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A sign outside the Longyearbyen airport  with the distances from other cities




































































      explorer of an icy satellite of Jupiter. For a slower pace,  rora borealis, which due to the extreme latitude spreads
      absorbing every detail of the panorama, you can opt  through the entire dome of the sky, not just over the
      for an exploration of the narrow valleys around Long- portion immediately over the horizon, as in many oth -
      yearbyen on dogsleds pulled by huskies: even a slight  er Scandinavian destinations. During the summer, it
      snow squall reduces visibility, and the caravan of sleds,  would be a sin not to take an adventurous cruise on the
      as in an abstract painting, magically becomes a surreal  MS Nordstjernen as far as Northwest Spitsbergen Na-
      line of black patches on a white field. Before departure,  tional Park, beyond the eightieth parallel (2,900 euros
      don’t miss the romantic experience of sleeping for at  per person, four days). This is not just one of the world’s
      least one night in a cabin isolated in Arctic nature, like  most beautiful sea routes, amidst fjords, bays, and age-
      the cozy Nordenskiöld Lodge, equipped with a sauna,  old glaciers that plunge into the sea, but also the only
      reached  by  way  of  an  hour’s  journey  by  snowmobile  way to reach such a remote latitude on the open sea.
      (only for visitors who purchase a private expedition).  The trip is highly recommended to those plagued by
      At night, with a bit of luck the sky lights up with a thou- what we might call “the Barentsz syndrome”: an insa-
      sand shades of phosphorescent green: this is the best  tiable thirst for the North, venturing into the most fro-
      place on the planet to enjoy the phenomenon of the au- zen, mysterious, and uncontaminated realms.



      68       Travel                                                                                     Protagonist
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