THE MARVELS OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE
LUXURY LIVING TRAVEL u
DISCOVER
THE MARVELS OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE
From the perspective of sea level of a true expedition cruise Silversea can be seen at its best the marvels of the Arctic Circle. Discover stunning snow capped mountains and glaciers filled bays. Polar bears walking down the coasts and huge colonies of sea birds with their nests among the craggy coastal cliffs and walrus huddled for a nap.
The Prince Albert I of Monaco explored the Svalbard Achipelago in the early last century to study glaciers, crate maps of previously uncharted areas and conduct a scientific investigation.
A century later, Prince Albert II, his grandson and name of the Silversea expedition ship, made a similar course for a cruise to the Arctic Circle with the intention to draw international attention to the effects of global warming in these regions North. The Prince Albert II created for this purpose is a tribute to these two great men with their luxurious cruise to the Arctic Circle.
Few regions of the world have the richness of legend and lore as the Arctic- from stories about its spectacular fauna like National Geographic’ s film and book, Arctic Tale, to work by poets such as Emily Dickinson who once wrote about an Arctic flower, to beloved fantasies about Santa Claus, his elves and flying reindeer.
During a 16-day expedition to the Arctic aboard Silversea’ s Silver Explorer, we found out why this natural wonderland has inspired so many.“ Here, Mother Nature reigns,” said Conrad Combrink, expedition leader.“ It is a modern-day adventure. Mother Nature dictates where we go, and we are not in complete control. Flexibility is our middle name.”
Unlike Antarctica, the Arctic is not a continent which is the predominant different between the two polar regions. Under the massive ice cap of the Arctic lies the Arctic Ocean whose depths reach 15,000 feet below the surface. Often times the two polar regions are confused due to their having such similar names. The Arctic was discovered by Phoenician sailors years before the common era( CE). They named the newly discovered region after a polar star which guided them to the end of the earth. The star was called“ Arktos” by the Greeks during this time which meant“ land of the big bear”.
Coincidentally, this title helps many people remember that polar bears are found in the Arctic rather than Antarctica. Also found in the Arctic region is the arctic fox, different species of seals and whales, hares, fulmars and other bird species.
54 LUXURY LIVING