This morning we pay “ol’ Matillas” homage by climbing up Bruceneset
in Raudfjorden. His grave is a poignant reminder of yet another trapper who
died of scurvy. But alas, what a view this is from his last resting place. The
long-stretched Raudfjorden with its washed out red sediments from the adjacent
old Devonian sandstone mountains give this fjord its sublime attraction. On our
way out of Raudfjorden our expedition leader decides to turn the ship back into
the fjord as a polar bear turns had been spotted by another cruise ship. Well,
still at a certain distance, however far closer than the one we had seen at
Recherchefjorden.
We continued our journey and turned the bow of the MV FRAM
and head southbound through Smeerenburgfjorden to probably one of the most
picturesque fjords of the world: Magdalenefjord.
Enthused by the pristine beauty, we disembark to our landingsite at ‘Gravneset’
at the Magdalenefjord for a guided tour on the history of whaling. Some
travel-books hint towards the need to visit “one hundred world-famous
destinations” before one is allegedly ‘granted’ the right to depart this world.
At least these are the provoking titles of some travelogues. Amongst those
hundred destinations the ‘whale-hunting’ fjord: ‘Magdalenefjord’ is on many a
bespoke author’s list. On arriving at the fjord, we grasp this concept even
more: We enjoy the placid atmosphere of the fjord. ‘Graveneset’ - the old
burial place of the whalers – towers forlorn above the low-lying sandy beaches
that were referred to by the English whalers as Trinity Bay. This place is
definitely a captivating place. There is this inexplicable eeriness hovering
around this mystical destination. Particularly when thinking back to the 17th
century and imagining the up to 200-300 ton wooden whaling ships and their auxiliary
rowing-boats that were once all afloat in this fjord trying to harpoon the slow
swimming Greenland right whale. Simultaneously, 2 hiking groups explore the
Gullybreen area. This glacier has retreated quite dramatically. Old
travel-guides from the 1930s show the glacier front protruding into the
Magdalenfjord.
We continue our exploration of this unique pristine landscape. While
the sturdy MS FRAM steams wholeheartedly into southerly direction, it passes
the sun-lit mountainridges of the seven sister glaciers.
