Tuesday 27 June

We have set our alarms early which I regret. Breakfast is an impressive array and we try to get our money's worth. We are collected by Timon for our guided tour of Longyearbyen. We learn that you never die on Svalbard or at least you cannot be buried as you can't dig deeper than the perma frost and the soil above it moves bringing anything that is buried to the surface. There is no midwife here so in fact you can't be born here either. We visit the local multi denominational Church and see the coal mines and colourful buildings and a road sign warning of polar bears. We visit the museum and learn about the geology, the whaling and coal mining history and see some stuffed wildlife. We board our ship Nordstjernen (North Star) and find our cosy cabin. Just as well we know each other well. Buffet lunch and a cruise out of the Isfjord to Barentsburg, a Russian mining settlement. By now the weather has closed in and it is very cold, grey and damp. This adds atmosphere to the somewhat dilapidated Soviet style buildings, some old and ruined, some new and brightly coloured. We have a tour and then warm up in the local brewery (the northernmost brewery in the World!) with a half of Barentsberg ale. We are entertained with a local performance of Russian singing and dancing which is impressive although the darkness did allow for a bit of shut eye. We return to the boat to hear warnings of rough weather so we start our sea sickness pills with much trepidation. We stay docked for supper and start to share a bottle of wine (390 kronas = £39!) We plan to make it last a couple of nights! Battening down the hatches we have an early night.