I live without sunlight for months in the northernmost town on Earth. Here's what a day in my life looks like.
Eveline Lunde
- I live in Earth's northernmost town, Longyearbyen, which is about 650 miles from the North Pole.
- We experience more than 24 hours of total darkness for months each year during polar night.
I've been obsessed with the Arctic since I spontaneously joined a sailing expedition around Spitsbergen, an island on the Svalbard archipelago, in 2018.
Eventually, I packed my bags and moved from Oslo, Norway, to Longyearbyen, the northernmost town on Earth.
I live in Longyearbyen, on the Svalbard archipelago, where we experience polar night.
Located on the archipelago of Svalbard, Longyearbyen is a small town with around 2,300 residents. I now live there in an apartment with my boyfriend.
Each year, we experience the polar night — 84 days in complete darkness — from mid-November to January. For many, it can be a nightmare but for me, it's paradise.
Here's what a day in my life is like during the polar night.
I start my day with good routines.
It's important to have a good morning routine because of the lack of daylight. It helps my mental health and, without one, I can lose track of time.
On this day, I got up at 6:30 a.m. and had a one-hour-long coffee break surrounded by some candles and Netflix's "Fireplace" on the TV.
I've dreamed of having a real fireplace since I first experienced the polar night but I came up with a creative solution because it's not typical to have one in your home in Longyearbyen.
Then I get ready to head to work.
I normally spend my morning with my boyfriend but he's not a big fan of the polar night and has instead gone to Antarctica to enjoy the midnight sun and penguins.
After my morning routine, I start to get ready for work by taking my daily dose of vitamins, eating crispy bread for breakfast, and putting on my reflective vest to help me be visible in the dark.
I headed to work in the pitch blackness.
On the way, I watch out for Arctic wildlife on the streets.
Longyearbyen is a relatively small town so you can pretty much walk everywhere. My commute to work only takes a few minutes but I'm excited when I leave my apartment because I never know what I'll experience.
On this particular day, I ran into two reindeer on the side of the street. It's easy to be startled in the dark since you might not spot them until you're quite close.
The Svalbard reindeer, which are short-legged and have relatively fat bodies, are well adapted to the harsh climate. It's normal to see them around town because they don't have any natural enemies and aren't usually afraid of people.
After seeing the reindeer, I arrived at my office.
I work for Longyearbyen's oldest tour operator, Hurtigruten Svalbard. I'm grateful to work in tourism, especially with a product I love.
I spend a lot of time by my desk but, some days, my office is out in Svalbard's wild nature.
On this particular day, one of my colleagues told me the sky was pink so I grabbed my camera and jumped in the car. I knew this was a special moment so I drove out to Adventdalen, where there's less light pollution.
The pink sky proved to be gorgeous.
Once I arrived, I photographed the beautiful pink and purple sky.
The pink light, which has to do with solar-illuminated stratospheric clouds, is very rare to see. Before this day, I'd experienced the pink sky one time, during another polar night.
I had to stop walking when I reached a polar-bear safety sign.
Since I rushed out the door to take pictures, I didn't bring my rifle. Rifles are only for life-threatening self-defense scenarios because the polar bear is a protected species on Svalbard.
Because I didn't have polar-bear protection, I wasn't able to go any further than a sign depicting the animal. The sign is a symbol for the "polar-bear safety zone" and is a kilometer outside of our small town.
After work, I ran to the local post office, where the staff knows everyone.
After I finished working, it was time to go to the post office — a place I love to visit.
The staff messages residents on Facebook when their packages arrive and advises them whether to come by foot or car depending on the delivery size.
I made sure the office had my updated address.
I was greeted by name once I walked through the door. The post-office staff are some of the most friendly people in Longyearbyen and offer great service.
I needed to change my address since I recently moved to a new apartment. Not so surprisingly, they already knew that and had changed the address, another joy of living in a small town.
I ate a quick dinner and then geared up for a hike.
After the post office, I went home and made dinner.
Making dinner for one can get a bit boring so I went with something easy and had salmon with peas and broccoli. I was excited to get out the door again and go hiking with my friend Anja.
After dinner, I put on my hiking clothes and packed some essential gear. I have a dedicated gear room in my apartment, where I keep all my equipment and a weapon locker for my rifle.
Before our hike, we put on more gear.
I drove three minutes to pick up Anja at her place, then drove three more minutes to the starting point for our hike.
Before we started our hike, we had to prepare to use the gear we'd brought with us.
I had my rifle in case we ran into a life-threatening situation.
I put spikes on the bottom of my shoes, turned on my headlamp, and half-loaded my rifle. Again, it's only to be used in a life-threatening scenario.
I also carried a flare gun, which can be used for scaring a polar bear away.
It was a steep hike but the view was worth it.
A layer of snow covered the icy tundra, which made for a steep and slippery hike. We took it slow and after about 30 minutes, we reached the summit of Platåfjellet and got an amazing view over Longyearbyen.
It was so calm and quiet because we were the only ones around.
The view was breathtaking because the moonlight lit up the surrounding mountains. It also felt very special to see the town lit up by its street lights in the dark.
Overall, it was a nice day that felt long but varied.
After half an hour at the top, we started to get cold and began our descent. The way down the mountain was even more challenging so we took it slow and both fell over a few times. When we finally got back to the car, I was ready to get home to my couch.
I spent about an hour watching a documentary and then got ready for bed. When I went to sleep, I was excited for a new day on my small island.
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