The Svalbard Islands

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The islands are located in the Arctic Ocean half way between Norway and the North Pole. The first place we visited was Svalbard's Southern region and were at anchor off Gashamna in the morning and Gnalodden in the afternoon. It is a rocky place with a few glaciers and tiny plants. Zodiacs took us to the "beach" for a bit of a wet landing but we all have sturdy waterproof boots and all the right gear for the cold. However after a hike along the seashore and then up a hill mostly of scree or moraine we were all hot. We saw several birds both dead and alive and the remains of an old whaling station from 18C. Nice views from the top and fair weather.

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