Longyearbyen, Norway

8/20/2025

What A Wonderful World – Day Two Svalbard

Travel has shown us how wonderful our world is. Like us, it is not perfect but there is so much to do and sea and incredible diversity.

Think about it. I you are in Svalbard in December there is mainly darkness daytime and nighttime. You may be fortunate and catch the Northern Lights. In July the opposite is true, and you will find mostly light in the daytime and evening hours.

We pinch ourselves each time we are on a new adventure and when we sail with Crystal. When we first started out, we never thought we would see so much and experience so much as we have through travel primarily sailing Crystal. Our time in Svalbard is truly an example of this.

No matter what the geography is, or what a village, town, or city look like, or the size of its population, or the outdoor temperature, or what the local culture is like, there is something to see and something to learn in each area of the world.

As was the case sailing the Northwest Passage in 2016, we feel humbled having visited Svalbard. In both cases, these are locations where very few people get to see through their own eyes. Even many of the seasoned crew said this was the first time they were in Svalbard. This is because the stops are not all that frequent, and they could have been at home, or it might have been the sister ship whose turn it was to visit this area of the world.

For those who sail Crystal when we leave most ports, we get to hear Louis Armstrong sing What A Wonderful World and these words resonated with many of us.

Waterside dinner menu from last evening.

Often, we dine at each specialty restaurant once per cruise even on a longer one such as this 14 day cruise. We do this as we love dining at Waterside plus for us the specialty restaurants are special so we want find it even more special by going there occasionally. The only exception is when we are invited to dine at one for a second time which was the case last night when we were invited to dine at Osteria.

We are happy to report last night was indeed special between the dinner, service and amazing cuisine at Osteria along with the wonderful conversation.

Osteria dinner menu follows.

Before we discuss what, we had for dinner, we just wanted to mention like any restaurant you might like everything, or you might like many items but not some of them. So, it’s a nice idea on each visit to try some new items so you can be the judge. One option to consider is to have the tasting menu. If there are two people you need to have this from the same menu. In general, expect this to be a two-hour meal and we believe in our case it would be longer just because we enjoy those leisurely dinners.

So, what did we have for dinner?  We both had the ministrone al profumo di basilico soup which we both thought was delicious including the soup and vegetables. It hit the spot from a cold day.

Next course we shared the Ravioli which was also wonderful. Like the half portion of Lasagne we had the first night, we are finding that the half portions work out well. It gives us nice tastings without feeling as though we have eaten too much.

For the entrée we had the veal. It was good but I would say on the drier side. It was accompanied with arugula salad.

For dessert we each had a quarter portion of the Tiramisu prepared tableside by waiter Hislaine. Just like the first night it is yummy, and the quarter portion worked out well. Unlike the first night we did share one other dessert which was the Cioccolato, nocciola e caffe which is chocolate, hazelnut and coffee. This dessert was also delicious.

Then there was the wine. We started with the sparkling rosé and we both had an Italian Chardonnay and Keith had red wine.To sum up the meal it was sorprendente.

We learned that the large wine glass can hold 1.5 litres of wine. This is equivalent to two bottles of wine. I would not recommend this. Probably two much weight to lift the glass and if you have it all you will likely need a wheelchair to return to your room, and you likely will not remember much about the dinner other than having a splitting headache.  LOL.

Today's Daily Reflections follows.

The city of Svalbard includes a global seed vault. The vast interior of the site is not open to the public but is very important to the world. Encased in thick rock 100 meters below the surface contains a special Vault. Some consider it an insurance policy for the world's supply. It is intended to secure for centuries millions of seeds of each important crop variety available in the world today.

We wanted to share some lesser known facts about Svallbard, Norway in case you want to know.

Some little-known facts about this town.
They have one grocery store.
They live right next door to reindeer.
They (not the reindeer but the local residents) take off their shoes when entering hotels and restaurants which is a tradition dating back to the time with coal dust.
The old mining infrastructure can be seen around the town reminding locals and visitors of its past.
The streets of this town have numbers rather than street names.
There is a university accommodating three hundred students. A course requirement is that students must learn how to use firearms.
It is not uncommon to see whales swimming in the fjord from lounge windows.

Some additional items.

Walk on the left side of the road if there is no pavement.

If you are heading out of town, take a tour.

Do not pick flowers in Svalbard.

It is compulsory for anyone traveling outside Longyearbyen to be equipped with appropriate means of frightening and chasing off polar bears. Relevant training is also compulsory.

Get permission before photographing people. Don’t photograph children, including at kindergartens or school.

Carrying a firearm in the settlement is prohibited. Taking firearms into shops or public buildings is also prohibited.

Help keep Svalbard beautiful by using rubbish bins and leaving no traces behind.

Do not disturb animals and birds or get too close to take photos.

Yesterday, upon arrival back to the port we asked how to get to a few places by foot and whether it was safe from the polar bears. The guide said it was but pointed to an area outside the port where one of the polar bear signs was located. I walked over to it was and took a photo and sure enough some man was way beyond that sign. Hopefully, he won't end up being a meal for a polar bear. And hopefully, he had a firearm and flare gun.

This morning, Keith decided to walk to and from town. Walking to the town I walked along the road the shuttle bus took yesterday morning. You walk on the side shoulder, but it is very wide, so you feel safe. At first there was some rain drops but it ended a few minutes into the walk. Although slightly colder than yesterday and was far less windy so it didn’t feel as cold and the four layers of clothing above my waste worked very well as it did yesterday. The walking time is typically 20 to 30 minutes each way depending on your walking speed. Keith made it in 18 minutes. On the way back he realized he could take a path along the waterfront.

We are enjoying the rest of the day on Crystal Serenity.

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ICELAND TO NEW YORK ADVENTURE
ON-BOARD CRYSTAL SERENITY
Mid-AUGUST TO Mid-OCTOBER 2025