Let Us Explore Longyearbyen:

 Let Us Explore Longyearbyen:

We are really enjoying this property, it is so KEWL!!

We had dinner last night at Vinterhagen, the greenest restaurant in Longyearbyen. Greenest because it is a green house. Here you find greenery and Arctic Fox, Ice Bear, Musk Ox and all sorts of mining memorabilia. 

                                 Entrance to Vinterhgven 

                       Arctic Stout Stew with Whale Steak 

I ordered a stout beer from the Svalbard Brewery, the northernmost brewery, having had it before, I knew it is very nice. 

We both ordered Arctic Stout Stew from the starter menu. When served, we were told the meat used today was whale. There were potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes in a red sauce. The whale meat was very lean and tender. To me it was like a very high quality of beef. This was served with a good sized piece of garlic bread.  All was above EXCELLENT. 

While it was just a starter we both were stuffed when we finished as the portion for us was perfect. Yes things were a bit on the expensive side but that is to be expected here. 

We are up nice and early as usual having coffee and writing away. There is a coffee service in the hallway. 

I was up a few times last night checking the skies for the Aurora. It really never got totally dark and the skies were overcast and still are. One must remember we are at 78’ degrees North. 

The plan for today is to have breakfast and walk into town and visit some of the museums and Cafe Huskies and the local supermarket. Others have reported the prices not really that high except eggs. The last time we were here was a couple years ago and I thought things were more expensive. 

Our first visit to Longyearbyen was about 10 years ago and I must say things have definitely been built up in the interim. 

Breakfast was very good with so many options. I made a waffle. 

We packed our packs and were soon headed out. Our first stop was the North Pole Expedition Museum. This is an excellent well done museum. I really feel anyone coming to or departing from Longyearbyen should make this a stop. 

The great northern polar expeditions are displayed in a nice informative manner. I very much enjoyed the movies of those expeditions. There is a ship model of the Polaris, it was originally built as a tourist hunting boat to sail out of Longyearbyen. Financial events lead it to be sold to Shackleton who renamed it Endurance. We spent 2.5 hours there, probably more than most. 

 



We then walked to the Svalbard Museum. This museum does a great job of interpreting the history and wildlife of Svalbard.  I believe it should be a mandatory stop for anyone visiting the area. 

We then made a stop at Cafe Huskies for a drink, I had an iced tea and Lynn had a Chai Tea Latte. At Cafe Huskies there are usually a couple huskies hanging out demanding attention.

 

             There were three pieces of fish before the photo 

 

 

Barentz Gastropub was next on the agenda for lunch. It is located on the Radisson Blu Hotel. One reason for going there was next July we will be cruising with Hurtigruten to see the total eclipse. The eclipse journey will take us from Oslo to Longyearbyen where we will spend two nights as part of the cruise. Hurtigruten does not own the Radisson Blu here in Longyearbyen but they operate it. So we are guessing this is where we will be staying in 2026.

 

For lunch we split the fish and chips as the portion was very ample. While the batter was a bit on the heavy side it was still very good. 

As we left the Barentz Gastropub, the rain had started as forecast.

 

 Having had a very ample lunch we opted for a light dinner back at the Maryann’s Polar Rigg. 

Making a stop at Svalbardbutikken, we bought a sandwich and some pastry to have later as our evening meal. 

We are now back in our room, warm and dry and preparing for our flight tomorrow. 



 

Arrival in Longyearbyen:

 Arrival in Longyearbyen: 

 

Longyearbyen’s enterprising spirit has seen the town through many changes. Whalers first fished its icy shores in the early-17th century, and, in 1896, Hurtigruten (then Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab) brought tourists to visit Svalbard. The founder of Hurtigruten, Captain Richard With, even shipped an entire hotel here to house the visitors who were as curious then as we are now about a land so far north.

 
It wasn’t until 1898 that two families spent the whole winter here. A year later, the first commercially viable coal was mined and coal mining began in earnest in 1901. The industry transformed Longyearbyen into a bustling company town, and moulded other mining towns such as the now-abandoned Pyramiden, to the northeast.

 
During World War II, German forces scorched the earth of Longyearbyen, leaving only four buildings standing. Post-war rebuilding and the migration of mining outside city limits in the 1990s paved the way for modern industries like tourism, Arctic exploration and climate research.
Today, Longyearbyen is the world’s northernmost settlement with a population over 1,000. The Midnight Sun, stark beauty and unique wildlife that surround it draw people from all over the world; it helps that citizens of countries that signed the Svalbard Treaty can live and work in the archipelago indefinitely.
As a result, Longyearbyen is very multicultural, and a hub for scientists, adventurers and tourists. Film crews have even used it as a base for blockbusters like Mission: Impossible 8. The iconic Global Seed Vault is perched on a hill overlooking the town, plays a vital role in preserving the planet’s biodiversity.

Yesterday was a sea day where we relaxed and packed for our disembarkation. There was an excellent lecture on the Norwegian Polar Explorers. The weather yesterday was overcast foggy and a bit misty. 

0500 off to morning coffee and get caught up on the world. Yesterday we did get 99% packed up with just a few items to stow away. We will need to be out of our room by 1000. There will be a place to store our hand luggage till we disembark at 1400. 

We have opted for a taxi to get us to Maryann’s Polar Rigg, our hotel for 2 nights. The roads in Longyearbyen are not roller bag friendly at all.

 FYI there are 4 taxis in Longyearbyen and even arranging ahead can be unpredictable. We will see how this goes. Bet they are on Northern Norway Island Time. 

                                Excellent cream of wheat

After breakfast we finished packing and had our bags out ready to be picked up, and our hand luggage stored. 

We went to deck 9 and enjoyed our scenic cruising the Billefjorden past Pyramiden (an abandoned Russian coal  mining town) to the Adolfbuta Glacier. There were two white specks in the distance that were yes Ice Bears, but way way way too to far off. 

 

 
We soon docked after lunch and we said farewell to our new friends / table mates. I am sure our paths will cross again. 

 

 
We then gathered our hand luggage and disembarked the MS Trollfijord to await for our taxi. At 1400 our pickup time we learned the taxi had no record of our reservation. No worries as another driver said he would take us. 

 
We arrived at Maryann’s Polar Rigg AND THIS PLACE IS GREAT. The theme of the property is that of a coal mining workers lodging. Well it actually was just such. There is a library and a game room. This is one larger communal room that is warm and inviting. 

 

 

 
One House Rule is you remove your shoes when you enter the buildings. This tradition dates back to the coal mining days, where the miners would remove their dirty boots before coming into the lodging. 

 
We have a double room with en suite bath and it is cozy as you can see. 

 
We did some basic unpacking and went to the library to settle into this lifestyle. I really like this place. Cozy, Funky, eclectic, historical all rolled into one. 



We arranged for a taxi to take us to the airport when we depart. We made a dining reservation for 1800 tonight. We find it overkill to have house keeping for such a short stay so advised the front desk that we did not require this service for just two nights. 

I will report on dinner and breakfast tomorrow morn. Now I plan on sitting and enjoying a coffee and soaking in the ambiance.