Clear skies opened up to beckon National Geographic Orion into the blue, shallow waters surrounding Smøla. At first, we were not sure how to pronounce the name of this novel destination, however, by the end of the day we were all more familiar with the terrain, the history, and even the pronunciation of this charming fishing village. Some chose to immerse themselves fully in fishing culture while throwing a few hooks in the water themselves, others hiked up to sweeping views to see the wind turbines from a higher perspective, while others took slightly more traditional tours of the area. Even the underwater team dove in for a brisk swim with some of the infamous juvenile cod, amongst many other notable sea creatures. A lively singing performance closed the evening nicely with a few brews, claps, and of course, an accordion!
6/13/2024
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National Geographic Endurance
Fjortende Julibukta and Lilliehöökbreen
Our last day in Svalbard began with a wintery feeling. National Geographic Endurance sailed towards the entrance of Krossfjorden while it was gently snowing. Our morning destination was 14th of July Bay. This was our last outing in Spitsbergen and we could not have picked a better spot to end our unforgettable voyage. The landing area was covered with spring flowers which painted the otherwise barren looking landscape with green, white, and purple colors. Svalbard reindeers were contently grazing in the outskirts of the steep cliffs, enjoying the place also known as “hanging gardens.” Thousands of kittiwakes were loudly soaring above us. Occasionally a fight would break out between a kittiwake and an Arctic skua, who clearly was not very welcomed in the nesting site of the gulls. A Zodiac cruise also offered us great wildlife encounters. The shoreline was a popular nesting place for the guillemots, eider ducks, and the Atlantic puffins. After lunch, Captain Oliver positioned our vessel in front of another spectacular sight, Lillehöök Glacier. After an hour-long cruise, we reluctantly bid farewell to Krossfjorden and made our way towards Longyearbyen.