After a couple of plane rides, we arrived in Longyearbyen this afternoon. The plane trips were pretty uneventful, except that Crown Prince Haakon of Norway was travelling four rows in front of us. All was pretty normal except the cabin announcements all started with "Your Royal Highness, ladies and gentlemen..." No autographs or photos though - sorry.
The weather isn't too bad here so far. It was a little windy, temperatures are in the 30s F and the skies are partly to mostly cloudy. Our room at the Radisson Blu Polar is nice, and there was a Svalbard riendeer grazing just outside when we arrived.
We had dinner at a place called Kroa. The atmosphere was very 'rustic Arctic' with sealskins, old artifacts and pictures and weathered wood. The food was excellent, and prices were quite acceptable by Norwegian standards.
We also looked around the town center a little. Tomorrow will include more exploring and sightseeing, and perhaps a bit of shopping. Svalbard is a tax-free zone, so though prices are expensive because of the cost of getting things all the way up here, they are still comparable if not a little cheaper than normal Norwegian prices.
Pictures to come tomorrow!
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