Thursday, January 30, 2025

Polar Bears and Polar Night

I wrote about armchair travel in the past, and I'd like to tell you about my latest armchair trip to a place near the North Pole (and no, it's not Santa's workshop). The book I recently read is Life on Svalbard by Cecilia Blomdahl, a New York Times bestseller by a Swedish YouTuber who has been living for the past 10 years in Longyearbyen, Svalbard's largest town with roughly 2,600 people.

Where the heck is Svalbard, you may ask? Svalbard is a group of islands in the Arctic Circle that belong to Norway. It's a place of extremes. At the moment, they are experiencing what is called polar night, which is when the sun doesn't rise at all for several months in the winter due to the tilt of the earth on its axis. In contrast, they will have 24 hours of sunlight for several months straight in the summer, a phenomenon known as polar day. 

I learned of the book through a CNN article, and I found the thought of people living somewhere like Svalbard fascinating. Blomdahl takes us through a year living in her cabin just outside of Longyearbyen with her Norwegian partner, Christoffer, and her dog, Grim. She writes about her cabin, going to town, seeing the northern lights, boating in the summer, and traveling hours by snowmobile to an off-the-grid vacation cabin, all accompanied by her stunning photos. 

I have to admit I've even started watching Blomdahl's YouTube channel. Cecilia comes across as bubbly and positive, like a good friend chatting with you. It's so interesting to watch her take us to the only supermarket in Longyearbyen, restaurants in town, walks during polar night with Grim, and around her cabin and deck on the water. And let's not forget about polar bears--there are plenty of them on Svalbard, and everyone who goes outside town needs to carry a rifle for protection in the event of facing one of these Arctic giants.

Find the book on Overdrive/Libby (ask us about FREE access), and unless you have a Kindle Colorsoft, be sure to download the app on your phone, tablet, or computer in order to enjoy Blomdahl's photos in all their glorious colors.

Wishing you good armchair travels from the perch.



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