Up at 5 AM and checked in at the airport by 6. I was surprised at how busy the Oslo airport was at this time of the day. Our flights were reversed, flying back to London/Gatwick then transferring to the 787 flight back to Seattle. Both planes were almost full but all went well and we landed on time in warm weather and sunshine in Seattle.

We have had global entry for some time and again we were through immigration in 5 minutes, only to have to wait 15 minutes for luggage to appear. Oh, well there are worse problems to have.

We “Lyfted” our way back to the ferry terminal where we were met by son, Scott, and wife, Jessica, who had arrived from their home in New Zealand 5 days ago and were spending the day in Seattle updating their passports. We had lunch on the waterfront before boarding the new (walk on) fast ferry back directly to Kingston, which is only 10 minutes from our home. Scott and Jessica had parked our car in Kingston when they used the new ferry to come into the city. We were home safely from another adventure. Time to start the 4th of July celebration on Miller Bay!

Epilogue:

• The Arctic is another beautiful spot on the planet. However, if you are going there hoping to see polar bears you are better off going to Churchill, Manitoba in the autumn where you will see many more and they will be seriously closer than any of the few we saw in Svalbard.
• Yes, National Geographic expeditions are not cheap, but the quality is worth the cost. The food and the staff make it a memorable experience.
• If you want to see both the Arctic and Antarctica regions of the world I suggest you go to the Arctic first. Having been to Antarctica first I found the Arctic region to not be as breathtaking  and exciting. The isolation in Antarctica is greater, the icebergs are larger and more numerous and the immense number of penguins surpasses the wild life you see in the Arctic.
• Norway, itself, is worth a visit even if you do not go north to the Arctic. It is visually beautiful, clean and inviting. And virtually everyone we met spoke English so it is an easy country to visit.

 

Parting Quote of the Day:

“Jobs fill your pocket, but adventures fill your soul.” – Jamie Lyn Beatty