LONGYEARBYEN

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LONGYEARBYEN (LONG YEAR BIN)
Named for American mine owner John M. Longyear this will be our last stop in the Svalbard and its largest island Spisbergen. As we came into port, machinery of the coal mining operation was clearly visible; a cable and bucket system takes the coal from wherever to the port. There are1,800 inhabitants here and it is home to the Governor of Svalbard and is the administrative center for this isolated group of islands. Longyearbyen has an arctic tundra climate and yes THERE BE BEARS HERE.

Two days ago a party for Swedish researchers were about four miles north of here when they were attacked by a polar bear. The alternative story is that there is a children’s camp nearby and that is where the attack happened. Despite being armed, one of the people was mauled to death and three others were seriously injured. All the locals go about armed and the passengers were warned to STAY IN TOWN!
While in town I hope to pick up some Norwegian Krone. The weather is back to grey skies and a brisk breeze so I will dress warmly. We only have a few hours here so I’ll have to move along. I was so pleased that for the first part of my trip my knee behaved. Yesterday it decided to make up for it. Hoping that today will be better and I’ll take a couple of Aleve before I go ashore.
Writer’s note: I am writing whenever I get a few minutes so please ignore the tenses. I am, I was, I will.
I enjoyed my stroll through Longyearbyen. It is Sunday morning but most of the stores opened their doors to us including the supermarket and the mall. There is WIFI hear. Wish I had brought the Mac ashore. A couple from Australia was Skyping their grandchildren at home. I stopped for a smoothie and wandered in and out of the stores. That’s where I met Knute. He was tired of the snow and cold and wanted to get warm so I bought him and introduced him to Mortimer and Freddy. Now Mort and Fred have been good boys but they have exhausted their subjects of conversation. Now that Knute the bear is here they are chattering away. At one store I found THE SIGN!

“All the polar bears inside the store are dead. Please check your weapons with the staff.”

There use to be a similar sign at the Radisson Hotel but management made them take it down. No sense of humor. I discovered a small field of cotton flowers along a tiny stream. That and moss is the only vegetation around. I wish it were a weekday so I could see something of the mining operation but today all is quiet.
Longyearbyen secret: Up here in the tundra there is a facility that continues to collect all varieties of commercial seeds just in case the human race is stupid enough to blow itself up. They are stored underground in temperature and humidity controlled tunnels. Only employees are allowed in and that includes former President Carter. The theory is that the survivors, if any, would be able to grow crops again, assuming the soil was fertile and anyone alive remembered where the seed is stored and had means to get here.
The harbor has many different vessels and boats, sailboats, the Expedition, a small container boat and an icebreaker. There is a sailboat in dry dock right outside my window. On the bow is an exercise bike. We left Longyearbyen, Spisbergen, Svalbard, Norway and are now heading to mainland Norway that should take us 2 ½ days. The volcanic peaks of stark but beautiful, the caldera filled with snow, looking for all the world like a half a coconut, and glaciers flowing to the water. Sea birds are circling the ship, looking for fish churned up in our wake.

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