The title of this post is a quote from “New Lands Within the Arctic Circle”, a book which Julius Von Payer wrote about his voyage in the Austrian ship Tegetthoff in the years 1872-1874. I have been wanting to use this phrase ever since I first read it!

Then, for this post, I was trying to figure out what to write, without going into technical detail about the different types of ice and their characteristics and formation cycles.

That’s when I realised that my goal was simply to share some of the photos I had taken of the wonderful sights I have seen of the “chaos of ice”.

So, without any further ado, that’s what I am going to do!

You can draw your own conclusions about the differences between the ice scenes in Svalbard compared to the ice scenes in Greenland.

I’m starting with a video of the Vikingfjord navigating through ice in Svalbard. I often braved the cold to spend time on the fore deck, as the ship ploughed through the ice, listening to the sound of the crushing and banging against the ice-strengthened hull.

Next are some images of Brasvellbreen, the ice cliff which is part of the Austfonna ice sheet in Svalbard. The ice wall is 170 km; the longest in the northern hemisphere. (By comparison, the ice wall at the sea front of the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica is 600 km long. Notwithstanding the significant difference in size, Brasvellbreen brought back memories of my trip to the Ross Sea)

The glaciers in Svalbard were spectacular, all the more so because we often approached them on the zodiacs:

Remember what I wrote about our first day in Greenland, when our plans were thwarted because of ice? While we missed a couple of experiences in Qaqortoq, the voyage through the ice was unforgettable. The brilliance of the light, and the colours of the ice were extraordinary.

At this point, I just need to share a story. As our ferry cruised the coast of Greenland, it would stop off at the many towns and villages to deliver and pick up people and goods. At one of these villages, the ship was unable to dock….

…. because there was an iceberg blocking the wharf!

Not to be deterred, the ferry lowered a zodiac and carried out the necessary transfers. Obviously this was a common occurrence!

More icebergs, this time in Greenland:

The following photos were taken close to midnight, on the night cruise out of Ilulissat in Greenland. The atmosphere was magic. We were cruising the mouth of the Ilulissat Icefjord, which is the sea mouth to Sermeq Kujelleq, one of the fastest and most active glaciers in the world. Our boat cruised slowly and quietly between the huge number of icebergs clustered at the entrance of the fjord:

I’m finishing with the following photo, which I took in Svalbard. It reminds me of how remote we were, and how peaceful it was.

This photo will always transport me to that moment in time.