500 miles from the North Pole - 13 July 2015

Sailed out of Longyearbayn last night in thick fog!  Couldn't even see the ski chairlift which was very close to the ship!  However, it was very comfy in the Horizon lounge sipping mohitos 🍹!!! Joined friends from Toronto for dinner and then went to the show.  It was a night of 'dancing with the stars'.  The European couple who had won DWTS featured along with the other entertainers from the ship and it was a great performance.  Went to bed (as usual!) and finally turned out the light after reading a chapter in my book and realised I must have left the balconly light on.  Got up to turn it off and realised the curtains weren't drawn fully and it was the midnight sun shining in!  We haven't had night time for 4 days!  

We are at sea now for three days, tonight we turn the clock forward one hour.  Today we travelled as far as is possible to the North Pole in a cruise ship - we were only metres from the ice as you will see in the pics below.  It was all low lying ice - a bit disappointing as I expected mountains of ice!  We were still 500 miles from the North Pole.  When the ship turned to travel south again we followed a long line of mountains covered in snow and glaciers.  Not really close enough to get good pics though. 

Dined with a couple from Sarasota, Florida tonight then went to the theatre to hear Pianist Robin Zebaida play 'A Greig Odyssey' - a trawl through some of Greig's best loved compositions with music by Chopin and Rachmaninov. Was really beautiful.  Greig lived in Bergen and some of the tours will include his residence.