Italian
Inaccessible except by sea, Barensburg is home to about 500 people, all coal miners from Russia and Ukraine, along with their families. There is a school with walls decorated with large drawings of walruses and whales, and not far away, a particularly significant inscription carved on a boulder…” There is the toil of the miner in the quiet of the people and in the bodies of the space missiles, miner with your aching hand, you gift everyone with light and warmth.” A tribute and a loving acknowledgment to the miners, their toil, and their hard work. The concrete houses as well as the only hotel are squared in accordance with the Russian rationalist style. There is also a large statue dedicated to Lenin. It feels like a ghost town. There is no one in the streets. Here, time seems to have stopped!
Let’s continue our journey heading further north, to the Magdalena Fjord. Willem Barents[1] was the first, in 1586, to explore this fjord which he named “bay of tusks” because he found several walrus tusks on the beach.
We land on the shore aboard inflatable boats with an armed guide because it’s easy to encounter polar bears, which are quite common in these parts and sometimes aggressive. A walk among the ice, clearings, endless spaces with Arctic terns that, to protect their nests hidden somewhere, soar high in the sky only to dive towards our heads… they come within a few centimeters before rising again and repeating the attack. It’s a clear signal… we need to change direction!
Sailing with the North Star is fascinating. A boat that lets you experience the sea up close, listening to the lapping of the waves against the hull. The cabins are very small, basic but cozy. The porthole, right by my bed, allows me to look outside. I deliberately avoid closing it to observe nature even while I indulge in a few hours of rest. But I find it hard to relax! From the porthole, I see small icebergs, or some glaciers, and every now and then I rush out onto the deck. The landscape surrounding us is unspoiled and of rare beauty! Ice slabs of bizarre shapes float in the sea.
The further north we navigate, the more the glaciers intensify, growing larger and more imposing.
Here is Smeerenburg, literally “the city of whale fat,” where two centuries ago whalers processed whale fat on the beaches near a large glacier. The remains of what was once a whaling village are located in the large bay, right next to the glacier. We navigate very slowly among a myriad of ice pieces. The sea is particularly calm, and the peaks of the surrounding mountains reflect on the water. With the inflatable boats on board, we reach the front of the glacier.
We stop with the engine off, without speaking to listen to the extraordinary sound produced by the ice moving around us and the water. An extraordinary music.
I observe the expanse of ice that seems endless. A desert of ice that moves the strings of the soul as the explorer Léonie D’Aunet wrote in her book: “Beyond Cape North. A Woman’s Journey to Spitsbergen-1855”. “…I liked at certain moments to be alone in the midst of nature; I was then overwhelmed by that deep religious feeling that pervades man when faced with the immensity.
All deserts have their own poetry: deserts of sand, deserts of ice, it is always about the infinite, about solitude, and no voice speaks to the soul in a more moving language…”
Once back at sea, a pod of belugas accompanies us, moving towards the bow but unfortunately without letting us get close.
Around midnight, I observe the sun surrounded by a halo of light that is rare to see.
Upon reaching Bockfjorden, we disembark with the inflatable boats accompanied by the inevitable armed guides. We reach a hot spring not far from which there are large bushes that, thanks to the water temperature around 30 degrees, bloom for a few months each year.
An arctic fox runs not far from us. It stops for a few seconds to observe us and then continues towards the shore in search of some crustaceans.
Resuming the journey north, still close to the coast the ship slows down heading towards land, then stops: in front of us two polar bears are searching for food. They are majestic. They run, walk, stand on two legs, offering us a true spectacle!
Sea, more sea, and in the distance here is Moffen Island, the 80th parallel! A simple strip of land in the heart of the Arctic Ocean, at the edge of the world. A herd of walruses is lounging on the island, which has become a protected refuge for these animals. Despite the space, they are literally piled on top of each other. You cannot get close because the area is protected, but binoculars help to admire these magnificent animals. Not far from here, another 10 degrees north, begins the vast white expanse of the polar ice. And here we stop. Tradition dictates that upon reaching this latitude, we must toast. The captain appears at the bow with a large bottle of sparkling wine, and in a joyful atmosphere, we all toast to the North Pole!
This time the Polar Star heads south to reach Ny-Ålesund, Amundsen’s base[1] for his polar explorations and the departure point of the Italia airship commanded by Umberto Nobile, which first reached the North Pole on May 24, 1928[2].
The village of Ny-Ålesund was also established in 1917 for coal mining, but today it hosts scientific bases from various countries around the world, including the “Arctic Base Dirigible Italia.” Just after leaving Ny-Ålesund, we encounter a new glacier, and on a peak of land by the shore, a large white bear watches us curiously before continuing on its way, who knows where!
We leave the ice and I try to process the many emotions experienced. As always, it will take time for all the memories and experiences to find their rightful place.
In the distance, I recognize Longyearbyen, the journey is coming to an end.
The experience has been remarkable, in a world I didn’t know, also fantastic like all the ones I have been lucky enough to visit. It feels like I have lived one long day… because the light is always strong, uninterrupted. And it will be like this for the next four months. Certainly a beautiful and exciting environment but, frankly, I want to go back to see the stars!
[1] Dutch explorer (Friesland mid 16th century – Arctic Sea 1597). He made a first voyage in the Arctic seas reaching 77º N latitude (Novaya Zemlya, 1594), a second to the Kara Strait (1595), and then a third touching Bear Island, the Spitsbergen islands, and the cape called Maurice in Novaya Zemlya (1596). Forced to winter at 76º N latitude and then leave the ship trapped in the ice, he died during the return journey. Source: https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/willem-barents/#:~:text=Dutch%20explorer%20(Friesland,return%20journey.
[2] Amundsen, Roald Engelbert. Norwegian polar explorer (Borge 1872 – near the Svalbard islands 1928); he participated in the Antarctic expedition of De Gerlache (1897-99) and then, over three years (1903-1906), with a small ship, the Gjöa, he navigated through the Northwest Passage, from Baffin Bay to the Bering Strait. The journey was rich in scientific results; among other things, the position of the magnetic north pole was determined. He departed with the ship Fram (which had belonged to F. Nansen) towards Antarctica (1911) and pushed as far as the Ross Ice Shelf, continuing with five men; on December 14, 1911, he reached the South Pole and stayed there for two days; he returned to his companions on the Fram on January 12, 1912. After World War I, A. resumed the old project of an Arctic expedition that aimed to drift with the ice towards the North Pole, but the attempt was not fully successful and the expedition was limited to retracing the Northeast Passage (1918-20). He then attempted to reach the Arctic Pole from King Bay with two airplanes (1925), but weather conditions forced him to turn back. He then conceived a polar flight using a dirigible, which he accomplished with the Norge, commanded by Umberto Nobile, in 71 hours of flight from King Bay to Alaska (1926). In 1928, upon receiving news of the disaster of the aircraft Italia led by Nobile, Amundsen immediately boarded a French rescue plane, but, departing from Tromsö on June 18, he disappeared in the Arctic. Source: https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/roald-engelbert-amundsen
[3] The Airship “…Italia departed for the North Pole on May 23 1928. The geographical limit was reached at 00:24 on May 24, 1928; from the vertical of the point, a cross blessed by Pius XI and a flag of Italy were launched. The airship could not land as planned due to adverse weather conditions and after two hours above the pole began the return journey… With the journey almost completely finished, almost in sight of the Svalbard Islands, the airship Italia crashed onto the ice for reasons never fully determined. The cockpit remained stuck in the ice with ten men … and Titina, the general’s dog, while the rest of the airship …, made lighter, regained altitude carrying with it other crew members destined to disappear forever…. The survivors, fortunately, found themselves surrounded by materials fallen from the impact or heroically thrown by Arduino (Ettore Arduino) from the aircraft, including food, a radio and the famous Red Tent (which was actually silver, colored red with aniline, a substance used for altimetric measurements), within which they adapted to live for seven weeks. Fortunately, a radio amateur managed to pick up a distress signal from the survivors and a large international polar rescue expedition was launched, until a seaplane piloted by Umberto Maddalena sighted the Red Tent. Just under a month after the incident, Nobile was the first survivor to be rescued by a small Swedish plane commanded by Swedish lieutenant Lundborg. When the pilot returned to pick up the others, he himself crashed, becoming trapped in the ice. In total, eight crew members of the Italia perished; Amundsen himself died, disappearing forever, while flying over those icy islands to participate in the search for the missing. Only on July 12 1928 did the Soviet icebreaker Krassin reach the other survivors and rescue them.” Source: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umberto_Nobile
It is 9 PM when the plane lands in Longyearbyen, the capital of the Svalbard Islands, but the light is that of full day!
Islands in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, halfway between Norway and the North Pole, and at these latitudes, during the summer season, night gives way to a long day lasting over four months.
Longyearbyen is the port from which I will embark on a small ship to reach the 80th parallel. The village, with just over 2000 inhabitants, was founded in 1906 at the behest of John Longyear, owner of the Arctic Coal Company, who was interested in this part of the world because it is rich in coal.
The houses are very colorful, mainly made of wood, built on stilts and elevated from the ground, as well as the pipes, to cope with the phenomenon of permafrost, the always-frozen ground that changes and shifts with the changing seasons on the surface.
Not far from the village, I reach the old structures of the coal mines that were an important resource. The hills around the town are all excavated!
The mining activity ceased only a few years ago, but as I walk among the large wooden towers and the cable cars, I think about how hard life must have been for the miners who worked in truly difficult conditions and with an inclement climate! It feels like walking through a museum! The low temperatures have kept the structures intact. The transport carts of the long cable car are moved by the wind that never stops blowing. The inhabitants are always armed during their travels… it’s easy to encounter a polar bear!
I see a wooden church with sloping roofs and a bell tower but without a cross. I enter for a visit and discover it is a church “for all religions,” so for all believers of different faiths. I think it’s a beautiful thing that in such a remote place among the ice there is a place of worship for everyone! I look at the clock, it’s midnight… I witness for the first time in my life the surreal atmosphere of the midnight sun!
The following day I visit the World Seed Bank. Inside a mountain, what could be defined as a bunker proof against nuclear wars and natural disasters has been built, housing more than a million seeds from all over the world.
In the early afternoon, I board the Nordstjernen or Stella Polare, a legendary vessel that was originally a mail ship, with a charming “old-fashioned” appeal featuring wooden-paneled lounges and small cabins with bunk beds. At the bow, two inflatable boats are secured, which will be used for shore excursions. We are headed to Moffen Island, at the 80th parallel, just beyond which the polar ice begins.
We are a small group of travelers all driven by a great passion for nature, the unspoiled kind, the one that touches the strings of our feelings, that amazes and every time fuels the desire to not leave it, to seek other places on our wonderful planet Earth that, even if different, convey the same strong emotions.
We set sail heading north. It’s cold, but I’m well equipped and I sit outside savoring the fresh and fragrant air where arctic seagulls soar. We sail along mountains with jagged cliffs plunging into the sea.
The first stop is Barensburg, a mining village that was Dutch and then ceded to the Russians in the 1940s, where coal extraction still continues today. Barensburg, a place out of this world that fascinates me. As soon as I disembark, right next to what used to be the post office, a lovely little wooden house painted green, a sign prepares me for the dreams I will have after seeing these places… “Wherever you go now, at the dawn of every spring, you will dream of polar roads, seeing dreams among the snow.” I have no doubt about it!
Inaccessible except by sea, Barensburg is home to about 500 people, all coal miners from Russia and Ukraine, along with their families. There is a school with walls decorated with large drawings of walruses and whales, and not far away, a particularly significant inscription carved on a boulder…” There is the toil of the miner in the quiet of the people and in the bodies of the space missiles, miner with your aching hand, you gift everyone with light and warmth.” A tribute and a loving acknowledgment to the miners, their toil, and their hard work. The concrete houses as well as the only hotel are squared in accordance with the Russian rationalist style. There is also a large statue dedicated to Lenin. It feels like a ghost town. There is no one in the streets. Here, time seems to have stopped!
Let’s continue our journey heading further north, to the Magdalena Fjord. Willem Barents[1] was the first, in 1586, to explore this fjord which he named “bay of tusks” because he found several walrus tusks on the beach.
We land on the shore aboard inflatable boats with an armed guide because it’s easy to encounter polar bears, which are quite common in these parts and sometimes aggressive. A walk among the ice, clearings, endless spaces with Arctic terns that, to protect their nests hidden somewhere, soar high in the sky only to dive towards our heads… they come within a few centimeters before rising again and repeating the attack. It’s a clear signal… we need to change direction!
Sailing with the North Star is fascinating. A boat that lets you experience the sea up close, listening to the lapping of the waves against the hull. The cabins are very small, basic but cozy. The porthole, right by my bed, allows me to look outside. I deliberately avoid closing it to observe nature even while I indulge in a few hours of rest. But I find it hard to relax! From the porthole, I see small icebergs, or some glaciers, and every now and then I rush out onto the deck. The landscape surrounding us is unspoiled and of rare beauty! Ice slabs of bizarre shapes float in the sea.
The further north we navigate, the more the glaciers intensify, growing larger and more imposing.
Here is Smeerenburg, literally “the city of whale fat,” where two centuries ago whalers processed whale fat on the beaches near a large glacier. The remains of what was once a whaling village are located in the large bay, right next to the glacier. We navigate very slowly among a myriad of ice pieces. The sea is particularly calm, and the peaks of the surrounding mountains reflect on the water. With the inflatable boats on board, we reach the front of the glacier.
We stop with the engine off, without speaking to listen to the extraordinary sound produced by the ice moving around us and the water. An extraordinary music.
I observe the expanse of ice that seems endless. A desert of ice that moves the strings of the soul as the explorer Léonie D’Aunet wrote in her book: “Beyond Cape North. A Woman’s Journey to Spitsbergen-1855”. “…I liked at certain moments to be alone in the midst of nature; I was then overwhelmed by that deep religious feeling that pervades man when faced with the immensity.
All deserts have their own poetry: deserts of sand, deserts of ice, it is always about the infinite, about solitude, and no voice speaks to the soul in a more moving language…”
Once back at sea, a pod of belugas accompanies us, moving towards the bow but unfortunately without letting us get close.
Around midnight, I observe the sun surrounded by a halo of light that is rare to see.
Upon reaching Bockfjorden, we disembark with the inflatable boats accompanied by the inevitable armed guides. We reach a hot spring not far from which there are large bushes that, thanks to the water temperature around 30 degrees, bloom for a few months each year.
An arctic fox runs not far from us. It stops for a few seconds to observe us and then continues towards the shore in search of some crustaceans.
Resuming the journey north, still close to the coast the ship slows down heading towards land, then stops: in front of us two polar bears are searching for food. They are majestic. They run, walk, stand on two legs, offering us a true spectacle!
Sea, more sea, and in the distance here is Moffen Island, the 80th parallel! A simple strip of land in the heart of the Arctic Ocean, at the edge of the world. A herd of walruses is lounging on the island, which has become a protected refuge for these animals. Despite the space, they are literally piled on top of each other. You cannot get close because the area is protected, but binoculars help to admire these magnificent animals. Not far from here, another 10 degrees north, begins the vast white expanse of the polar ice. And here we stop. Tradition dictates that upon reaching this latitude, we must toast. The captain appears at the bow with a large bottle of sparkling wine, and in a joyful atmosphere, we all toast to the North Pole!
This time the Polar Star heads south to reach Ny-Ålesund, Amundsen’s base[1] for his polar explorations and the departure point of the Italia airship commanded by Umberto Nobile, which first reached the North Pole on May 24, 1928[2].
The village of Ny-Ålesund was also established in 1917 for coal mining, but today it hosts scientific bases from various countries around the world, including the “Arctic Base Dirigible Italia.” Just after leaving Ny-Ålesund, we encounter a new glacier, and on a peak of land by the shore, a large white bear watches us curiously before continuing on its way, who knows where!
We leave the ice and I try to process the many emotions experienced. As always, it will take time for all the memories and experiences to find their rightful place.
In the distance, I recognize Longyearbyen, the journey is coming to an end.
The experience has been remarkable, in a world I didn’t know, also fantastic like all the ones I have been lucky enough to visit. It feels like I have lived one long day… because the light is always strong, uninterrupted. And it will be like this for the next four months. Certainly a beautiful and exciting environment but, frankly, I want to go back to see the stars!
[1] Dutch explorer (Friesland mid 16th century – Arctic Sea 1597). He made a first voyage in the Arctic seas reaching 77º N latitude (Novaya Zemlya, 1594), a second to the Kara Strait (1595), and then a third touching Bear Island, the Spitsbergen islands, and the cape called Maurice in Novaya Zemlya (1596). Forced to winter at 76º N latitude and then leave the ship trapped in the ice, he died during the return journey. Source: https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/willem-barents/#:~:text=Dutch%20explorer%20(Friesland,return%20journey.
[2] Amundsen, Roald Engelbert. Norwegian polar explorer (Borge 1872 – near the Svalbard islands 1928); he participated in the Antarctic expedition of De Gerlache (1897-99) and then, over three years (1903-1906), with a small ship, the Gjöa, he navigated through the Northwest Passage, from Baffin Bay to the Bering Strait. The journey was rich in scientific results; among other things, the position of the magnetic north pole was determined. He departed with the ship Fram (which had belonged to F. Nansen) towards Antarctica (1911) and pushed as far as the Ross Ice Shelf, continuing with five men; on December 14, 1911, he reached the South Pole and stayed there for two days; he returned to his companions on the Fram on January 12, 1912. After World War I, A. resumed the old project of an Arctic expedition that aimed to drift with the ice towards the North Pole, but the attempt was not fully successful and the expedition was limited to retracing the Northeast Passage (1918-20). He then attempted to reach the Arctic Pole from King Bay with two airplanes (1925), but weather conditions forced him to turn back. He then conceived a polar flight using a dirigible, which he accomplished with the Norge, commanded by Umberto Nobile, in 71 hours of flight from King Bay to Alaska (1926). In 1928, upon receiving news of the disaster of the aircraft Italia led by Nobile, Amundsen immediately boarded a French rescue plane, but, departing from Tromsö on June 18, he disappeared in the Arctic. Source: https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/roald-engelbert-amundsen
[3] The Airship “…Italia departed for the North Pole on May 23 1928. The geographical limit was reached at 00:24 on May 24, 1928; from the vertical of the point, a cross blessed by Pius XI and a flag of Italy were launched. The airship could not land as planned due to adverse weather conditions and after two hours above the pole began the return journey… With the journey almost completely finished, almost in sight of the Svalbard Islands, the airship Italia crashed onto the ice for reasons never fully determined. The cockpit remained stuck in the ice with ten men … and Titina, the general’s dog, while the rest of the airship …, made lighter, regained altitude carrying with it other crew members destined to disappear forever…. The survivors, fortunately, found themselves surrounded by materials fallen from the impact or heroically thrown by Arduino (Ettore Arduino) from the aircraft, including food, a radio and the famous Red Tent (which was actually silver, colored red with aniline, a substance used for altimetric measurements), within which they adapted to live for seven weeks. Fortunately, a radio amateur managed to pick up a distress signal from the survivors and a large international polar rescue expedition was launched, until a seaplane piloted by Umberto Maddalena sighted the Red Tent. Just under a month after the incident, Nobile was the first survivor to be rescued by a small Swedish plane commanded by Swedish lieutenant Lundborg. When the pilot returned to pick up the others, he himself crashed, becoming trapped in the ice. In total, eight crew members of the Italia perished; Amundsen himself died, disappearing forever, while flying over those icy islands to participate in the search for the missing. Only on July 12 1928 did the Soviet icebreaker Krassin reach the other survivors and rescue them.” Source: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umberto_Nobile
