Turning the corner of the northwest edge of Spitsbergen, we crossed 80° North and made our way to Eolusneset. This landing was filled with an incredible amount of history from almost all the stages of different human habitations on Svalbard. The graves of many whalers from the 17th and 18th century were visible. There is a Norwegian trappers’ hut from the early 20th century. Most iconic of all is the giant cross erected by the captain of the Æolus, a sealing vessel from Bergen that was beset by ice but then let free in 1855.
In the afternoon, we cruised the famous bird cliffs of Alkefjellet, where hundreds of thousands of thick-billed murres flew to and from their roosts. While cruising up and down the cliffs, some Zodiacs even got a look at an Arctic fox! It was a great day.
