SVALBARD: First Sun After 4 Months of Darkness (Arctic Winter)

You don't really notice what darkness does to you until it's gone. Because while you're in it, it just becomes normal. Not in an obvious way, not all at once, but slowly, quietly. Days pass, and weeks, and without even realizing it, your whole body starts to adapt. Your eyes learn to see differently. Your sense of time becomes less precise, less structured. And life slows down into something quieter. Something that, after a while, feels almost comforting. And then, one day, it changes. So we're currently getting ready to go out on our scooters. It's obviously a whole mess every time we take all our gear out, because we, of course, have to take with us quite a lot of stuff, I would say. So starting from our beacon, this is for avalanches. Then something very important is, of course, our GPS. I have one, my boyfriend has actually two. So basically, your whole life depends on this. Especially if it's super bad weather and it's completely white out, then you don't know where you are. You completely lose the sense of direction, and even half a meter could lead into an accident. Then something very important is, of course, hot tea to enjoy the perfect break out there. And we're gonna do that together. So now I'm gonna keep getting ready. We're gonna wear our very heavy, clumsy suit, and then we're ready to go out there. So I'll catch you there. The sun comes back, and that's when you realize how much you've actually changed. I hadn't seen it in four months, and I thought I missed it more than anything. But the strange part is, when it finally comes back, it doesn't feel familiar. It feels almost new, like something you remember, but not completely. Here we go. We just drove 40 kilometers from town, and look at where we are. This is insane. It's incredible. So there are a few cabins over there, where my friend actually just stayed over the weekend. Because you can rent these cabins out for the weekend, and it's like the locals' favorite activity to do during the sunny winter. But we actually just came with our scooters to go on a little snowmobile trip, to go and see some seals, maybe. There's this place, it's called Kalesbukta. And one of my friends saw like 15 or 20 seals last week. So we just want to go there and see if there's something. But other than that, I guess just enjoy this beautiful, sunny day. We haven't seen the sun, guys, for more than four months. And this is basically the first day where the sun is actually out. Because it was over the horizon already on the 8th of March, but it was very cloudy every day of the week. It's been a crazy month. So basically the goal today is really just to soak it all in and sunbathe. Can we say that? Sunbathe in the Arctic, is that a thing? I guess we can just make it a thing from today. There's really no words, no explanation needed of why I chose to move to the Arctic and live here. And stay for four years of my life, or possibly even more since I bought a house, a cabin. But yeah. The first time you look at it again, it's actually hard to keep your eyes open. Like something your body forgot how to handle. The light feels stronger than you remember, sharper, more present, almost physical. And in that moment, you realize something simple. You don't really notice what darkness does to you until it's gone. But at the same time, standing here now, I'm not sure the darkness is something I missed less. There's a kind of stillness in it, a clarity that only exists when everything slows down. When there's less light, there's less distraction and things feel more essential. What a beautiful day to be alive, right? Look at this! I'm so happy. I know it might sound stupid to you, but I really haven't seen the sun for so long. And don't get me wrong, I do love the polar night. I love the dark season. It's amazing. Of course, it has its pros and cons. But this, this weather, beats it all completely. It's just the best you can possibly get from the Arctic. It's not cold. I mean, it is still minus 10, but I don't feel cold at all. I'm wearing a very warm suit. And the thing is that there's no wind at all. And the whole March was the craziest month of many years, I think. It was basically snowstorms every single day. So we are extremely appreciating this weather today. And we had to get out of the house and just, you know, take it all in and enjoy. I guess that's what we do in the Arctic. We enjoy life. And I can finally roll in the snow. And then do it all again. Wow. So there's this funny thing, which is, I feel like I'm allergic to the sun. Not really, but I spent so many months in the darkness. I mean, all of us, obviously, who live here. That I feel like my eyes are not used to this anymore. I was driving my car the other day, and the sun wasn't even out. It was like behind the mountains. But still, that sunlight, it was killing my eyes. I couldn't drive. So I had to put my sunglasses on, which sounds crazy to me. Because, you know, I was used to living in the dark. And now, what? All of a sudden, putting sunglasses on? Is that real? But anyway, even with sunglasses, my eyes were still a bit annoyed by the sun. I feel like it's just gonna need some time to catch up and to get used to the light again. I don't know. I'm not complaining at all. I love every season up here. It's just that it's really interesting to me to notice all the effects of the season on my body. And on my mind, of course. So it's very, very nice. Okay, I think we can have a little tea break now. And then, I don't know, move on? Carry on with our trip and go and see some seals, maybe? Maybe it's not about choosing one or the other. Maybe you need both to really understand a place like this. Out here, in this endless wide, there's no need to choose. The light, the darkness, they both exist together. Stretching across the horizon, shaping the land, shaping you. The silence is not empty. It's full of something you can't quite name. And in a place like this, you start to understand that existing isn't about control. It's about noticing, feeling, and simply being. And here we are. We are in Koles Bukta at the moment. So this is what is left of an old mine. There is actually a Russian flag over there. And that's because this is an old Russian settlement. We do have a few Russian settlements here on the island. Many are abandoned. There's actually only one that is still active and people live there, which is Barentsburg. Every country who signed the Svalbard Treaty had the right to come here on Svalbard and mine coal. So basically use the ground to make money for economic reasons. Out here, places don't just feel remote. They feel like they've been left behind. This used to be a Soviet mining settlement, a small part of a much bigger system that once made this place necessary. People lived here, worked here, built routines in a place that feels almost unreal today. And now it's just quiet. The buildings are still here, but whatever made this place alive is gone. It's strange how quickly something can go from meaningful to completely still. We are by the sea, so it's obviously a higher chance to meet a polar bear. I mean, anywhere on Svalbard. But here specifically, when you're by the water or by a glacier, you always need to be careful. Always keep an eye open, look behind your shoulders and just look at the horizon and try to have a clear overview of what's going on, of the surroundings and the whole area in general. So that's why we carry firearms. I do have a flare gun here with me and I have a shotgun in my gun boot on my snowmobile. It looks very peaceful and quiet here at the moment. There has been a few people passing by. It's a very cool destination for days like this here because the view is amazing. And I actually came here to see if there were some seals, but it looks like there's nothing going on in the sea right now. But still, I'm so happy we came all the way here. It actually wasn't super easy because this season the snow is a bit limited. So the whole road was very rocky and it's not fun to go on rocks on your scooter. It's really not. But it's always been like this here. It's always been a bit rough, of a rough way. I am completely amazed by what's surrounding me. I feel so lucky to live here and to be able to reach destinations like this in just, I don't know, 40 minutes drive? Something like that. The sun is actually quite warm. There's a bit of like warmth on my skin, which is a very nice feeling. And when everything feels still, it never really is. Out here, you're never completely alone. You learn to stay aware, not out of fear, but out of respect for the fact that this place doesn't belong to you. The return of the sun doesn't just bring light, it brings contrast. It reminds you that nothing here exists on its own. Not the darkness and not the light. They define each other and maybe that's the hardest thing to explain about this place. It's not about extremes, it's about learning how to exist in both. We have just finished our snowmobile trip. We were driving back, so we were on the main road back to our cabin. But we stopped here at the harbor because we saw a seal. There's like a huge seal standing on a piece of ice. So now we're gonna try to get closer, very quietly, not to scare her off. And I'm gonna try to show you guys. Here she is, guys. She's just laying on this piece of ice, relaxing and chilling, enjoying life. That's the purpose of arctic life, I guess. She's very fat, she's quite huge. She's not moving at all. So we're just gonna try to be quiet now and I hope you can enjoy this. Anyway, the sun is back.