.’ For ancient people all over the world, it was a time of extreme anxiety; there was no telling whether or not the sun would return once it vanished from the sky.
For the Norse, this was a potential sign of Ragnarok forthcoming. In the Norse sky await two wolves– Skoll, the One Who Mocks, and Hati, the One Who Hates. These wolves live for the chasing and the hunting of two very important celestial beings: the sun and the moon.
If Skoll or Hati were to ever catch the sun, that would signal the end of the world as we know it. Ragnarok and all of its horrors would begin and humanity would struggle for survival as the gods fought and died.
In a couple of weeks we start this journey to the North, which we have had booked for over a year. Previous eclipse viewing experience has taught us if one wants to go, book early to avoid disappointment.
This trip will start with a flight to Oslo. In Oslo we have a couple days to adjust to the jet lag and enjoy Oslo. I am sure we will go and see the Fram as I never grow tired of seeing that mighty Ice Ship.
We are traveling with HX Expeditions on a special itinerary. We start with a flight to Longyearbyen. We will be staying in Longyearbyen for two nights. While there we will visit some really nice museums and take a fjord cruise. Lynn and I have a few places we want to revisit while there.
Then we board the MS Spitsbergen for the next two weeks. This will be our first time on MS Spitsbergen and we have an Arctic Superior cabin on Deck 6. One feature of the staterooms is a heated floor in the bathrooms. The staterooms/cabins are well appointed with ample storage, sitting area and desk. There is a mini fridge and coffee service.
We have achieved Platinum status on HX which affords us some nice perks. One we will enjoy is we each get free laundry 2 times a week. There is free WIFI and the Expedition Team sets up a WhatsApp group where wildlife sightings are shared. There is also the ability to set your room phone to receive announcements for sightings, this is great for Northern Lights.
To reduce the environmental impact one can hang a card on your stateroom door to decline having your room serviced daily. Availing yourself to this service you earn status points.
The passenger capacity of this ship is 150. She was recently refurbished along with a few of the other HX ships. MS Spitsbergen is one of the smaller HX ships and does not have an upscale restaurant, but there is a bistro. We have always found the dining experience on HX and Hurtigruten excellent.
There is a observation lounge with a nice bar, beverages are included on this sailing. I would guess one day we will have a BBQ. I do hope we have Isbjorn (Ice Bear Beer) from the Mack Brewery in Tromso on tap.
Our Itinerary will start with two days of sailing to Greenland. When we are in Greenland we will be exploring the Eastern Coast looking for Ice Bears, Muskox and many Arctic birds. We will be sailing amongst many icebergs. Making shore landing with the ships Zodiacs and cruising amongst the Ice. Over the next few days we cruise South to Scoresby Sound. It is here we hope to experience the total eclipse. I figure if the weather does not look good for viewing they can move the ship.
While onboard we will be treated to many lectures about wildlife, and many other topics. I know we will have three experts to lecture about the eclipse.
As many of you have noticed, we do enjoy HX Expeditions and are really looking forward to this sailing. From Greenland we set sail for Reykjavik where the cruise ends. We will spend a few nights in Reykjavik visiting many of our favorite places.
I will be trying to do daily Blog Entries as I can as these expedition cruises can be quite active.
So thanks for tagging along and following the blog.
