[Worldtrippers home] [2025 Crystal-Viking]
We have arrived at the northernmost point of our current cruise contract. In fact, we have arrived at the northernmost point we ever travel to.
Svalbard is an archipelago that lies between the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. It is about halfway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole.
Longyearbyen is a town on the archipelago’s largest island of Spitsbergen. Longyearbyen is at 78°13′ N latitude, about 800 miles south of the North Pole. The name “Longyearbyen” has nothing to do with the midnight sun or polar night. It is named after John Munro Longyear, an American who established the town in 1906.
Despite its remote location, we have visited Longyearbyen many times before. In fact, Gail believes we have done more excursions here than in any other port. One of our favorite memories is cruising here in 2023 with our two sons. We took an excursion up to a glacier, where we hunted for fossils.
This year we are in Longyearbyen overnight. May 29 was a bank holiday. Russell walked 20 minutes into town, while Gail stayed aboard ship.
On May 30, we took a non-Viking excursion arranged by our friends Deb and Jack. “A Day in the Life of a Miner” is also offered by Viking, but we booked it privately.
Longyearbyen is the site of seven interconnected coal mines. The last coal mine is due to close next month, which will greatly change this town of only 1,000 residents. In the meantime, Mine No. 3 is open for tours. Mine No. 3 opened in 1971 and closed in 1996. When it closed, workers simply walked out and left everything behind. As a result, the mine remains a time capsule of what mining life was like.
As Gail kept saying over and over, “What a miserable life.” Men and women aged 18 and older worked long days in complete darkness. Diggers went into coal seams in spaces no more than 60 cm (24 inches) high. Cutters used large saws to cut out strips of coal.
Worst of all, Jack Setters were responsible for moving the jacks that kept the mountain overhead from collapsing. They would remove jacks one by one, pausing to listen. When the mountain started to groan, they had seconds to get out of the way before the passage collapsed.
We spent a good hour underground, walking through the original railroad tunnels and tight spaces. It was one of the most memorable, educational and sobering excursions we have ever taken.
After departing Longyearbyen, we will sail back south out of the Arctic Circle. We will have two days at sea before arriving in Iceland, the final destination for this two-week itinerary.
