Bergen

Following my season in Antarctica, I was thrilled to be offered a position in the Arctic this season! I will have the same duties as last season, only this time the setting is Spitsbergen, Svalbard, in the European Arctic.

I was flown in to Bergan, Norway which was an interesting place to check out. Since then, I've spent the last 6 days setting up the ship, which for me mainly involved assembling zodiacs, moving boxes and, most time consuming of all, setting up the on-board gift shop that I am running.

We have now entered the zone of 24-hour daylight, which is very bizarre to get used to. Tomorrow the rest of the expedition staff will board the vessel to make the final preparations for our first voyage. The day after tomorrow, June 9, our first round of passengers will board the ship for a once in a lifetime experience (at least for most people) exploring the natural beauty that is Spitsbergen.

Walking the old streets of Bergen

Yes, those buildings are a leaning!