# Hello from Longyearbyen (and other stuff)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-from-longyearbyen-and-other-stuff/845602>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [December 30, 2019, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-from-longyearbyen-and-other-stuff/845602 "2019-12-30T17:04:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\
**Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-from-longyearbyen-and-other-stuff/845602/1 "2019-12-30T17:04:31Z")

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Hello from the above- we left Australia about 11 days ago and the temperature was over 40 degrees Celsius. Tonight it was minus 24.7 Celsius.

Just a bit of housekeeping- last night in Oslo we caught up with Gukumatz, the former board moderator. It has been 7 years since we have seen him and it is like The Picture of Dorian Grey- he has not changed- still slim and athletic- and we are groaning with age. We had far too many craft beers with him but he was still sprightly. It was a real pleasure.

Then off to Longyearbyen.There are large white cats here that the locals call Polar Bears. One has been roaming the streets and there is a warning about running like hell if you see it. So- it is as dark as inside a cows guts all day (no sun at all- it is dark here all day) so when you have no experience with snow, bears or complete darkness, what do you do? We went for a walk.

I didn’t believe you could be so cold and survive. Slipping in the snow we didn’t give a care about the damn bear, more like how many doctors in Australia can treat frostbite. Naturally we walked the wrong way (it was dark) but a nice lady pointed us in the right direction and the bar staff at our hotel thawed us out and gave us a nice hot meal. It will be an interesting New Years Eve.

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**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\
**Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-from-longyearbyen-and-other-stuff/845602/2 "2019-12-30T21:24:05Z")

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-24.7 is the kind of temperature we get every year in Montreal. Usually -30 or so will be the year’s low, although -35 is not unknown. And in Longyearbyen, it is always night this time of year. So I am surprised it is not colder at 72 deg N. If you stay till Feb. 16, you will experience sunrise at 11:30 in the morning (it sets 1:22 later).