We flew to Longyearbyen on the daily air service from Oslo to start our journey.

Longyearbyen is the largest settlement on Spitsbergen, the largest island of
the Svalbard archipelago. Approximately 2500 people live in Longyearbyen
year-round making their living from coal mining, tourism, and research.

Most buildings are built on pilings to prevent heated buildings from melting
the permafrost which if it happened, would cause the building to sink into
the mud. A major attraction to residents is the tax relief while living here.