Sunday, August 5, 2018 | Crossing the Barents Sea enroute to Bjørnøya (Bear Island) | Language: Norwegian | Currency: n/a | Population: n/a | Forecast: Overcast with rain showers likely 5-10°C, 41-50°F winds 15-20 knots | Midnight Sun (no sunrise or sunset)

We are well on our way, out on the open seas, to the mythical end of the world. Our expedition team includes logistics guides, polar historian, polar bear specialists, marine biologist, naturalists, ornithologist (bird expert, for everyone except Judi – she already knew that), kayak guides, geologist, Arctic historian, whale specialists, videographer and photographers. The team has prepared a plan for our journey. However, we are told, the only reason they prepare a plan is to have something they can change.

Thus, our education of Svalbard begins today. But the camera doesn’t get put into use until tomorrow.

There are three mains seasons in Svalbard: Polar Summer, Northern Lights Winter and Sunny Winter. Although I would love to see the Northern Lights and adore the sunshine, I am glad we chose Polar Summer when temperatures do not dip below zero. Although there is a saying, “There is no bad weather, only bad clothing.” Today, I learned that the man who first said it was Roald Amundsen (1872 – 1928), a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. More on him later.

A little information to help keep things straight.

The North Pole, located at 90°N is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean. There is no land at the pole but when you come down to the edge of the Arctic Circle at 70°N you will find Greenland, Svalbard and Russia, depending on which side of the circle you are on, with Svalbard reaching the furthest north.

The South Pole, located at 90°S is surrounded by the continent of Antarctica, the Ross Sea and the Weddell Sea. When you go up to the edge of the Antarctic Circle at 70°S you enter the Southern Ocean.

Although one is the Arctic and the other the literal opposite, they are both referred to as polar regions. Because they are polar opposites they are home to different wildlife. Polar bears are only found in the Arctic. Penguins only in Antarctica. Important distinction to remember if you are ever in conversation with someone who has ever been. And, I have noticed, most people who go to one end up visiting the other. This was even true of the great polar explorers: James Clark Ross, Ernest Shackleton, Edmund Hillary and Roald Amundsen, (three of which lived in the 1800s).

Off to sleep. I’m on the list to call at any time during the night if there is a wildlife sighting. Remember, it’s always daytime here during the summer.