Franz Josef Land

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About the trip

Adventure cruise on Russian icebreaker Kapitan Dranitsyn to the high Russian Arctic. Franz Josef Land is an archipelago of 192 islands 85% of which are glaciated at 81 degrees North 560 miles from the North Pole. These islands have a combined coastline of 2,750 miles. They have never had a permanent population being occupied briefly by Russian research and military facilities. In 2011 they were included in the Russian Arctic National Park. Some of the glaciers on adjacent islands touch so it is impossible to actually chart the islands' coast lines. During WWII a Nazi weather station was never discovered by the Russians. Our tour was organized by Poseidon and began in Helsinki, Finland with a Finn Air charter flight to Murmansk, Russia where we boarded the icebreaker. The return trip was the reverse itinerary. The company had an address in London and a English phone number: however I sensed this was actually a shell company for a Russian company. I made pre and post extensions to explore Helsinki a very interesting city. We saw wild life, flora, and several abandoned Russian stations. I went with a British friend who lives on the Isle of Wight. The tour had been promoted in Germany so we were among the very few non-Germans on board. I was unaware, as I am sure many Americans are, that Norway in the far north curves east forming a cap over Sweden and Finland and actually has a land border with Russia. On can drive from Norway into Russia! Murmansk is relatively close to this border and is a large seaport where the Russian nuclear submarine tragedy happened. From a touristic point of view there is no reason to visit Murmansk. I hope to add more photos and info regarding the icebreaker and perhaps a bit about Helsinki. Notes on Photos. Cover: abandoned Russian research station room--obviously a machine shop frozen in time.

Questions?

Reach Burr Preston at burrpreston@hotmail.com

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