Comments on: Photo Friday: Barentsburg, Svalbard

By: Travel in Svalbard — Camels & Chocolate

Travel in Svalbard — Camels & Chocolate — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:11:46 +0000

[...] was nowhere near as ominous as the vacant Russian mining town of Barentsburg, but still had a similar feel of depression. Its inhabitants probably wouldn’t agree, but [...]

By: Tammie Dooley

Tammie Dooley — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:51:47 +0000

They lied to you. Something really bad happened there. How else can you explain all that whacked-out, colorful signage juxtaposed on top of all that gray matter?? They’re definitely trying to hide something. I just watched a recent James Bond movie. Conspiracies abound right now. LOL

By: Andrew

Andrew — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:05:39 +0000

Hi, got a link to you from Stacey@ Hodoeporicon:

The first Russian text, with the kind of crazy-looking man in the left-hand part of the panel, is something of a bizarre curse/twisted Irish road blessing:

…so, where ever you now
still have yet to travel,
On the road of any springtime
You’ll yearn for the polar north,
You’ll see but dreams of snow.

That is – *I* think it sounds like a curse; it’s probably part of a Pasternak or Esenin poem, though.

The second text is too small for me to make out all of it, but there’s something about mining (that’s the first word), then the second line says “in the bodies of rockets in the stars” and then the last line says “you give heat and light to all.”

-Andrew, from Moscow, with loff

By: Susan

Susan — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:49:37 +0000

What an interesting place, your pictures are great.

By: Kacie

Kacie — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:38:21 +0000

Even if it is ramshackle, the scenery is GORGEOUS.

By: Sharlene

Sharlene — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:10:14 +0000

What a fascinating place near the end of the earth. I love stories like this and imagining what this place might have been in its heyday.

By: jessiev

jessiev — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:12:56 +0000

yes, this was sort of creepy – the colors are amazing. where do people live and shop?

By: Jessica @ How Sweet It Is

Jessica @ How Sweet It Is — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:24:11 +0000

I am excited to follow along with you. I have only traveled to the same 2-3 places every year of my life, so I enjoy reading about other’s journeys.

By: Dominique

Dominique — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:41:22 +0000

I loved the photos….but after MonsteRawr’s comment, I’m pretty creeped out

By: MonsteRawr

MonsteRawr — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 04:48:20 +0000

You’re right, it totally looks like the kind of town that used to be a happy, bustling little town, until that Wilson kid was born, and he never was quite right, and when he was 7 years old he sat in the front yard and ate a rabbit, and then other children started to disappear, one by one, and the town’s never been the same since. And Boo Radley appears outside the church every day at 2:00 to give tours.
Yup.