We’ve just completed one of our very top trip experiences – up to the Arctic Circle – with visits to Greenland, Iceland and the Canadian Arctic (who knew there was a Canadian territory named Nunavut??!). It is also the first time I’ve been on a ship where we LEFT ice-free seas to sail INTO ice fields. Nonetheless, the scenery was spectacular, with many glaciers, icebergs, glacier-hewn cliffs, clear blue waters, and abundant wildlife. I hope you enjoy the images here - and on the website. BL

Greenland

Greenland is mostly ice, but the coastlines have small fishing “towns” or villages. We visited three: Sisimiut, Ilulissat, and Kangaamiut. The many-colored houses are stunning and the fishing activities are fun to shoot. The surreal Ilulissat Icefjord is the most prolific glacier on the planet (thought to be the source of TItanic's iceberg!) and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. For you trivia fbuffs, it is the world's largest island, least densely populated territory, been populated for over 4,500 years, and is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark. So there!

Nunavit Province, Canada

This was clearly the most exciting part of the trip, especially in terms of wildlife. Getting up close to polar bears and walruses was incredible, including watching a polar bear wrestle a newly-killed narwhal to shore. Of course, it’s always magical to ride out among the icebergs on zodiacs. But the most surprising was how much I fell in love with the tundra - with all its textures and colors and variety, I couldn’t get up off my knees shooting.

Iceland

We concluded our trip with a a couple of days in Iceland. Having been there in the winter earlier this year, it was interesting to see this gorgeous landscape in summertime, with the geysers, waterfalls and crater lakes – and finishing off with a soak in the famous Blue Lagoon.