You step off a train at Oslo Central Station and are met with a towering billboard. The ad showcases Norway’s beautiful nature, but features the following text: Welcome to Norway! The Land of Chlamydia. That’s not a typo or a...
Longyearbyen to Stockholm via Tromsø on SAS
![SAS Tromso](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Longyearbyen-Tromso-Stockhom-SAS-15-738x355.jpg)
It was time to leave Longyearbyen and I was very sad to go. That said, the weather had turned decidedly chilly, with a cold pelting rain greeting us on our final morning. One other tidbit on Longyearbyen: no one...
Where to Eat in Longyearbyen
![Longyearben Dining](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Longyearben-Dining-11-738x355.jpg)
On a remote island in the Arctic Circle halfway between the northern tip of Norway and the North Pole, where do the ~2,000 residents go out to eat? Would it surprise you to know one restaurant has a wine cellar...
Exploring Pyramiden with Two Armed Female Bodyguards
![Exploring Pyramiden Night](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Pyramiden-Photo-Night-Tour-13-738x355.jpg)
There was one thing I did not mention in my earlier piece on Pyramiden: there are polar bears roaming around. America is not the only home of gunslingers: in Svalbard and particularly on Pyramiden, you don’t go outside without a...
Why Pyramiden is a Must-See (Photo Tour)
![Pyramiden Photo Tour](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Pyramiden-Photo-Tour-10-738x355.jpg)
Let’s play a game of imagination. Imagine a thriving village bustling with hard working men and women who have left the comforts of home to serve the motherland in a far corner of the world. Imagine a formal dining...
Fascinating Soviet Hotel Experience on a Russian Island in Norway
![Tulpan Hotel Pyramiden Review](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Hotel-Tuplan-Pyramiden-Review-5-738x355.jpg)
While most people just spend a few hours touring around the mostly-abandoned Russian mining settlement of Pyramiden, you’re invited to stay the night. That’s what I did. After the mine closed in 1998, the island’s population sank from over 1,000...
A Boat Trip to an Abandoned Russian Mining Island
![Arctic Explorer Cruise Pyramiden](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Arctic-Explorer-Cruise-to-Pyramiden-738x355.jpg)
The highlight of my trip to Svlabard was an overnight trip from Longyearbyen to Pyramiden, a near-abandoned Russian mining settlement reached via boat. I booked with Arctic Explorer because it offered the better schedule, though other companies offer full...
Why I Chose Airbnb in Longyearbyen, Norway
![Airbnb Longyearbyen](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Airbnb-Longyearbyen-Norway-4-738x355.jpg)
For months I had a room reserved at the Radisson Blu Longyearbyen Hotel for about $270/night after taxes. But in the end, I cancelled it and went with an Airbnb rental. One, Lucky decided to book his trip to Longyearbyen...
Introduction: A Scandinavian Summer
![Longyearbyen Summer](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Longyearbyen-738x355.jpg)
As much as I love solo travel, exploring the world with others represents many of my best travel memories. Last summer I traveled to Scandinavia with my Uncle Bill, who I have mentioned before in this story on why...