The prompt asks, “If you had two free plane tickets, where would you go?”

My answer is unusual. I have always wanted to go to Svalbard, Norway, specifically Longyearbyen. Why? Because it’s so isolated. I would love to go there in summer, because I always wanted to see what a day with no night would be like. I also would like to go there in the winter for the Northern Lights.

Svalbard lies above the Arctic Circle and is appropriately icy and cold. It is the home of the Svalbard Global Seed Bank and one of my favorite Internet radio stations, Arctic Outpost, which plays the real oldies (1902-1958). It is also the home of many polar bears, and you are not allowed to hike outside Longyearbyen unarmed.

I don’t really know why I’m fascinated by Longyearbyen other than its reputation of being the northernmost city in the world. It’s a town of 2400 people (approximately), smaller than the place I grew up. And it’s cold, with summer temperatures from 37-46 degrees Fahrenheit (or 3-7 degrees Celsius). Winter temperatures are 8.6°F (-13°C). I won’t be going outside much.

My husband would rather go to New Zealand, which is a much more reasonable place to travel to. But I want to go to a place few people have gone to (or want to go to) for a singular experience.