Longyearbyen

It's still cold, but we are in the swing of things now and well dressed for visiting the thriving metropolis of Longyearbyen, Svalbard, a little archipelago really far up in the north Arctic Ocean. (78'N)

Very soft and pretty flowers neither Cindy nor I had ever seen anywhere else....

We were given fair warning to beware of the polar bears!

We saw a bear.....but it very rudely bit the hand that fed it....

And then devoured us up!

Is this packaging made to purposefully scare children away from the chocolate?

Then there are all the choices of what to have for dinner.....

Reindeer?

Whale steak?

Or the dried cod (where the packaging lets you know that this can be stored indefinitely!)

And then, this delicacy for dessert....

It's licorice!  (bleagh!)

Two interesting tidbits about Longyearbyen.....Cindy noticed there was no cat food available for sale in the grocery store.  Turns out, cats are forbidden on the island of Svalbard!  Rabies, we were told.  All dogs must be in a cage or on a leash; hamsters, etc are allowed in cages, as well.  "But over on the Russian island, they are allowed to have cats," advised the clerk at the grocery store! 

The other tidbit had to do with weapons.  We're advised...."don't walk through Longyearbyen like John Wayne. You must have a weapon to walk around here safely and you must know how to use your weapon.  You are not allowed to carry a weapon with you inside any public building such as the supermarket, restaurants and others. Sometimes, you may leave your weapon in a safe for a short while (supermarket in Longyearbyen). If you can't avoid carrying a weapon in a settlement, make sure it is obviously unloaded (take the bolt out of the rifle) and take the shortest route from A to B (from whereever you pick up the weapon to where you start your tour).

All that heavy weaponry must be for protection agains the pillaging gangs of unlawful cats!