THANKSGIVING IN SVALBARD

Longyearbyen on the way back from the airport lighting up the low cloud and surrounding mountains.

Thanksgiving week started out with a reason for being thankful.  Anders arrived safely back from Tromsø from his football tournament.  His team won one of four games, but that didn’t seem to bother him.  He had a great time with friends and enjoyed his first solo experience away from parents and his big brother.  We had given him 500 kroner (about US$100) for a meal and just in case money and Anders ended up spending it on candy!  We will have to work on that for his next trip. 

A Rock Ptarmigan walks by our apartment. Its feathered feet and sharp claws help it walk through the snow.

Picture of the week: Reindeer feeds in the center of Longyearbyen in front of historic coal transport tower.

Tuesday I was able to get the boat in again and conduct another REMUS run.  There was a moment in the mission where the vehicle called back with problems and then missed the next call in, so I was biting my nails a bit.  But it all worked out well and the recovery went well.  The temperature outside was 4C (positive degrees) with no wind, so it was nice being on the water.  The weather, however, is hard for the airport runway as the ice melts and becomes very slippery.  About 2 hours after the REMUS recovery, the plane evidently had a pretty hard landing and then proceeded to slip sideways down the runway.  It luckily stayed on the runway, but the passengers were a bit shook up.  On the REMUS front, I also got my other REMUS in this week.  The arriving one will take the place of the current vehicle as it is fitted with a nighttime bioluminescence sensor.  I wanted to bring this vehicle up in the first place, but it was in the shop for a leak that occurred in Antarctica in January.   The other will be shipped to Trondheim for a cruise and then back to the States to get ready for another mission in Palau in March.  These things get around!

Second REMUS arrives.

Thanksgiving dinner at Kroa.

We decided to postpone the traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner until next week when friends are coming up from Trondheim.  Instead, we invited our neighbor and my colleague, Jørgen whose plane was delayed, and went out to dinner at Kroa, a local restaurant.  It was a great relaxing night and the boys seem to enjoy it.  Food was good and it was nice to have a Thanksgiving where I did not feel like I had to lie down on the couch after gorging myself.

Jason and Nicole shop in the COOP, the only grocery store in Longyearbyen.

Jason pushing the expensive cargo home.

A view of Longyearbyen from behind Huset (foreground).

The week progressively got colder and we are now hovering around -20C and still no wind, which makes all the difference.  The boys have been sledding for the first time in front of the apartment and really enjoying it.  Yesterday we spent a few hours downtown as it was the Christmas sale in most of the shops and a local ‘market’ where people set out their wares for sale.  Three of my high school basketball players are pretty good amateur photographers, and I ended up buying a print.  After looking at some of the shops, the boys headed to friends and Nicole and I spent some quiet time at the art gallery.  Afterwards, we drove around town and I took some photographs, which is getting harder with no light!

Only a hint of light remaining up the valley at noon.