Explore More - Epic Expedtions

ON LOCATION with Karine

ON LOCATION with Karine Hagen, Executive Vice President of Viking, shares her latest adventures and insights from her travels around the world Before launching Viking Expeditions®, a few colleagues and I, joined by my father, spent a spellbinding weekend in Svalbard. This spectacular archipelago under Norwegian sovereignty also boasts the closest settlement in the world to the North Pole. It was a magical and humbling experience amid majestic flora and fauna, and for the first time in my life, I felt I was truly a guest of nature. With the launch of Viking Expeditions, we are now able to offer our guests extraordinary polar experiences in both the Arctic and Antarctica. STOP, LISTEN AND LOOK Amid the absence of manufactured noise, we can discover the magical music of nature: the cacophony of crackling ice; the flapping wings of a passing bird; the gentle bark of a seal pup. These are a few of the sounds of nature that the extremities of the world offer us. In taking the time to stop, listen and look, you gain a completely new appreciation of our world. A discipline we can apply on travel expeditions, but also in our daily lives. 70 VIKING.COM EXPLORE MORE

FEATURE Here, my father, Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen, is seen at one of the world’s northernmost post offices, located in Barentsburg on the island of Spitsbergen. Though the post office falls under Norwegian sovereignty—as does all of Spitsbergen and its neighbors in the Svalbard archipelago—the town itself is a Russian settlement, born out of the Svalbard Treaty and today the only one of its kind still remaining on the island. THE WORLD OF FINSE Even if the Arctic and Antarctica are a little extreme in terms of destinations for younger travelers, we can still inspire children with magical tales and interesting facts about the polar regions. Join Finse, my yellow Labrador, as she learns more about the world. The latest in the series is Finse Explores the Arctic and Antarctica, with beautiful illustrations by Suzy-Jane Tanner. finse.me HISTORY OF SVALBARD AND BARENTSBURG Located in the Arctic Ocean, halfway between Norway and the North Pole, the Svalbard islands have long been a source of fascination for travelers and explorers alike. Officially discovered by the Dutch navigator Willem Barents in 1596, the Norwegian archipelago is one of the world’s northernmost inhabited areas, as famous for its remoteness as for the surrounding landcape of frozen tundra and glaciers. By 1611, English and Dutch companies had begun whaling for bowhead whales, but by the 19th century, Norwegian whalers were most active. While most exploration was related to the search for new whaling grounds, some scientific research expeditions did take place from the 18th century. In 1925, the Svalbard Treaty came into effect, granting Norway sovereignty, and the rugged region formerly known as the Spitsbergen archipelago became Svalbard. Today, the islands are home to nearly 3,000 inhabitants, the majority based in Longyearbyen, the largest settlement. The stunning region is safeguarded by a combination of nature reserves, national parks, bird sanctuaries and a protected geotope. FLORA IN FOCUS When you travel with us on our expedition ships, you will find plenty of binoculars available for appreciating the more distant wildlife and views. But you do not have to look far to be awed by nature. With a field microscope in hand, an entirely new world will reveal itself. In a seemingly barren land, the tiniest Saxifraga, when observed through a field microscope, will display minute yet spectacular details not visible to the naked eye. Discover the flora of the Arctic in our online video at vikingcruises.com/expeditions/video/all. EXPLORE MORE VIKING.COM 71