No wind and no swell gave us a rare opportunity. During the night we travelled east and just in time for breakfast we arrived at Svalbard's most remote outpost Vitön - the place where the remains of Salomon August Andrée and his two expedition members were found in 1930. By then it had been 33 years since they set off on their fateful balloon flight. Read about Niklas Nilsson's experience when he visited this mythical island on the M/S Stockholm.
We had now arrived at Kraemerpynten on the eastern side of Vitön, the next mainland to the east is Franz Josef Land in the Russian Arctic. In the mysterious fog, we scanned the short strip of beach that was not covered by Vitö's huge glacier cover with the help of hand-held binoculars, and already then we could see a polar bear. Shortly after breakfast, we got into the rubber dinghy and set off on a cruise in true expedition spirit. It wasn't long before we had an encounter with a large male polar bear that curiously met our eyes in the foggy landscape. A moment later, the fog lifted in a few minutes and the vast glacier landscape embraced us. On one of the ice floes in front of the glacier, a female walrus was suckling her cub, a most unusual and beautiful encounter. We spotted more polar bears as visibility improved and eventually we counted five polar bears on this eastern outpost!
Back on board Stockholm, we enjoyed a delicious lunch prepared by Chef Peter. The food is always very good on board Stockholm, and that's lucky because you always need to replenish your energy when you are on an expedition! You always have to be ready to go out on deck or in the dinghy if something exciting should appear on the horizon or along the shore next to it. Between the meals of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you can also enjoy homemade cakes in the lounge on the upper deck. The lounge, like the rest of the ship, is adorned with classic teak wood paneling, and from the blue upholstered sofa or chairs around the beautiful round table, you have a fantastic view of the foredeck and the magnificent wilderness that constantly surrounds the ship. The feeling of being on a heroic adventure like those written about in books or told in films is never far away, and on the bridge upstairs, equipped with a pair of binoculars around your neck right next to the navigation table, just about everyone can live out their dreams of exploring these hard-to-reach but oh-so-beautiful places on their own.
The journey continued to the western side of Vitön and the historical site - Andréenäset. Our plan was to visit the monument erected in memory of the Andreée expedition in 1897, but with four polar bears in sight, our plans changed. In addition to polar bears, we were met by groups of walruses curiously observing our presence. It was truly an amazing sight and one is filled with fascination for these magnificent animals.
In the evening, we gathered again in the lounge to enjoy a cheese platter with a matching wine. We talked about our experiences of an expedition day that was undoubtedly extraordinary and difficult to digest. Imagine that we were now among the small group of people who had the opportunity to visit this historic place.
Please note: Depending on the lens used for a photo or video shot an animal may appear to be closer than it is. We always follow strict wildlife guidelines to ensure that we do not cause any disturbance.
