G Expedition in Magdalenefjord

It's been hard to choose photos from this holiday for blip. This was our ship and home for the 11 days of our trip, hiding behind a huge iceberg.

Our first full day on our cruise, and after breakfast we had several briefings on safety, regulations and interacting with the Arctic environment and wildlife.

We headed up to Magdalenefjord in the northwest region of Spitsbergen. We had blue skies, bright sun and calm seas.

After a buffet lunch, we went ashore onto a sandy beach and spit called Gravneset. This area of Spitsbergen was the centre of whaling in Svalbard and we saw remains of "blubber ovens" on the beach. There were also graves of the whalers who came here to hunt the whales. We saw and experienced Arctic terns - they're great defenders of their nest sites. We even got a brief sighting of a walrus swimming in the fjord.

There was an opportunity to do a "Polar Plunge"? This meant running from the beach for a dip into icy water. A shame I hadn't brought my swimming costume with me......no I didn't take the plunge!!

We also had a Zodiac cruise around the fjord and up to the glacier, Gullybreen (see extra photo). We saw Little Auks on the rocky shore cliffs, Glaucous Gulls (see extra photo), Black Guillimots with their striking red feet, and Brunnich's Guillemots'

The Northern Fulmars (see extra shot), stayed with the ship thoughout our cruise and slip streamed alongside, so giving me an opportunity to take some photos of these great gliders.

Although it was cold, we spent some time up on deck this evening enjoying the midnight sun. It was a really beautiful but strange experience.