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Where Awesome Is
THE ARCTIC HAS THE MONOPOLY ON MYTHIC AND MYSTERIOUS
ITS KEYWORD IS SUBTLETY, WHICH MAKES EXPLORING THERE SUCH A JOY.
Unlike Antarctica with its vast penguin colonies that require nothing of the explorer but a beach landing, the Arctic rewards patience and persistence. Standing on deck, warm in your layers, eyes trained on the distance as an infinity of pack ice slips by like time, the jubilation you feel when you, or the keenest spotter aboard, ultimately cries “bear!” is exponential. Or you’re hiking across the spare expanse of tundra on Spitsbergen’s coast, thrilled by a simple close encounter with some curious reindeer, expecting nothing more than the sight of seabirds circling overhead—and suddenly a surprise party of beluga whales cruises the beach.
Itineraries, route-lined maps—nature acknowledges neither. Heading out on any of the expeditions detailed on the following pages, as our 50+ years of polar experience has taught us, means always being willing to accept those moments when the Arctic veils or unveils its breathtaking beauty. We may find the opening to a destination fjord blocked by ice. Or a felt-thick fog might settle and slow the ship’s pace to a cautious crawl. And suddenly, like a cape-clad magician, the Arctic will—voila!—open a lead bristling with narwhal tusks, or send the sun burning through to reveal floes studded with harp seals, as far as the eye can see—a moment of such solemn splendor no one on the entire ship can speak.