The first thing that struck me about Svalbard was the dry air. I got off the plane, tucked my fleece jacket closer around me and breathed in air that felt like a cough. Geeba was waiting in the terminal, and when I saw her, I started jumping up and down. I enjoy making people jealous of the hugs from my loved ones. A taxidermist polar bear was standing where the baggage claim area was, and we were giddy and joked about how easily you could throat punch that creature. (Later she showed me the .45 caliber ammo that would kill an attacking polar bear, picture to the right.)In Svalbard there are no taxes on alcohol, gas and cigarettes. A bottle of wine starts at 40 NOK (70 on the mainland), a liter of benzene is 7 NOK (14-15 at home) and a 20 pack of cigarettes cost 14 – fourteen - 14 NOK. Fourteen Norwegian kroner! What an incentive to pick up smoking. I believe the price is between 80 and 90 at home. Food is expensive due to shipping costs.
Traditionally the mine workers weren’t allowed to drink themselves senseless, so the governor issued rationing cards for liquor. I guess that was a clever thing to do back then. Turns out it still is a smart thing to do. The people of Svalbard still have a yearly alcohol card stating how much beer, strong wine and spirits they are allowed to buy each month. There is no limit to the amount of wine you can buy, and Geeba and I spent hours drinking red wine and catching up last night.
Geeba just went out to deal with some stuff at work, she’ll be back in an hour or so. She instructed me how to get to a walking trail below this row of houses. “Go past the Research Institute, down the gravel road and to the right. You’re not allowed to walk past the Polar Bear Sign! And oh, there are some crazy birds on that road, so wear a hat and bring a skiing pole.” She clarified that the pole was not for hitting, but for holding over your head so the birds can attack the highest point.
No comments:
Post a Comment