We’ve arrived in Svalbard’s main centre, Longyearbyen, on the island of Spitsbergen. 78.2200° N, 15.6500° E.

We went for the long view this morning and hiked to an abandoned mine on the hillside above town. You always get perspective from up high.

From the mine, we glimpsed the history of this place, named after an American, John Munroe Longyear, who started coal mining in 1905.

It’s now home to over 2000 people.