A day in Uummannaq and Ukussisat north of Nuussuaq!

If you struggle at home with the right pronunciation of all these Greenlandic names you can be sure, it is not so easy for us too. But we try to do our best and our Greenlandic lecturers do a good job to teach us.

 



Uummannaq is the town with the huge heart shaped mountain as its landmark. People welcomed us so nicely that we had the feeling that all inhabitants of Uummannaq have a big heart too. It was easy to walk through the city and get in contact with the residents. Some of us had even a meeting with some citizens and they got a lot of information about the life in a Greenlandic little town.

Others have been more interested in the geology of the region. By boat they sailed along the icy coastline to the so called “Red dessert”. This place is famous for it´s special rock formation. As there is so much sulfur on the Island the region looks slightly like a moon landscape.

At lunchtime other passengers used the possibility to taste Greenlandic food. Food is always a good option to get more impressions about the way of life in a country.

In the afternoon the hikers got their chance again. Along the “heart mountain” they reached “Santa´s Cabin”, a little hut that was built as a film coulisse for a Christmas film at the Danish TV.

Back on board our Chef Eric was waiting for us on Deck 7 to give us an explanation about dry fish. Of course we could get a taste of it also. For most of the guests it has been a new experience.

In the evening, after a wonderful cruise through a world of ice, we reached Ukussisat – a small settlement nearby –. As HURTIGRUTEN visits this little village since years the inhabitants were waiting and waving for us when MV FRAM arrived. But before we could discover Ukussisat by ourselves many inhabitants visited us aboard and gave us a nice demonstration of their singing and dancing.  

Welcome to the big island – Welcome to Qeqertarsuaq!

During the night we were heading forward to Qeqertarsuaq - a small settlement on Disko Island - that was well-known during the whaling time as Godhavn. The weather was still amazing. As we are here during the midnight sun we have sunshine for 24 hours. Exactly at 24h last night we could see our first icebergs sailing smoothly through the calm sea in a very golden light. Some of us were not even thinking about sleeping as long there was such an unforgettable nice iceberg ally next to the vessel.

As soon as we reached the harbor of Qeqertarsuaq we started our landing with our little Polarcircel Boats. In several groups we went on a nice hike to the so called “Valley of the wind”. We have just spring time on the Disko Island. The typical Table Mountains – formed during a volcanic period 55 to 60 Million years ago - are still a little bit covered with snow but the tundra is blooming already.

Some passengers joined a guided tour through the little village. It was nice to get at least a first impression about the life in a small Greenlandic settlement.

Back to the vessel it was lecture time. Our lecturer team started to teach us in three different languages. Hopefully we will remember at least a small part of all these nicely given lectures.

Now in the late evening the sea is so calm that the mountains are reflected in the sea like in a mirror. The icebergs are shining golden again. And once more it is difficult to go to bed. When will we see a landscape like this – especially under this unbelievable conditions – again?

On a mystic misty day

Our day in Sisimiut started with dense fog. That is very typical for this region. But it is also typical that the fog disappears later in the morning. So our first impression of Sisimiut, Greenland´s second largest city, was a bit mystic. You nearly could not see the settlement or the mountains in the surrounding. But after a while you could recognize the first houses, fisher boats in the harbor and the landscape around Sisimiut. Later on the fog was gone and the sun was shining again like yesterday in Kangerlussuaq.

Especially those guests on a hike to the top of Palaasip Qaqqa could have been happy about the nice weather as they got an excellent view over the area.

 

Many passengers went by boat to Assaqutaq, an abandoned settlement nearby Sisimiut. There was only a summer camp left for the children of Sisimiut and they welcomed us and showed us the results of their fishing and hunting lessons.

As the tundra just started to bloom we got a first impression how nice the vegetation can be. Greenland seems to be a real green land.

In the city itself we learned about the modern Greenland. We saw the houses out of the sixties and the very modern houses built in the last ten years. What a difference! The modern supermarkets offered nearly the same than our shops at home. Only the whale and seal meat in the fridge remembered us that we were not in Europe.

In the evening after dinner we met Miki, a Greenlandic singer and artist in the Observation Lounge. He gave us a first concert with special songs from his country.  

All together we have to say: It was a perfect day, with a mystic start and an exciting end.

Going and Coming – A typical changeover day!

Everything has an end and finally, we had to leave the vessel. After such a long trip with all these wonderful impressions we had to go home. The little polarcircle boats brought us to the pier in Kangerlussuaq; a last good bye from the expedition team and then we left.

But as our plane would fly first in the evening we had still time for a last big experience. With huge tundra busses, companied by expedition team members that would fly home with us in the evening, we went in the direction of the inland ice. During the trip aboard MV FRAM we saw so many ice, sea ice and glacier ice, but now we wanted to see the Greenlandic ice cap as best as possible.

The day ended for us with a nice BBQ at Lake Ferguson. It was a nice possibility to say good bye to Greenland. Perhaps we will come back at any time but at least we will never forget the wild and exiting nature and of course all the Greenlanders that welcomed us by heart.

At the other side the new incoming guests were looking forward to their Disko-Bay trip. The plane arrived at 3.20pm. Busses brought all guests directly to the pier and only a little bit later everybody was checked in already. Outfitted with new blue jackets the trip could start. The mandatory safety drill was quickly done and after a first relaxed dinner buffet everybody was welcomed by our Captain Arild Hȧrvig and his officers. A first introduction to the expedition team by the Expedition leader Anja Erdmann remembered us that we are aboard of an expedition vessel and not on any so called “Loveboats”.  

During MV FRAM is sailing through the Kangerlussaq Fjord – this night in the opposite direction then last night – all passengers went to bed as they have been tired after a long day of travelling.

Ice is nice!!!!!!!!!!

Around 6 o´clock in the morning we heaved the anchor and sailed in the direction of the Lemaire Channel.  It was a little bit foggy and snowy but we could already recognise that this would be another spectacular day in Antarctica. The sea was packed with drift ice from the last winter and FRAM had to find her way through. From the distance it looked nearly impossible to navigate through the ice, but the captain and the officers did a wonderful job and we slid slowly south. FRAM has a very high ice class and is especially built for maneuvering in the ice. But it is not only the ship  -  you need of course a captain and crew with a lot of experience in Antarctic waters. It was an unusual sound for us when the ice floes crashed against the ship’s bow. The captain even broke some huge ice floes and it was unbelievable to watch the FRAM as she formed huge cracks in the ice.

 At the southern end of the Lemaire Channel our Expedition leader Karin had another surprise for us – a polarCirkel boat cruise for everybody in the ice. Now we got the chance to see the drift ice and icebergs from the water level.  As the sea was nearly totally covered with ice it was not so easy to find a way through, but the boat drivers did very well and we had an unforgettable experience.

You cannot stop our expedition leader Karin- she is what we call a ‘power woman’ who can never ever rest. And so we were not shocked when she mentioned another surprise for us. Those who really fell in love with ice cruising had a very special chance to go back through the Lemaire Channel in the polarCirkel boats. Passengers had to buy this trip but after only minutes it was sold out.  To be safe and well protected against the cold these passengers received special floating suits from the ship. They looked a little bit like they would work well on the moon but the equipment made the cruise very comfortable. FRAM followed the boats slowly and we picked the passengers up again at the northern end of the Lemaire Channel. Few have transited the Lemaire in small boats and now those who went join those few. A highlight of the trip was close looks at Crabeater Seals.

In the late afternoon we landed at the British base A, AKA Port Lockroy. The buildings are home to several summer caretakers/museum staff; one doubles as a sub-post master in the most southerly British Post Office. The main building contains a small museum and a well-stocked gift shop. Breeding Gentoo Penguins surrounded each of the buildings are were already starting to look like they do in the summer- dirty!

Welcome to the far south

This morning the Fram came along side at Ushuaia, Argentina, the most southerly city in the world. Our first cruise of the Antarctic season ended with very happy people heading home or continuing their journeys in South America. Eight hours later the ship was cleaned and readied for our next expedition. Our new passengers arrived to the ship at about 1630h after first having a chance to look around this vibrant city.

Even though Ushuaia (pronounced Ooswhya) is built up, there are lots of opportunities to see wildlife, especially on the shoreline. This is a Dolphin Gull, which is common here in Tierra del Fuego.

After checking-in, jacket fitting and settling into our cabins, we set sail at about 1900h. Our destination is Punta Arenas, Chile, where some passengers will visit Torres del Paine National Park while others will go on various exciting excursions to the region. As is normal, Kelp Gulls said goodbye to us as we left the port of Ushuaia!

After supper, we had a mandatory safety drill followed by a welcome reception with our captain. After spending a few days in Chile we will head down to Antarctica. Stay tuned to this blog to follow our expedition!

And finally… our voyage comes to an end

The storm calmed down during the night and we could enjoy our last day of the voyage in calm and warm weather conditions. Many of us took the opportunity to sit and sunbathe on decks 5 or 7. Passengers in short sleeves – this is a quite unusual sight on board FRAM who spends most of the year in polar regions!

Creativity Contest

We had the final lectures and also the big final of the famous Creativity Contest. During the voyage, passengers painted, knitted, cut and invented many different items related to our trip. Stories about penguins were written, games with wildlife scenery created, several cartoons composed and even an Antarctic song was sung. Amazing to see how many talented people we have had on board! Manuel as the contest director distributed prizes to all participants: a pin (with a penguin), another pin (from Hurtigruten), a pen (again from Hurtigruten), a hat and a bag!

Then, the Captains Farewell Cocktail took place in the Observation Lounge. After the Captain’s speech and toast, the MV FRAM Choire gave a final performance for all guests. We also learned that we are all going to receive a special “Storm Certificate” for being in yesterday’s hurricane!

The evening concluded with a barbecue on the outside deck and a final quiz with the expedition team. Now we are in the Río de la Plata and will soon arrive in Buenos Aires, our final destination.



Chef Eduardo

All crew on board of FRAM hope that you have enjoyed our trip, that you will long remember the fascinating places and animals we got to see and that you have a safe travel home. Farewell and maybe Welcome Back soon!




Our photographer Simon did a great job to get us all in one foto!

 

Hurricane Day

Today we had an unusual wake-up announcement shortly after 7 this morning. Our captain advised us about FRAM being in a hurricane, Beaufort 12. Most of us had already noticed the strong rolling during the night. Breakfast was served in plastic dishes in order to prevent breaking of glass. Despite the storm, many passengers showed up and most of them were in good mood.

For safety reasons we had to cancel all programs for today. But it was exciting to watch the waves, the lightening and the storm outside.