Today’s Daily Program: We awaken near Terrassevig, deep in Scoresby Sound, curious as to what Ponant can possibly add to an already-stellar expedition cruise. Greenland is known for its stunning…

Today’s Daily Program: An announcement in French drives us from our slumber. We catch the word ‘baleen’ – whale – and we hesitate, but then David delivers the English translation…

“I always get the shakes before a drop.” – Opening line of Starship Troopers We never sleep well, the night before a big landing. Every bump and creak seems some…

Today’s Daily Program: We set the clocks back last night, gaining us an extra hour’s sleep. What bliss. We’ll get one more, too, and then no more time zone changes…

Today’s Daily Program: What’s the best way to celebrate a full circumnavigation of Spitsbergen, plus an epic series of landings, zodiac cruises and wildlife spottings? You might be tempted to…

Today’s Daily Program: We awaken to more stellar weather, and an even better view: It’s hard to believe that we’ve already crested the halfway mark of this trip, if not…

Today’s Daily Program: We are woken by David’s dulcet tones once more: “It’s 7 am, and we have more bears off to port… four bears, including a mother and her…

This post contains photos of dead and dismembered animals. “Svalbard is the realm of silence, ice and light.” – Fridtjof Nansen We awaken to the cliffs and glaciers of Alkefjellet…

“Where does the strange attraction of these polar regions come from, so powerful, so stubborn, that after returning from them we forget all the moral and physical fatigue, and think…

There’s no way to sugarcoat a 4 am wake-up. They’re all rotten. At least we went to bed at a reasonable hour last night, though the Radisson Blu has to…