30th July 2015

from the left Wojtek, Jacek, me and Mateo

The work as a labourer can be very pleasent when you have a great team, the one as we have:) We are grinding, welding, painting and having a nice time. From our technicians I have learnt a lot and probably after 1 year here I can construct my own house.

I upload some pics from our renovation work done different days during last month. Our maritime magazine looks every day prettier, although for the final product we still need to wait few weeks. It will be beautiful and resistant, and will serve for long years since we put a lot of work and heart into it...

grinding is easy

Mateo

a free while, excellent for sleeping

Karolina is painting

trying to paint Karolina

Karolina very happy that she has painted me

me, painted (by Karolina, of course..) as a the care bear

27th Jul 2015

Wojtek with the paddle checking if with the boat we are moving in safe way

Since there are very windy days (gust of wind up to 33 m/s), I have a bit more time to describe recent adventures... Those are not just trips, but a part of our work. In the radius of few dozen of km there are some kind of trepper´s  huts called HUS-es. Sometimes they are the old polar stations, sometimes the actually used ones, sometimes they were the shelters or even the house of someone for long period of time. They are often located in isolated places and always there is an interesting history behind it.

This is the case of Hytte vika, that we have checked with Wojtek and Jarek. As a Polish Polar Station we take care of the nearest huses and we need to supply them the wood and some basic food. Some people are moving across the Svalbard and they use huses to rest in spartan but safe conditions.

Wojtek, Jarek Hytte vika

Wojtek, Jarek Hytte vika inside

me inside the Hytte vika

From Hytte vika we went to Verenhus (Baranowka), to give the food for the scientists from my town, Wroclaw!! that actually are performing the investigations around there. Hytte vika is around 4 hours walk from our base, whereas Verenhus 5. I need to come back there!!!

 

Verenhus/Baranowka

  

Verenhus/Baranowka

Verenhus/Baranowka

25th July 2015- 1 month of arctic adventure!!!

The rainbow over the meteorologic equipment

I cannot believe that 1 month ago my arctic adventure started. It seems that it was yesterday.
During last month we have already experienced the rain, snow, drizzle and strong wind. Here the weather can changes like in the kaleidoscope. One day there is a rainbow, other, and that is amazing.. white rainbow!!! This is a rare phenomenon characteristic for the arctic atmosphere. 

White rainbow, bow 1

White raibow, bow 2

Yesterday, I mean 29th day of the expedition, we met the dirty polar bear no 2.  He walked about 200 m away from the station, passed very close to our marine magazine (Banachowka), where actually we do a renovation and spend daily long hours. 

No 2

Apart of bears, there are plenty of birds, which are normally attacking you since they have nest in tundra.  They go mad and it is normal that they pick you, vomit or excrement on you.

Angry birds 1

Angry birds 2

Angry birds 3

The only peaceful animals here that I met by now are the ducks, which chicks are similar to kiwis, and the reindeers. 

And there is ice and sea around. I will write news soon!! Hugs!! 

 

 

 

Ducks or kiwis

Ducks or kiwis

 a reindeer

Ice

Sea

20th Jul 2015

Picnic under the Hans Glacier

It is the highest time to upload some photos. I have done them few days ago. Recently it was a bit hot time, and my life was practically reduced to turns of 24 h and sleeping after it.
However, when there is a while and the weather conditions are good the surroundings turn into something magical. I leave some pics from one lazy afternoon walk with Karolina. We were waiting with the camera for the show, but the glaciar calved just before our observation started. That is a pity, but the glacier it is about 40 min walking from the station, so for sure I will have possibility to make some decent video.

To show the size of the glacier I have approached the snow. It was not dangerous since it is calving into the water. Not there.

Karolina

Some nice videos I have done, when with the guys we were checking our repaired amphibian vehicle. Maybe I will upload them in the far future:) After checking the amphibian with my boss, we went for the small excursion. We have approached the Hans glacier with the boat, and later the batteries form my camera were dead. That was very nice that the owner of the Grey Wolf yacht let me his batteries, so I could make some more pics.

Jarek´s boat

Checking amphibian

Amphibian

Hans in the background

us- the oranges and Peter on the Grey Wolf

on the Grey Wolf, with gyroscopic binoculars, amazing!

on the Grey Wolf

17 Jul 2015 (according to Mateusz 365 to go!!)

Rudek

Our days here are very intensive. In the few past days, the 37th Polish Polar Expedition left us onboard Horyzont II. We started to be good collegues with this team and therefore the firewall was a very emotinal and sad situation.
Without any doubts all of them are heroes for me:)

Fortunatelly, everyday someone special and amazing arrives here. The  yacht "Stary" comed few days ago celebrating the 75th anniversary of Battle of Narvik and 58th anniversary of the cruise of the  "Zew Morza" and "Mariusz Zaruski".

Rudek

One day later the "Grey Wolf" (http://www.berthon.co.uk/greywolf/) visited us directly from New Zeland:D I am so happy that I could be onboard and met the owner of this wonder, Peter Watson.

Of course there were much more people, but I could not interact with all of them. I have turns of 24 h every second day and sincerely it is hard to get used to it. So I try to sleep when there is a possibility.

Brzydal

Sometimes we have some alarms during "the night", we tank the petrol which we will use during 1 year or there is some action of cleaning the Arctic since  the wind was so strong that our rabbishes are everywhere.
Really, no quiet days here :) That is good.
To relax I go with the dogs. There are 3 dogs with us, Ragna, Rudek and Brzydal. Or I go to see Hans to meditate one of the most magical places on this Planet.

We have sometimes not so good connection, so now I submit photos step by step. Now dogs:D 

Me & Ragna

Ragna & Rudek

3 other aminals

4 other animals

Rudek

Ice & rocks

5th day, 08 July 2015

Gdynia, view from the boat, the training of special forces

Gdynia, view from the boat, the training of special forces

To be here is amazing. I am far far away. Even if the distance is just few thousand km from the places I was living before, the mental distance is much much further.
We were travelling for nearly 8 days onboard Horyzont II. We started in Gdynia, and arrived here, to Polish Polar Station, 4th of July. The travel was long and sometimes the ship was shaking. My stomach exactly knows what I am talking about:) Even if there were difficult moments on the boat, I am so happy to travel this classical way and to know more impressive people like a crew and the Italian scientists, Andrea and Andrea.

From http://www.dziennikbaltycki.pl/artykul/3915407,gdynia-statek-szkoleniowy-akademii-morskiej-horyzont-ii-wyplynal-w-rejs-na-spitsbergen-zdjecia,id,t.html

Frist Spitsbergen view

We passed few seas, have seen Danish straits, wind parks, the Sweden-Danmark bridge and some of us have seen whales. We arrived and after those adventures we had to take away from the ship all our stuff. It was an impressive logic operation and took about 18 h. Two tractors, two amphibians, two cranes, quad and hands of about 30 people was used. A lot of work. Finally, I was awake 37 hours. During the disembarkation we had the special visit. The big polar bear was observing us, then played a bit on the snow and disapeared behind the rocks. Here everyday brings new adventures and I hope to can share with you some my special moments. I have to quit, just I started my work and I need to send new weather raports. Hugs.

From the cabin, fot: Robert

The visit, fot: Konrad

The one of manz officer maps used during the cruise

Our track

Wind parks

Sweden-Danmark bridge

the Hans glacier

Ice, one of manz here

the capitan on the bridge

the wiev from anchored Horyzont II

Hans again

Me and other Dominika just before leaving the ship

I think it is clear

Midnight sun and midnight work

The walk with Rudek

Again Rudek and me