Schnapps and Polar plunge at the Monacobreen glacier
It was a misty and rainy August morning, M/S Sjøveien sailed peacefully into the Liefdefjorden, surrounded by red mountains and snow-capped peaks. During breakfast the sky slowly but surely cleared up and was filled with sun shine and soft clouds, the water was still and the magnificent Monacobreen glacier became visible, it was sparkling in the light.
We set out in our Zodiacs and witnessed calving after calving, huge masses of ice crashing into the water. We saw the birds rushing to the site to pick up the zooplankton which was thrown in the sky from the giant splash. For some time we just relaxed in the sun and reminding ourselves where we were, at the top of the last landmass before the North Pole.
In the afternoon we visited the Texas Bar, a lonely trapper's cabin, in a small bay overlooking the fjord. We climbed along the mountains, as far as we could before it got too steep, and admired the magnificent view. We picked out a couple of schnapps and gave a toast for our expedition, while we listened to stories about the life the hunters had lived here, a hundred years ago. We were grateful for M/S Sjøveien, our ship waiting for us at the bay. We ended the day with a nervous and freezing polar plunge, followed by a well-deserved moment in the jacuzzi.
Thérèse Horntrich
Guide & Expedition LeaderRelated trips
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Svalbard Adventure 2024
M/S Sjøveien 12 passengers9 days 7 nights on ship USD 8 590LanguagesDepartures: May / June 2024 -
Expedition Svalbard 2024
M/S Sjøveien 12 passengers12 days 10 nights on ship USD 10 890LanguagesDepartures: June / July / August 2024
Destinations
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Since 1999, we have taken travellers on once-in-a-lifetime trips to Svalbard. From May to September our three small expedition ships, carrying only 12 and 50 passengers, explore this magnificent Arctic archipelago. Unpredictability and flexibility are the main keywords when you travel with PolarQuest as the exact route depends on weather, ice conditions and wildlife encounters. Sometimes you might be woken up in the middle of the night if a polar bear has been spotted on the ice.