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The Germans had pretty good access to raw aluminum during the war, at least until the Allies invaded southern France. Provence had an extensive bauxite mining industry back then, and occupied Norway...

The world's first battery powered car ferry will be a reality on the Oppedal-Lavik crossing in Sognefjorden, Norway on January 1st 2015. Since 99.9% of all Norwegian electricity production is based...

Our stay at Långholmen came at the end of a two week sailing vacation. Cruising the Stockholm archipelago is definitely higly recommended. Lots of rain and bad weather on the Swedish mainland last...

Långholmen is a good place to stay if you're visiting Stockholm. There is an old prison on the island, that has been converted to a hostel. We stayed there a few days last summer and can highly...

I'd like to have seen the Japanese videos of these incidents, not just SS's. However, SS being what they are and presuming they have not changed their tactics much over the years:

The incident...

As this picture shows, there's an Eberlestock Gunrunner pack, with a .308 win rifle stuffed down the scabbard, leaned up against the front wheel.
...

Biking on ice and snow? That's what I bought this bike for. Sure helps with 350 spikes in each tyre, though. This picture was taken on Oct 20, just a few days before the sun slipped below the...

I asked my Russian colleagu about that. He says it's because there are so many traffic accidents. People need video evidence to show the insurance company to prove that it was not their fault.

And that's a very good point. There are plenty of alternative jobs that the people that will crew this boat could go to. Qualified sailors are in pretty big demand, at least in this part of the...

I presume it's meant to catch forage fish - capelin, tobis, sand eel and krill - i.e. species that are processed as feed for fish farms. If so, there's not much need for onboard processing AFAIK.
...

From one of the latest additions to the Norwegian fishing fleet, the combined seiner/trawler "Malene S"

http://www.kystmagasinet.no/Global/Fart%c3%b8y%20hav/Malene%20S/IMG_5766.JPG

The saloon:...

Epilogue
The ship that Møklebye and Simonsen saw on April 10 was indeed the rescue ship "Foca", which they sighted just as it left the bay. The seven shots that they fired into the air went...

From a report submitted by Dr. Stoll:

When 10 days had passed with no word from Simonsen and Møkleby, I walked to Kings Bay [Ny Ålesund, coal mine] to organize a rescue expedition. The manager,...

Tuesday June 13, 1922

To my highly loved mother. To you I address my last words and effort before I put the book into the tin that will keep it safe. God wanted it thus, dear mother, that I...

Monday June 12th, 1922
To you my dear brother Leif!

So my dear brother, this is the end of my young life. Death which I have consoled myself with will soon appear as a glorious deliverance from...

Simonsen's letter to director Krogness, Tromsø:

Monday June 12, 1922

Mr. Director Krogness
Tromsø

Before I close my eyes for the last time I would like to send you some words, not for me,...

I have only very recently been able to get hold of an out-of-print pamphlet where parts of Møklebye's diary is published along with Simonsen's. However, some of the entries that are supposedly...

There's more to the story, but I'm too busy right now to write. I promise there'll be more next week.

The temperature in the Arctic is steadily increasing, and the sea ice cover diminishing. I can assure you we are VERY far away from any "heat island" influence.

Today we have Monday June the 12th, and hereby my diary will end as I feel so weak I can hardly write. We have now lain since July 4th and 4 times boiled bouillon on the bird skins that we have...

On May 30th 1922, we saw 2 ships go north; but they were very far out so they could not be hailed. On June 4th we saw a ship go south again perhaps one that had picked up trappers further north. It...

Saturday May 27
Still we are alive today though we have had a cold period for the last five days that we did not think we would survive. It was from the 21st until the 26th of May, it was an...

On Saturday May 13 we ate the last of the meat we brought. It was to be a festive day as we celebrated little Marianne Møkleby's 5th birthday. We had two spoonfuls of cocoa left, that we mixed with...

Undated entry [perhaps May 1st, since they obviously have something to celebrate?]
We have not had any sunshine for a long time. We still have some food left of our battered provisions, a tin of...

Tuesday April 18
We now firmly believe that we must be presumed dead both at Kvadehuken and at home. It appears to us very insensible and irresponsible that he who calls himself director of the...

The middle of April is still very wintery, the best time to visit if you're into snowmobile touring. They're only a few days away from full-on midnight sun, though, that begins around April 18.
...

Sunday April 16 (Easter Day)
We have been active all day walking about, south to our lookout point to check on our signal, that we erected yesterday on the exposed promontory below the first...

Wednesday April 12
We have also today taken a trip south along the land towards Magdalenafjord, as the weather has been very nice and the temperature quite mild. Møkleby shot the first seagull...

Hmm, seems to be some problems with jumping to page two of this thread?

Edited to add: It helped to add this post, for some funny reason. No more time to post today, I promise I'll add another...

Tuesday April 11
Today it is seven weeks since we left Kvadehuken. We no longer count the days; but weeks that turn to months. We have today gone for a walk into the mountains toward...

I've been too busy to post lately. Had to go to the mainland on Friday for the party nomination meeting for the upcoming parliamentary election in fall. The nominations went exactly as I hoped -...

I've solved this whole freezing car lock thing by NEVER locking my car doors and ALWAYS leaving the key in the ignition. Of course, when you've got a whooping 30 kms of road to drive on it's not...

I used the wrong term. Frost smoke or sea smoke is correct.

Wednesday April 5th and Thursday April 6th
Severe cold with frost smoke, due to the cold we can not go outside. The same on Friday April 7th.

Tuesday April 4
Today it is the sixth week since we left Kvadehuken. It may be another 6 weeks until we return there, by that time we may be thought to have disappeared and be dead; it will be...

Sunday April 1st
It seems April will be good with sunny and warm days, as it started with nice weather and sunshine. We had to get out today to do some sunbathing; it felt good, although it is very...

Definitely in summer, and well worth a visit then. In winter, conditions are quite different.

Friday March 31
Yesterday we took a walk around the promontory to get to Magdalenafjorden. The distance from here is longer than we anticipated. It took about an hour; we have to cross a few...

Wednesday March 29
We have had a celebration today, as it is Møkleby's 13th anniversary. We have for the occasion made coffe in addition to the porridge for breakfast and cocoa to go with the...

Tuesday March 28
We were paid a visit by a fox today. It checked out our empty tins outside. We could hear it sniff around and at last it ran up on the roof over our heads and disappeared. We...

Tuesday March 21
It is today 4 weeks since we left Kvadehuken with the conviction that we would soon return. Who could imagine that we should come so isolated and have to fight, and we have perhaps...

Sunday March 19
We were deeply disappointed when we came out today and saw that our boat had gone. It has tonight because of the great swell; it has parted both painters that it was tied up with,...

Saturday March 18
Now we have soon struggled through this week. One day the same as the last - making food 2 to 3 times a day, then stay in the sleeping bag for the rest of the day. The weather...

Simonsen does not name the place they landed, but they finally made landfall in Kobbefjorden on Danskøya. The islet they sheltered behind must have been Postholmen.

Today Sunday March 12 we have...

It could perhaps have been larger. Some sources mention the boat as being 12-14 feet. Other say it was a three-room boat. A three-room boat has four thwarts, the space between each thwart being...

Sunday March 12. Due to a shortage of time, I have not been able to note anything since Tuesday. We had then come so far south that we were right off Kongsfjorden, but far out to sea. Still we...

Wednesday March 1st 3:30 PM
Strangely enough we have now entered Magdalenafjord which has been our hope. We are in the middle of the fjord, but what good does it do when here, too, it is packed...

Tuesday February 28, 3 PM
Today at 11 AM it is 7 days since we left Kvadehuken. We have not yet reached Ebeltoft and at what time we will actually get there is now more and more uncertain seeing...

Monday February 27 3:00 PM
We have continued to drift in the eddy that goes along the shore south towards the point between 5th and 4th glacier and then out, north and in to shore again. Today we...

Sunday February 26th 2 PM
Through the night we have been drifting in circles. As it is, we have drifted south along the land and was today at the same height at 10 AM as yesterday at 11 AM, that is...