The north cape is already far behind, the first ice blocks float towards you in the gloom, while the rock of the bear island marks the barents sea .
barentburg on spitsbergen, a russian enclave, only appears after another day on the high seas and soon you are astonished to see a settlement for the purpose of coal mining – where there is nothing else but mountains and sea. scattered far and wide as the camera scans the coast, spartan hamlets appear and one wonders what circumstances have caused people to settle in this inhospitable land.
these thoughts lead to the confirmation of the first impressions, called up again by industrial ruins that end seamlessly in a norwegian protectorate.the welcome and control is not by a customs officer but by a walrus. n.b. the hunt for the snow crab leaves few traces.
