December 30th, 2024
We got up at 6:00 in the morning - almost as early as we always do in Africa 😯. We had a breakfast appointment with our friends at 7:00 am, as our planned whale safari was scheduled to start at 8:15 am. Unfortunately, the weather hadn’t improved much, it was snowing.
Nevertheless, our boat tour started on time. Unfortunately, it had to be aborted shortly before reaching our destination due to a current storm warning. So we were back in the harbor shortly after 11 am - without a whale sighting. The tour operator offered us a refund or alternatively a new tour in the next few days if guests canceled the otherwise fully booked tours. We had ourselves put on the waiting list immediately. Here is a picture of our boat:
Due to the persistently bad weather, only indoor activities were an option for the rest of the day.
We therefore decided to visit the Polar Museum. The Polarmuseet is housed in a historic building and is dedicated to polar research. In addition to the many special aspects of the polar region and its history, much of the museum is dedicated to Norway’s most famous explorer, Roald Amundsen. But there were also interesting facts to learn about Fridjof Nansen, wintering on Spitzbergen, seals and polar bears and much more.
As the aurora app on our cell phones indicated a good chance of a sighting, but the weather was still bad, albeit with the prospect of improvement, we then decided to have something to eat first so that we could set off immediately for a photo spot if the weather improves. I enjoyed a very tasty burger and a Mack at the KÆSH Steakhouse & Club:
Unfortunately, the weather didn’t improve and the sky remained overcast, so we decided not to go on any more excursions. Tomorrow should be better, so we planned to have breakfast again at 7:00 the next morning and go to a well-known photo spot on the Ersfjord at around 7:30. We still have plenty of time then, as it doesn’t get a bit of daylight until 10:00.