Longyearbyen wasn’t much like an Arctic desert today. Rain was pouring
down when our new passengers entered the ship. The adventure started with a
guided bus trip around Longyearbyen. The community here on 78 degrees north has
only 2000 inhabitants, but it was a lively scene this rainy Thursday. Students
at the university are starting a new semester these days, new roads are being
built, a research station is building new satellite antennae, miners that are
off duty are enjoying their free time, and kids that has been on the mainland
for summer holiday are skating in the city centre.
Onboard the ship everybody was quickly checked in, got the blue
expedition jacket, participated in the mandatory emergency drill and Fram was
ready to set sail for the Russian settlement Barentsburg. Dinner was served on
the 2 hour sail while Captain Rune Andreassen welcomed everybody onboard. For a
week we will all be curious explorers under his command. On the pier in
Barentsburg local guides where waiting for us to give us a tour around their
town and sharing stories from their daily life. It's funny how you just 2 hours
from the multicultural Longyearbyen you can be in Russia. Without presenting
your passport at any border suddenly the population speaks Russian. Both
Longyearbyen and Barentsburg are under Norwegian sovereignty where Norwegian
laws apply.
Our guide explains that the locals never use cash in Barentsburg. They
have their own Barentsburg card which they use for all purchases here. This would
be a great souvenir to bring back home and one of us asks if it is possible to
get this card. With a smile on his face the guide answers that the only way to
get this card is to sign a 2 years contract with the mining company running
this town. After completed a contract they do get 2 months holiday and flights
to Russia for free. According to our guide this is a good place to be and many
of the inhabitants has already been here for 10 years. Many of the building
here have been renovated and look very impressive. One of this is the hotel
where we enjoy some time in the hotel bar, where we are
also offered localy brewed beer.
For the grand finale we are invited to a folklore show in the community
house. The dancing and singing is very impressive and going down the many
stairs back to the ship we are all humming on the song “Welcome to Svalbard. We
are from Russia”.
