Svalbard

Oct 25, 2025

Friday was a long day of travel. Little sleep on the first flights. Grant and I flew a red eye to Manhattan, where we met our friend Chris. We got a breakfast of noodles in Chinatown and had some noon beers at McSorley’s, a historic bar that was covered in sawdust and didn’t admit women until 1970. Their menu had two choices: “dark beer” or “light beer.” An Australian bartender served our three pints in six glass mugs, which he plunked down on the oak table in a single fist. In the afternoon, we flew to Oslo, and then up to Longyearbyen, arriving at noon Friday.

We’ve come to Svalbard just before the sun rises above the horizon for the last time until spring. Around then Svalbard has a blues festival, with bands playing at several places throughout the city. Friday evening we went to one in the Svalbard Brewery. The tap room was cozy. We showed up halfway through, and had to cram next to other tourists from Norway and Hungary. Afterwards we went to dinner nearby, where we ate reindeer, whale, and seal. I think I prefer chicken.

Oct 26, 2025

Saturday we got up early for a boat tour. At the “base camp” we donned heavy overalls, extra socks, boots, mittens, balaclavas, and goggles—practically space suits. We mounted saddle-style seats on a small 24-ft boat and rode an hour across the bay over choppy waves. At the other end we navigated small ice bergs, right up to the edge of a glacier. The tall cliffs of ice rose out of the sea, and you could see strata of denser, older blue-green and newer white. The ice popped as air bubbles in it broke free. At one point, a big chunk broke off and crashed into the sea, sounding like thunder. On the way back, we could almost see the sun over the mountains in the distance. So close to polar winter, the sun transitions seamlessly from sunrise to sunset, which lasts hours.

After lunch, we tried to go to our second blues concert, which was in an abandoned coal mine. Five of us drove past the global seed vault to a remote mine entrance, but it seemed empty. We explored inside, where we found backpacks, but we couldn’t find the concert.

Later that night, Grant, his brother Alex, and I went to a couple bars in town. We stumbled upon a hot dog stand in the main square, where a local nicknamed Goo convinced us to get the baked potatoes instead.

Oct 27, 2025

Sunday morning we went to a little sauna that floated next to a dock in the bay. We sat in the 160° steam until we couldn’t bear it, then plunged into the icy water outside. The cold shock is more refreshing than it sounds, and your skin tingles afterwards. After breakfast, everyone napped while I did some shopping.

Sunday night we went to see the final show of the blues festival at a bar called Kroa. It seemed like the whole town was crammed into the bar. Several bands performed different blues and rock covers. At one point, I was sitting next to one of the guitarists and his friend. As I was telling him how much I liked his set, I accidentally knocked his friend’s beer into her lap. I quickly grabbed some napkins for her, and Mike (Grant’s dad) gave her a beer meant for Grant. They were polite about it, but I saw her later wearing different pants. Another guitarist was from Nashville. His first time in Svalbard was in 2022, when he flew in last minute to replace a musician who had a heart attack.

After the show, Alex, Grant, and I played cards at the house. Late in the night we took a trip outside, a little ways away from the house where there were fewer lights. We laid back on the hill in the snow, and could see wisps of light lacing the sky. The aurora looks much more vibrant in photos, but seeing it scattered above the mountains was magical.

Oct 28, 2025

Monday was a rest day. I got up earliest, at 1 PM, and walked into town for coffee. When everyone was finally up, we went to the Svalbard Museum. The museum is in a beautiful, cavernous building. It’s full of taxidermy animals of the local fauna. I especially liked the original Dutch map by Svalbard’s discoverer, Barentsz, with its exotic names and sea monsters. In the evening we went to the Thai restaurant, a recommendation of Goo. Then some TV, and an early bedtime.

I feel like I keep taking photos of the same things, but the views are intoxicating and demand some kind of witness. The changes of the season are evident. The ice in the bay is gradually freezing; you notice its sluggish waves creep closer and closer to the sea. It’s so cold and remote here at the end of the earth that even when the wind is biting at your cheeks, you’re thankful to experience it at all.

Oct 29, 2025

On Tuesday, we went on an ATV tour outside the town. The polar bear sign marks the boundary past which groups are required to carry a gun for safety. We rode through the valley southeast to Mine 7, the last operational coal mine which closed this summer. Longyearbyen is now powered by six diesel generators. On the way back we stopped at a sled dog kennel, where we got to pet Alaskan huskies and drink hot cocoa. One of the dogs broke free and ran across the camp, causing howls and cheers from his comrades. The puppy kennel was a favorite.

In the evening we had a fancy ten-course dinner at Huset. It featured reindeer meat, which in one course was served in cured pieces on an antler. My favorite course was a scallop in sea urchin sauce. After dinner, the sommelier gave us a tour of the historic postwar building. It was a social center and a bridge between the coal miners and their managers. In the basement we saw the wine cellar filled with exotic wines, some as old as the 1800s.

Oct 30, 2025

Wednesday morning we galvanized to clean the Airbnb for our departure. I didn’t get much sleep the night before. Then another arduous day of travel. Our layover in Oslo was longer than last time, and we got to see more of the beautiful airport. I fell asleep on a bench in the food court. When we got to Copenhagen, there was some confusion about how to take the train to the hotel, and we schlepped our luggage from track 2 to track 1, then back to track 2. While we waited for the train, I slept on the platform. We stuffed into the train for three stops, then walked to the hotel nearby. Copenhagen is rainy and not too cold right now, which feels like Seattle.

The Browns are staying in a nice hotel, but I opted for a hostel nearby. It feels more like traveling to me when I’m scraping by a little. After I checked in and had a shower, Grant and I fetched some Japanese takeout and had a drink at a nearby bar. We made it an early night. I fell asleep next to the sound of a snoring chainsaw.

Oct 31, 2025

Thursday morning we explored the meatpacking district in the rain. I bought an umbrella. Then we went to the Rosenborg Castle, which was full of renaissance odds and ends of the old danish kings. One little room was covered floor, walls, and ceiling with dark mirrors. It felt ghostly. In the basement we saw the treasure room.

In the evening, Grant and I found a couple bars. Carlsburg is the PBR of Scandinavia: “probably the best beer in the world,” the bottle says. Alex and Chase joined us for cocktails, then a local bar called Spunk, where you can smoke inside. The bartender fixed us some of her homemade licorice shots, which were served in test tubes.

Nov 1, 2025

Friday was our last day in Denmark. Most of the Browns do a canal tour, but I prefer to explore cites by just walking around. Copenhagen feels like the perfect city. There are more bikes than cars. Everyone is happy to speak English, and people seem genuinely nice. In the evening, Alex, Grant, and I went to a couple of nightclubs. The last one featured a DJ I like, but tickets were sold out. Alex used some of his magic charm to find leftovers in the crowd outside. At the end of the night, we took a pedicab home.