Longyearbyen Airport
Once leaving the plane we were again on a tarmac and had to walk to the terminal building. And yes it was cold. This was quite a shock after the wonderful weather in Oslo.
Once inside the terminal building airport check-in was in full swing for other expeditions and I guess they’ll be on our plane back to Oslo soon. Airside was very cramped with just one luggage carousel and arriving passengers intermingling with departing ones.
Representatives from Hurtigruten were there as greeters, holding up cards for the two hotels. By the time I had our two cases the first bus had left for the Radisson Blue. On the second bus there was a lot more luggage than space under the coach.
Our coach was delayed as a group had lost all their luggage. We waited while phone calls were being made back to Oslo to try and find the luggage. Finally, after 30 minutes or so we left for the hotel.
Radisson Blue in Longyearbyen
In one of the reception rooms of the hotel we queued and waited for our envelope to be given to us from a large box. This had our room keys and the agenda for the next 36 hours.
To get to our room we went along a long corridor that led away from the entrance lobby. The fire doors that were spaced out along the corridor had floor seals that made dragging the cases a real challenge.
We quickly sorted out what we needed for the evening and for the next day. We then headed into the restaurant/bar to have a sit down and a rest after what had turned out to be a rather hectic day.
We ordered drinks at the bar and were told it was OK to go and sit at any of the tables in the restaurant as this would be where we be eating the dinner later in the evening.
Other passengers came into the restaurant and we were joined by a French couple for dinner. As service began, we learnt that each of us had two drink vouchers under the water glasses. These would get us either a house wine or a house beer to accompany the meal.
The main course was fillet steak. What a relief it was to be sat comfortably enjoying the company and the meal after all the travelling during the day.
Our second day in Longyearbyen and joining MS Spitsbergen TBA.