Lofoten Islands Norway.

 Harstard on the Norwegian Island of Hinnoya was a sleepy, picturesque town with a few artistic themes going on. It was 10am on Sunday morning that we walked into town and not a soul was about. No shops or cafes open so our hopes of a nice hot coffee were dashed. The Norwegians treat Sundays as a family day and therefore there is not too much activity going on, well at least at that hour of the morning. Not sure of what the washing on the high lines between the buildings represented but it looked quite quirky and colourful.

 Then we discovered the huge clothes peg lying in the main square.

 Also bales of waste plastic had been bundled and put on display. Sending a message I would guess.

 The next place of interest was the sail into the Trollfjorden, a 2 km long fjord  between The Lofoten Islands and the Vesteralen Archapalago. With its dark  steep mountain sides, the Trollfjord is really exotic and spectacular. The entrance is only 100 metres wide while the mountains rise 600 to 1100 metres high.

 Yes its that narrow entrance that we were about to sail through. It looks so narrow  and we wondered how our ship could ever squeeze through. Its moments like this that make me a little nervous.

 This was taken from the Ships forward camera as we sailed towards the narrowest part.

 From our apartment we felt like we could almost touch the sides.

 The rock formations were amazing.

 The Captain told us to speak quietly so as not to wake the sleeping Trolls and we should look out for spotting at least a couple!!! My imagination doesn't usually stretch to that kind of fantasy, But, just maybe, I might have been on to one in this photo above, with its two large eyes, nose and cheeks and the pinkish teeth along the bottom.!!!!!

 That evening as we sailed out we were treated to a beautiful rainbow.

 Svolvaeageita is a 150 metre tall pinnacle of granite on the island of Austvagoya. Those of exceptional skill and fitness find ways to traverse from one rock to the other often involving a bike. These photos were taken from pictures in a Sports Shop window.

 A delightful little flower plant at a shop entrance. It looked like a tiny orchard.

 The town of Svolvaer, the Capital of the Lofoten Islands.

 The Boy found 'his kind of shop' with a luxurious chair for  those who are happy to wait while treating themselves to coffee and a sweet treat. Actually a very nice gesture. Wish there were more around.

 A fish drying rack in Bronnoysund. The Norwegians use a lot of dried fish for various dishes. We tried it but its very salty and fishy.

 The fish heads are used for stock.

 The tiny town of Reine. We had a very beautiful sail in with the weather being very dark and misty. Only there for three hours and because it was raining we didn't get off the ship but enjoyed the view instead.

 The view from our table in a restaurant in Bronnoysund where we watched the sun set behind the storm clouds. We have seen many beautiful sunsets in Norway.

 This morning we visited the Fosen Ship Building Yard where the Ship we are travelling in was built. Many of the original workers who worked on the ship were there to greet us and provided us with a talk about the building of the vessel . Unfortunately there were no ships being built or refurbished there at present but they have other sea related projects being built including these huge salmon rearing tanks. They consist of almost 10,000 square feet of rounded wall panels with a smooth inside surface which help prevent bacteria and helps maintain the health of the fish while also protecting them from sea lice. The tanks will be towed out to the fjord and lowered into the sea. Each tank will hold around 500,000 salmon which is more than the total of wild salmon that go up the rivers to spawn in Norway.

 

Abandoned Russian Coal Mine in Pyramiden, Svalbard

Our last excursion on our expedition to Svalbard was to the abandoned Russian Coal mine town of Pyramiden. When it was abandoned in 1998 everything was left as it was as though people had been intending to return but that never happened.

 To explore Pyramiden is to step back in time. Russian culture politics and architecture, still permeate the town with the block style housing, to the bust of Lenin. The town was established in 1936 when Russia established the rights to mine the mountains for coal. After the second world war the Soviets allocated more money to the town and constructed dozens more buildings.

 At its peak in the 1980's over 1,000 people inhabited the town. Residents were assigned to different residential halls.

 The coal mines were never very profitable and when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1996 the subsidies that helped support the town started to thin which caused shortages, low salaries and poor living standards. As well as the budgeting woes in 1996 tragedy struck when a plane returning to Pyramiden with 141 residents and workers on board, crashed with all onboard dying. This caused even further depression amongst the company and workforce

Finally just before the ice arrived the final residents and workers departed and the town was abandoned.

 These long concrete casings carried the oil and water pipes to the buildings as pipes could not be buried underground because of the permafrost.

 There are 10 semi permanent Resident workers still living in the town to act as caretakers and guides for the few tourists who visit in the summer.

 Bricks still sitting in the open that were probably intended for building or completing a job.

 One of the residential blocks.

 The Cultural Palace and Recreation Centre which also contained a movie theatre where plays and concerts could be performed, a gymnasium, Library, and Basketball court. There was also a swimming pool in a separate location.

 One of the two arctic reindeer that were grazing in the area.

 The building on the right was the Hospital.

 The Cultural Palace with the statue of Lenin in the front.

 The towns official emblem on Main St.

 The Camps former canteen where all residents ate for free. Even the plants from 20 years ago are still sitting in their containers.

 A Russian mosaic picture at the entrance to the camps communal dining hall, depicting the view outside to keep the towns residents from becoming morbid during the winter months.

 The stairway to the dining hall.

 The kitchens where all the paint was peeling from the ceiling and walls. Probably full of lead.

 It had obviously been attractive during its time as there were quite a few structures covered in mosaic tiles.

 The arctic birds had moved in to nest on the window ledges some time ago as the excrement had had really built up over the years. The odour was terrible.

 We were amused by the antiquated phone that hung on the wall of the current staff canteen where we were treated to Russian coffee and cakes at the end of our tour.  It was a very interesting place to visit although very eerie and I was pleased to leave. It would have been a very hard life living up there in isolation and the work in the mines difficult and punishing.

And so we left Svalbard that evening after an amazing expedition. One last Photo of a polar bear. Gorgeous creatures.