July 25, 2010 (Sun) Oslo, Longyearbyen and the EXPLORER!!!

The wake-up call was set way too early for my liking, but I was terrified I would miss the boat. After almost a week in Norway, I was feeling fairly acclimated, so 5:30 am seemed way too early. Rushing through the morning routine, I made it down stairs for breakfast with time to spare. Filling a plate full of food (including fruit and cheese), I found a table and proceeded to share travel stories with others.

Many people came early, like me, to Europe. Some cruised the Mediterranean, others went to Bergen, or other Scandinavian cities. Most of us desired an early adjustment to the time change so we would be well adjusted to meal time. Announcements were made reminding us our luggage would be sorted and ready for collection at the airport, but we would all have to pass through security. We were also informed a line would be devoted specifically to our trip because we had a charter flight via Scandinavian Airlines and the plane would NOT be leaving without us accounted for. The bottom line was: take one of the four chartered buses to the airport and enjoy the ride and behave ourselves- don't push and shove in line, be patient, and start making new friends. It felt like the first day of school!

Following breakfast we made our way to the buses for the hour long trip to Gardermoen - my home away from home. I felt as if I had just left it the day before! I was really, really, really excited about NOT seeing Gardermoen (and her security lines) for a week. It turns out one of the buses had problems, so we all squished onto three buses making for a tight fit. I sat in the back row, squeezed between a very nice man from Florida on one side and a naturalist on the other. Conversations flowed and ebbed around the bus. As the miles grew thick away from Oslo, I couldn't help but become melancholy that the "real" Oslo portion of my trip was at an end. The country side was still as captivating as it was on all my other trips surrounding the airport.

At the airport we easily found the pile of luggage but locating our specific luggage in the pile was a bit more of a challenge. It was sorta like at a pep rally when thirty kids/teachers take off their shoes and have to run an obstacle course in the gym before finding their shoes in the pile, only this time it was reversed and we had to find our bags first and then get in line. Julie and I found each other and stood in line with other passengers. The couple behind us were traveling with the husband's aunt and were from Ohio - he was a high school science teacher. Julie and I continually explained who were were to many people. We laughed when asked, "so you two knew each other before the trip?" Answering with, "We chatted by phone, e-mail, and Facebook if that counts, but we've never met." We figured out the night before that we were very compatible and knew this was a good match. The majority of the passengers were excited for the opportunity given to us.

Most people were curious how we were selected. Julie was nominated from her state geography alliance. I self-nominated and didn't even know we had an active geography alliance in Texas. We talked a bit about the essays we wrote and what our past experiences have been. We also talked about the amazing four other people selected this summer for the experience. I am still stunned that little old me was selected, even though friends just laugh when I say that.

Once we checked our luggage and assigned a seat on the flight, we made our way through security. I felt very cosmopolitan and smart when I could tell fellow travelers about what security would be looking for in the hand luggage. I chose to remove the snow boots for the security line even though they did not require the removal of shoes. Once cleared, I went to the Svalbard display with Julie one last time and had her stand under the shower head thing and listen to the arctic terns calling out. I found an open seat at the gate and proceeded to drop my stuff with another passenger who agreed to watch everything, find the computer terminal and send one more tweet out to the world. Sitting back down, I talked to an Irish gent who proceeded to engage me in a conversation about early Polar expeditions.

The plane quickly filled (using a front and rear entrance) and we took off on time for Longyearbyen, Svalbard. During the plane flight our passports were collected and would be returned the last day on the ship. SAS served us a light snack and beverages during the flight. Although I had written a few post cards, I started to work on the bulk of the post cards.

My seat mate was an elementary principal from the New England and her husband. We talked about school, discipline, and the excitement of the first days back. Her teachers are blessed to be under her leadership and management. If I ever leave middle school, I want to work under her.

Landing in Longyearbyen, we excited the plane and walked toward the gate. We learned the passengers from the previous week were inside waiting for us to clear the plane, and the ship was preparing for our arrival. Julie and I excitedly thought we might meet up with the two elementary 2010 Grosvenor Teacher Fellows if they were in Longyearbyen at the moment. The ship had four hours to clean, scrub, and prepare between groups. The older group goes into town for a short stay while the new group is flying in and touring Longyearbyen. We learned our two Fellows, Eloise Portera (from Mississippi) and Lynn Howard (from San Diego), were somewhere near us in the airport, yet so far away. I met Jack, the ships Doctor, who told the girls to stay back and be the last ones in line so the four of us could meet, but they had already passed security when we arrived. Julie and I were crushed that we were so close and yet so far away. We just hoped they had a great trip and we'd swap stories later.

We made it to baggage claim to collect our luggage. Once the luggage was acquired it went into another pile where it would be taken to the ship for us. It was a lot of moving around, but it helped guarantee the luggage was safe and secure.

We loaded the buses and were split into two tour groups. Longyearbyen is the central government seat for Svalbard and although no longer a huge mining community, it houses Svalbard's government, school, church, and museums. Driving toward the town, we saw a large cruise ship docked in the port - it overwhelmed the landscape - we were surprised ships that size came to Longyearbyen. We saw people disembarking from the ship and walking toward the town, but unlike our group, they did not seem to have buses and tours prearranged. None of the towns museums are large enough to accommodate 150 people at once. We were instructed on the bus from the airport that we would eat lunch at the local hotel, which could support a few hundred people at once, and then split back into the groups by our bus number. When we arrived at the hotel, we were instructed to remove our shoes as was custom.

Lunch was served in a large dining area, but with a full complement of travelers and the regular guests, we were rather squished. The assortment of food was delectable: seal, whale, reindeer were laid out on the buffet table next to the salads and fruits. Soups of various sorts were available along with chicken and beef dishes.

On our tour of Longyearbyen, we learned there were two polar bear crossing signs - one at either end of the town. We stopped by the sign past the airport. We piled off the bus, took several shots before someone said, "We all want to... I'm going to take my picture with it." We each posed with the sign and I even managed to get the hippo in a shot. The town has two lane roads, but no turn lane. Looking up the hill, we received a short lesson on coal mines and how the coal was carried to the docks for processing.

The Svalbard museum was an insightful experience into the people who settled the region. When we entered the foyer, we pulled off our shoes and either wore our socks or blue scrub covers on our feet. Photographs were allowed in the museum. While others took photos of the artifacts, I focussed my lens on the large displays explaining the geography and people. I also spent quite sometime in the bookstore section of the gift shop, but was dismayed that the truly great books I wanted to read were all in Russian, Swedish, Norwegian, or other languages that were not English.

At the museum, my favorite exhibits included how children thrived in Svalbard during the last several decades (packages from relatives on the main continent containing toys really helped) and why some of them returned after college. The research, environmental, and tourism communities are helping people born in Svalbard want to stay or return to the area. The other exhibit I really enjoyed was a simple case centered around Erling Johan Nodtvedt. Known as the "vicar with the camera," Nodtvedt was responsible for taking over 3,500 photos of people, places, and events in Svalbard during the 1950's. On a trip where most of us shot 3,000 photos in one week, the dedication and cost of producing quality photographs half a century ago is impressive.

Leaving the museum we next visited the art center where we were given champagne to sip while enjoying the art and watching a ten minute film centered around the arctic lights. The art included both print and photographs. We were all struck by the simplicity of most of the paintings with peaks jutting out slowly against the pale backgrounds. My favorite was a black canvas with a simple streak of light breaking over the landscape. Another room housed money used in Svalbard over the years including Russian rubbles and Norwegian NOK's. The money lined the walls, but instead of benches in the center, a huge bookshelves took centered stage. When I commented on the bookshelf, I was told I could read any of the books. Spending the last ten minutes of my time in the shop, I hungrily glazed over titles, selected one, and sat diligently with it reading as much as I could as fast as I could while writing down other titles to research with. I could have stayed at the table all day.

Outside we loaded back into the bus and took off for the high ground. We visited one of the old mining sites with coal cars swinging above our heads. We passed a kangaroo sign on a building and was told one of the researchers a few years ago was originally from Australia. The church, school, and government center are all withing walking distance from each other. The far side of Longyearbyen also included a parking lot for snow mobiles.

Making our way to the ship, the excitement became palatable on the bus. Our ship looked like a toy sailboat near the huge cruise liner, but the Explorer's sleek lines made us all quickly envision gliding the Arctic waters while polar bears lazed in the sun conserving their energy waiting for a friendly seal to pass by. The trip was finally starting.