A guide to Svalbard... with Cecilia Blomdahl
Cecilia Blomdahl moved to Svalbard for love. She then broke up with her boyfriend, but she couldn't leave him with these norwegian islands. And that we cannot say that it was love at first sight, if we take into account that it came this far, a place where people who like adventure and the outdoors live, in the middle of the polar night.
This interview is part of "The World Made Local" , a global project of Condé Nast Traveler in the seven international editions, which gives voice to 100 people in 100 countries to discover why their own territory should be your next destination.
What is the best and worst thing about living in Svalbard?
The most incredible, nature and seasons. The most complicated, nature and the seasons! He thinks that Svalbard is a place of extremes: from the age of four months midnight Sun in which it is constantly daytime until our two and a half months of continuous night.
Svalbard does not offer something “normal”. And that is precisely what I like about this site and also what makes it not suitable for everyone. For example, I love the polar night, but I don't take the midnight sun very well. However, when I sit in my living room and look down on seven different glaciers, I know I can never leave. It's just too pretty.
What is your favorite time of the year?
To take pictures, My favorite months are October and February. It is the moment when the light is returning or is beginning to disappear. It generates those skies of infinite pink (I get goosebumps just thinking about it), the excitement of the start of a new season, and the most incredible light.
If I had to pick a season, I would stay with the polar night. It's so extreme and crazy and it fascinates me with those black skies full of stars. Leaving our cabin at noon and feeling that you are on the threshold of our galaxy, with the sky full of northern lights... There is nothing that can compete against that.
Cecilia Blomdahl in Svalbard
And the most incredible views?
The ones I have from my living room. We are only five meters from the ocean and we built the cabin to give the feeling of being on the water, so, when you are in the living room, you often feel like you are in a boat, with the beautiful sea at your fingertips.
When a friend comes to see you for the first time, what visits can't be missed?
It depends on the season. If it is summer, I would pick up my friend at the airport and take him to Longyearbyen, to have a coffee in Fruene. We'd sit outside and people-watch for a while. After that, we would divide our time between adventure activities and coffee in the sun. We would go up Platåfjellet to have the best views of our town, we would walk to the longyear glacier to gaze at the bright blue streams and we would reach the ocean to take a bath in its waters at 2ºC. No summer visit is complete without a boat ride, so Christoffer and I would take him for a ride to drop anchor in front of a glacier, where we would spend the day drinking coffee, exploring and getting ice for our drinks.
What surprises someone the most the first time they visit Svalbard?
Mainly that Longyearbyen is not like most small towns. Despite only about 2,400 people live here, it is a place with a lot of life and many young people. There's always something going on, whether it's an exhibition, dinners with winemakers at one of the restaurants, or sports tournaments.