Cruise day 6

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Today was not a hugely successful day. A couple of landings weren’t possible due to weather; we ended up visiting the rather grandiosely named “Ny-London” (new London).

In 1920 or thereabouts, some English miners/explorers discovered the most beautiful marble in the world – and lots of it. So they set up a mine at great expense, train tracks, conveyers, even a modest town square. Little did they know that the marble was inherently faulty because of the repeated exposure to freeze and thaw, which had cracked the marbles’ internal structure, so once it got to a warmer climate, it dissolved into powder.

The mine was abandoned fairly quickly, most of the equipment went across the fjord to Ny-Alesund (a coal mine up until the seventies). Leaving a few rusty bits of equipment to gradually disintegrate in the harsh winter.

There are a couple of huts used by the sysselmen (the local governer’s) rangers who ensure that the Norwegian “rules” about tourism are being followed. Most boats do the right thing as part of the industry code of conduct group; some don’t. We did see a reindeer. They do a remarkable job of staying camouflaged and distant, so no photos. But it was there!

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