Longyearbyen, Svalbard

(Post 1 of 4)

We met Timon at a favourite hangout out for Longyearbyen’s guides. Over burgers, he told us why he loves Svalbard so much.

When he came last year, to visit a friend, he didn’t know a thing about the place. “On my way up, I read the in flight magazine, and it’s all true. This place is like a Utopia. No tax. Zero unemployment. Zero criminality. We’ve got the Global Seed Vault and a super fancy satellite station. I think we have the highest per capita internet band width in the world.” It’s true that most people here are young and that employment is the key for housing and enjoying the outdoor lifestyle. The hospital is simple, so if you have a complicated medical condition—or if you are at the very beginning or very end of your life – you need to go to the mainland.

Timon is trained as a chemical production technician and started his career at Sanofi, a big pharmaceutical company. But he thinks he’ll stay in Longyearbyen for a while. He has new passions now. Check out the next post.