Liefdefjorden - Summer 2008

July 25^th

Liefdefjorden deserves a whole chapter on its own. This was the most touching experience of my trip, and possibly one of the most touching moments I ever experienced - never have I been so deeply moved by the sheer beauty of a place, never would I even have dreamed of seeing places like this. I apologize for the "monotony" of this chapter, but it mirrors the trance-like feeling we all have shared when navigating into the fjord, towards Monacobreen, and back out of the fjord - a few hours of stillness, only interrupted by some birds' flights, the luminosity, the beauty and dream-like silence. A sense of peace, and a strange sense of vertigo. Just looking at the pictures still moves me. I love the place, and that moment. Never will one experience that again. That light… I hope to be able to offer a pale reflection of the pure beauty this moment was.

That light…

• When entering Woodfjorden, we are greeted by a flock of bearded seals.
• A black guillemot.
• Reinsdyrflya on the left,
• Bråvallafjella on the right: we enter Liefdefjorden.
• The water is a mirror, only birds move here,
• …lots of them.
• And the boat glides silently in this beautiful scenery.
• Light.
• Light.
• Light.
• Light.
• Light.
• Light.
• Light.
• Light. I can't get enough of it…
• Light.
• The birds give some sense of scale.
• Notice the birds.
• The birds!
• Light.
• Light! A perfect mirror image…
• Light.
• Light.
• Light. Birds.
• The birds!
• Ice.
• A Northern Fulmar…
• …taking…
• …off.
• Mirror.
• Light.
• Slowly we near the immense Monacobreen at the end of Liefdefjorden, named after Prince Albert I of Monaco, who financed several arctic expeditions.
• Ice.
• Ice.
• Monacobreen.
• Monacobreen.
• Monacobreen.
• Monacobreen. Blue and red ice.
• The birds! The birds help getting a sense of scale…
• Blue.
• Blue.
• The light!
• Blue.
• The light!
• Light!
• Light.
• Blue.
• Ice.
• Light.
• Oh dear, the light! This light!
• Ice.
• Texas Bar on the northern coast of Liefdefjorden, built by the Norwegian hunter Hilmar Nøis.
• Blue and purple.
• Red.
• Light.
• This light…
• Light.
• Light.
• Light.
• Light…
• …this light…
• …

On to Ebeltofthamna | Back to Svalbard - Summer 2008