It seems likely that Tolkien paid a visit to Bear Island, the Misty Island, southernmost of all rocky outcrops in the archipelago of Svalbard. Few places offer a more dramatic coast than the sheer bird cliffs of the south end of this commonly fog-capped rock cast in the sea. Needles, sky-pointing fingers, towers, stacks and arches and caves surround the frowning wall, waterfalls fling themselves over the edge high up there, while veils of mist roll back and forth. The striated cliff face has eroded into neat shelves, the nesting sites for tens of thousands of murres and kittiwakes. Predatory glaucous and black-backed gulls reside higher up, with a perfect view over their cupboard, the odd puffin and black guillemot nest under boulders or in crevasses. This bird cliff, visited by but a few dozen of people each summer, ranks among the most spectacular ones in the north Atlantic, and we spent a couple of hours this morning cruising in and out of bays and coves, enveloped in the shrill Arctic symphony of the birds. Of course we drilled through the Pearly Gate, a long tunnel piercing through the rocky outcrop. With such a dramatic backdrop, we just couldn't leave once that was done! In the afternoon some went for hikes to view the bird cliffs from above, while others kayaked under the cliffs or went fishing. The jigging for Atlantic cod was successful to say the least, and tonight we are looking forward to fresh, self-caught fish on the menu!