The school trip I went to up to Svalbard was fun. It’s a very beautiful place. When you go there it feels like its own little world compared to other places.

There were many interesting places I went to when I was there but here are three that I would recommend for anyone going there. One would be the husky cafe. The cafe is home to retired sled dogs so it’s a nice place to chill and drink some coffee. The staff  were very welcoming and friendly to new people and the dogs were very happy to meet people.

I would also recommend people to book sledding sessions while they are there. I know from my experience it was very difficult but very fun. I would recommend for you to try and not fall off like I did. The third and final place I would recommend would be the museum. The reason I would suggest going to it is because it will give you a new perspective on what it’s like to live up there. There are also some interesting prehistoric fossils that were discovered up there. You also get to walk through a house that was made by people who lived up there once. 

Overall the trip was a lot of fun. I got to experience new things and see things from these people's perspective. I am very happy I got to go and see this beautiful place with my own eyes. 

- Aiden

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March 8th is the official sun celebration day in Longyearbyen, but this year on March 11th Longyearbyen residents gathered for the annual Solfestkafé. This is an evening filled with music, song and Svalbard stories and history. Young and old gathered together to sing songs about the sun and its long-anticipated return. This event made me very grateful that I can speak Norwegian as most of the performances were Norwegian sing-alongs. Although there were also some well-known songs in English such as “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen and “Think” by Aretha Franklin.

One of my favorite performances was by two young women. One of them came on stage and explained how it was a last minute request that they perform. She went on to say that she had a cold and that the guitarist was off-stage dealing with a nosebleed. To me, this showed just how comfortable and small this community was. Eventually, the guitarist joined the singer on stage and they started to perform “Spring into Summer” by Lizzy McAlpine, one of my favorite artists! They were absolutely amazing, especially considering all of what the singer said before they started. I was amazed over just how many talented singers a town of less than 3,000 people had! My jaw was constantly dropping. In between songs, stories of Svalbard and its history allowed me to gain more knowledge and appreciation about how Longyearbyen residents live and thrive through the dark times.

The entire program made me think about the duality of appreciating the winter and darkness while also recognizing that won’t last forever and the hope that comes with spring. Overall I am so grateful that the timing worked out so I could be part of this special Longyearbyen event!

- Annelise

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Want to join us next year in Svalbard? Applications for Spring 2026 are now open! Apply today!

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