(Post 1 of 4) Welcome to World of Maps in my neighbourhood in Ottawa, Canada. I have bought maps here since I was a kid, and when I went in for a chart of Svalbard, the owners, Petra and Brad, told me they have been shipping merchandise up to the Longyearbyen museum for years. Aha!…
(Post 2 of 4) Witness the package of Canadiana I carried up to Longyearbyen. Petra put together a wonderful gift for her friend here (she’s been shipping maps to the Svalbard museum for years): maple candies, maple syrup, an Inukshuk and a photo book of Canada. I’ve had it in my bag for a few…
(Post 3 of 4) Anna Lena Ekeblad has been living in Longyearbyen for 20 years, and she received us in her home today. She buys fresh flowers every week. While we visited over coffee and cinnamon buns, her kids (Erik and Mia) and their friends ran in and out, and the doorbell rang three times….
(Post 4 of 4) The gift that I brought from Ottawa, Canada was finally delivered. Anna Lena smiled and laughed so many times going through the package. “It is so exotic to me,” she said. “Now I really have to come visit Canada.” If she finds World of Maps and the people who sent this…
(Post 1 of 4) Mine 7 must have one of the best views in the world. This mine provides all of the coal that runs the town, and there’s some left over for export. The total annual production is about 70,000 metric tonnes (compare to the only other Norwegian mine on Svalbard, called Svea, that…
(Post 2 of 4) Team leader Joachim Myhrvang shows us the dirty zone where miners get their work clothes each day. From here, they drive more than five kilometers into the mountain in regular cars before switching to specialized mine vehicles. The underground commute takes about 15 minutes.
(Post 3 of 4) This tunnel leads into the mine where the coal seams are between 120 and 160 cm high, so the men spend each day bent low. “The worst in the beginning is the knees,” says Joachim Myhrvang, “Then you get used to it – like everything else.” The mining method here is…
(Post 4 of 4) Yes, this is the still Joachim. Back outside and all cleaned up, he’s turning his mind to other things. This boat, the 44′ Ocean Ice, is Joachim’s pride and joy. He’s getting ready to sail her from Bergen up to Svalbard this summer and he had big plans to explore. If…
(Post 1 of 6) Elisabeth Larsen led Eric and I to one of the most magical musical experiences we’ve ever had, and we met her outside the office of the local coal mining company, Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani. Longyearbyen is home to the only coal-burning power plant in Norway. It’s just outside Elisabeth’s office. The…
(Post 2 of 6) Look at these happy gents and welcome to the Store Norske Mandskor’s annual concert. This is the local men’s choir, named after the mining company, and Eric and I have rarely seen such a combination of skill and heart, and it left me bursting with joy From stirring harmonies about mining…