North

It was January 2023, along time friend of mine(we became friends when we were 6, 40 odd years ago) called me out of nowhere and declared we were going on a trip of a lifetime inside the polar circle, I said yes without any hesitation. Two weeks on a refurbished scientific expedition boat, no phones, no internet, no distractions only natural beauty and good company(and a few beers along the way), so I started reading on Svalbard. I do not remember who but someone wrote Svalbard is as close as you can get to visiting another planet without leaving earth. The best comment ever…

Fast forward to October 2023 and I found myself on another plane of existence. I sincerely wish all you wonderfull members of the group gets an opportunity to experience that wilderness, especially while the ice cap still exists. In reality life should not be possible in those harsh conditions but it flourishes, from tiny birds that can fit inside the palm of your hand to the majestic polar bear there is life every direction you turn to. I have lived by the sea all my life and I’m used to it changing its appearance, its mood at will but the ice somehow brings the sea and land together and bends the whole landscape to its will. You take your eyes away for a minute and when you look back everything has somehow shifted. So familiar yet so strange…