At 68° north, a fair distance above the Arctic Circle, is Sortland, Norway’s Blue Town. Sortland is the capital of the Vesterålen Archipelago; less famous, perhaps, than its neighbour to the south, the Lofoten Islands, yet just as stunning. But why is Sortland blue?
Lihallen: An Arctic Art Gallery
High above Sigerfjord village, outside Sortland, Norway’s Blue Town, is Lihallen Kulturgård, a fab Arctic Art Gallery and meeting location.
Ancient Street Art in the Arctic
Walking along the paths, you’ll see moose, reindeer, bears, wolves and fish, boats and hunters; in short, the kind of things our Stone Age forefathers were concerned with up here in the northern world.
Pyramiden – an Arctic ghost town
I’m in Pyramiden, once a showcase of the Soviet Union, a perfect mining community, set between mountains, glaciers and fjords in the Svalbard archipelago. Today, it’s an Arctic ghost town. The decision to abandon the settlement was sudden, its implementation even more so. The inhabitants were given just hours to pack their bags and leave. [...]
Barentsburg highlights
Barentsburg, you say? Where on earth… ? The Svalbard archipelago has four settlements of significant size, one of them is Russian. Norway has sovereignty over the archipelago, but the Treaty of Svalbard ensures all parties equal access to scientific and economic activities in the islands. Enter the Soviet Union. Since 1932, Russian company Trust Arktikugol [...]
Svalbard – polar bear country
At 78 degrees N – a mere 12 degrees from the North Pole – Longyearbyen is as far north as I’ve ever been. I’m here with my oldest daughter, to have a look at the Russian Arctic mining settlements. Looks cool and refreshing, doesn’t it? Svalbard is more commonly referred to as Spitsbergen in English. [...]
PhotoFriday: Svalbard – Seal slipping off an ice floe
Oslo is crisp and sunny today; – 10° C, so not very cold. About the same a bit north of here on Svalbard. Should you want to visit this stunning otherworldly Arctic archipelago, it’s only a few hours flying from Oslo.
Welcome! I'm Sophie - writer, dreamer, negotiator, wanderer, mum - in search of the world's curious places. Mostly with my daughters, sometimes solo. The girls share their take on it, too.
As seen in
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – the real Narnia
- Pets, pools and pennies at the Hemingway House, Key West
- Atlantic Canada: Lively Lunenburg
- Canada Road Trip: Vancouver to Calgary, the Scenic Route
- Cape Byron Lighthouse
- The innovative architecture of Rotterdam
- World at a Glance: Green bikes – and scooters – in Amsterdam
- Viva Bahia, a fabulous Majorca family hotel
- Greece: A guide for history buffs
- Norfolk Coast Path: horizons
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Travel Musts: What amazing colors in those pictures! I wish I co...
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Ursula: Oh my God that pool surrounded with those balinese...
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Edit: Actually those roller are technically green, their...
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Steve: The scooters look like a great way to get around (...
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bonooobong: I guess those scooters have been green technically...
