Siorapaluk

We're back online!
Sorry Folks, but the delay is built-in if you travel this far up north: The satellite coverage is poor and in many parts simply non-existent. But here we are again, full of things tell you and show you. Just scroll down and see what happend, of course we did not skip a single day!
The only reason that the cosy little village of Siorapaluk is not overrun by tourism is its position: It is the northernmost settlement in the world and really, really far out, a good deal higher up than even Thule and Qaanaaq. And we do have the privilege to land there, more than warmly welcomed by the people who seem to celebrate our arrival like a public holiday. It is an unbelievable atmosphere, a mild late-summer sun hanging over the glistening Siorapaluk Fjord, the glacier looming in the background, filling the bay with the most beautiful icebergs. And the beaches! They are pretty, the sand is juuuuust fine, they are empty - if it weren't for the large icecubes everywhere you would feel like in Portugal or somewhere else warm and pretty. Well, the ice did not keep everyone away from the water, three of us went swimming, under the amused looks of the villagers who even took pictures for their families to tell.
The day ended as spectacular as it begun, under a bright full moon we continued our journey back south, back to the realms of modern communication. And that's why you can read this little account...

High North

For many of us this is the day that was supposed to make it all worthwhile. To be sure, we had Neptune baptize us beforehand.
Canada and Greenland at equal distance, this is how we traveled to get up here, feeling very much in the footsteps of the ancient and famous expeditions. The weather decided not to spoil our adventure, an amazing sunset made Canadas mountains gleam bright orange and covered Greenlands coast with a magical blueish sheen. You could literally feel the atmosphere on board, everybody was so exited!
And then the shout from the bridge - polar bear! There he was, quite in a distance but certainly visible, prowling the drift ice, stopping here and there to sniff. Of course everybody hoped that the galley boys on FRAM were coincidentally preparing fish for dinner… And he came closer, and closer yet, and - then he lay down and decided not to move anymore. Well, that's how they hunt, isn't it? However, we had it, our eyes had seen! So we push the throttle again and keep going north, aiming for high.
Only one hour later: This is it. Finally we have to stop. The GPS shows 79°40,9' North when we encounter the Big Ice, impenetrable for us. This is the highest latitude FRAM has ever reached! It means that we are now just a little more than 1150 km away from the pole. It may sound a lot, but it isn't: Except military personnel and a few handful of scientists, we are probably the northernmost people upon this planet. What a thought…
Of cause this calls for a celebration, and so the Captain proposes a toast on deck seven, ships horn is sounding - Whew!

Qaanaaq - Ultima Thule

Change of plan. Again, and again for a really good reason. We heard that THE German adventurer, Arved Fuchs, would be staying in Qaanaaq with his tiny but famous sailing boat "Dagmar Aaen". So, if this is not a hell of a chance to get some first-hand information about the Arctic. At least, you can always ask…
And we were lucky! "Bribed" with a box of fruit and two cases of beer, Arved Fuchs and two of his team came over to FRAM and told us - and of course the camera team - all about his current projects, the last of which was retracing the unlucky Greedy expedition of 1896, where 16 men died of hunger.
After this event we were all shuttled over to Qaanaaq and had plenty of time for all kinds of things. Here you can actually HIKE to the icecap. It just takes a couple of hours to get there, and the brave ones really did it. Those who preferred to take it more from the holiday point of view strolled through the village, watched the whale hunter tell his tale and sell Narwhale skin right from his boat or had a chat with Finn who runs the small but exquisite museum with a lot of very good artefacts from many a period.
And then we got visitors again on our ship - the senior (over 80 years old!) of Qaanaaq came over with his wife to perform traditional songs accompanied by the drum. Time and History dissolved in our observation lounge when we all listened. As we opened our eyes again, it was already time for us to leave - go North!

Dundas / Thule

History alive can look pretty grim. That's what we learn when we land on the lonesome beach of Dundas, where Knud Rasmussen erected his station in 1909 next to ruins from the Thule period. In 1952 the small settlement got the American military forces as a dominant neighbor who not only built Thule Airbase after the Second World War but also forced everybody to move out within four days.
The village is falling apart ever since, the abandoned houses and playgrounds casting an atmosphere of morbid beauty on the place.
Sitting in the background as if watching the scene sits Mount Dundas, a spectacular viewing platform the very steep slope of which we climb to get another marvelous view across the bay, including Thule Airbase. Certainly worth every drop of sweat we shed on the mountain! Back to the beach we got curious visitors, a polar fox and some snow hares that were not shy at all, apparently oblivious to the centuries of history that shaped this very remakable place.

The Kullorsuaq Surprise

OK, ok. Yes, this is expedition. Things can change, we know. But to turn a sea day which was supposed to be a mere cruise up far north, filled with lectures, movies and good food into a landing in one of the most stunning places so far on this trip - this is simply GREAT!!
When we passed the bay of Kullorsuaq, Anja decided to give them a call, just to see how things were. And then the mayor invited FRAM, captain agreed to enter these scarcerly chartered waters, and so we turned to starboard and made our way through a labyrinth of white, floating giants until we could distinguish the first houses far away. Kullorsuaq means "Thumb of the Devil" because of the finger-shaped mountain in the background. But the devil must have left a long time ago, maybe because the place is simply too beautiful. Situated just at the foot of the inland ice, blessed with fish and seal and whale, this hunting settlement is slowly growing into a pretty, very unspoiled village. The kids stormed our landing sight and had so much fun hopping in our Polar Cirkel Boats, the sights in the evening light were undescribable, and true Greenlandic life was everywhere. So this unexpected visit was certainly one of the highlights so far.
And now we are finally heading north, with a little delay, a huge amount of photographs, and a smile on the face. That's what it is really all about!

Uummannaq

If there was one complaint today, it might have been that there was no snow at Santa Claus' hut on Uummannaq, name of the scenic island, the heart-shaped mountain, and the village at the same time. The hikers were rather sweating under the arctic sun but enjoying every moment of it. The visibility was outstanding, also for those who took the boat ride to the most unusual place along Greenlands west coast, the "Red Desert". The Uummannaq Fjord was jammed with gigantesque icebergs which gave a fantastic contrast against the ragged, dark gray and red mountains. Lunch was certainly an experience for the daring gourmets that tried the typical Greenlandic platter in town. After all these activities there was still time to stroll through the village, see the museum or just have a delicious soft ice on the quay.
In the evening there was movie time, of course about something useful, "Frozen Planet", a spectacular domumentary. And then there was a "late night show", having the Captain himself, the Chief Engineer and the Hotel Manager on the podium for anecdotes and questions.
Another long day in paradise!
Note: We are going far North now, so it may occur that we will have only scarce internet possibilities for a few days. Please be patient, folks, we will be back!

Qeqertarsuaq

We certainly are being favoured by the weather gods, hardly any winds, clear heavens and summer-like temperatures want to make us forget that we are currently in the high Arctic. Not so the unbelievable icebergs that seem to have a gathering in Qeqertarsuaq bay, their flancs glistening white in the sunlight.
Today we go out in the wild, in two different hikes. Whereas those among us who prefer to take it rather slow and stop here and there for a couple of pictures set out for the Valley of the Winds, there is another call for "All Ye Brave Hikers": For the first time in this season we go on a long and more strenous hike to Kuaanit, all the way long across ancient lava streams and lush green fields to the basaltic columns that seem to guard the whole coastline, all the time beneath the majestic plateau that once was a huge volcano. Everybody agrees that this is a stunningly beautiful place. More than once you can hear the word "paradise" spoken with a smile. It's quite hard to turn back, but then again, a hearty lunch is waiting for us.
In the afternoon the "floating university" opens its gates while we are lifting anchor to enter the Vaigat Sound, a whole series of lectures in no less than four languages is given, mostly on geology but also on dog sledging in wintertime. The sunset finds us surrounded by an enormous amount of huge icebergs all gleaming white, orange and finally dark blue.

Sisimiut

Colorful houses under a clear blue sky welcome us as we turn into the bay of Sisimiut, third largest town in Greenland. As soon as we are tied up at the pier we start with a full load of activities: A fast boat takes some of us to the scenic little island of Assaqutaq, where we learn a lot about the ancient Greenlandic way of living and fishing, their belief, but also about the pros and cons of Danish settlement politics in the early seventies. The early autumn light is just to the liking of the German camera team that is filming a documentary on this trip (to be broadcasted on Dec 25, 7pm, on NDR 3).
Those who stayed in town went on the very instructive historical hike or took more than just a look into the old town centre with the lovely museum and its exhibition of ethnic masks. It was also a good time to do a last bit of shopping before getting back on board. A splendid Qajaq (aka Kayak) demonstration ended our stay and very happy we set course towards our next destination, Disko Island.

Illulissat

A world UNESCO Heritage Site in the sunshine! What could be better?

It was a day for hiking, for helicopter trips to the ice cap, for boat excursions, whales, shopping, lunch. It was a day for everything and anything. It was so beautiful with all of the icebergs and the crystal clear air that it put a smile on everyone's face. It didn't matter what you chose to do today because, no matter what, it was going to be good. How could it not be?

Many people were lucky enough to see humpback whales on their boat excursion to Icefjord.

The helicopters were kept busy with 90 of our guests taking hei-tours to the glacier Sermec Kujalec.

Our hike to Sermiut was really good. A river of ice stretched as far as you could see. Sermec Kujalleq glaciar moves 42 metres a day! By 6:30 we were all back aboard the Fram. There were still lots of activities planned on the ship. A charity auction and the crew show.

The auction raised 38,000 Norwegian Kroner for the children in Greenland! Wow! A very big THANK YOU to our extremely generous bidders at the auction.

Eqip Sermia

Our day was filled with more interesting lectures and presentations while we cruised by hundreds of icebergs on our way to Eqip Sermia. We arrived just before 17:00 but before we could begin our landing the ship's crew were once again put through their paces on another safety drill. This time the objective was to rescue someone from the frigid waters of Eqip Sermia utilizing our Polar Cirkle boats. It was very interesting to watch the AB's in their exposure suits jump into the water and then be very efficiently rescued by their team mates.

On shore we spread out to various scenic points where the Fram's Expedition staff were waiting. Some chose a challenging hike up the mountain. Others opted for a bit of solitude along a narrow spit of land that faces the glacier. It was a gorgeous evening. It really didn't matter where you went - the scenery was really beautiful. The hiking and the cool air were all it took to wet our appetites for the delicious barbeque back on the ship. After the barbeue, at 21:30, it was time for our chefs to demonstrate their artistic talents with food and ice sculpting.

Upernavik

Upernavik has it's own unique appeal. Like almost all of the cities, towns, villages and settlements in Greenland it is built on the edge of the sea. You can see most of Upernavik from the water as it rises steeply up from the ocean. Perhaps part of its distinctiveness comes from the wonderful museum with the beautiful paintings and other artwork and artifacts on display, or maybe it was the interesting cemetery with the old grave site and a little higher up, the new grave site.
It is sort of an in-between size. We had visited villages with less than 50 people and towns with more than 5,000. the population of Upernavik is ~ 1500.
Most of us paid our respects at Navarana's grave (the wife of Danish explorer Peter Freuchen). She passed away in 1921. The new graves were formed with concrete and were decorated with hundreds of plastic flowers. Some of the graves were very old indeed with the graves being composed of a pile of stones as was common throughout the Arctic. You could peer between the cracks in the stones and see bones from Upernavik residents of days long gone by. One of the graves obviously held two people. We wondered what life was like during their time.
At the dock it was business as usual with a group of local children watching the Polar Cirkle boat activity.
We wrapped up our day in Upernavik by inviting the town choir to the ship where they entertained us with their terrific harmonies and traditional songs.

Melville Bay (Southbound)

After a very busy trip so far, it was a relief to have a day at sea. There was plenty of time to relax. And, if you wished, there was ample opportunity to learn. Lots of lectures were scheduled throughout the day. There was time to meet with our photographer Camille and asks questions about photography or problem solve issues with your camera. Camille also showed the video and images she had shot so far on this trip and was already getting lots of orders for the dvd.
Later in the evening, at 22:00 we met with our Hotel Manager Else Kristine and our Head Chef Jimmy in the Observation Lounge where we learned all about the hotel side of the ship.

Qaanaaq / Thule

At 09:45 some of the expedition team took a Polar Cirkle boat to shore only to find that the tide was extremely low. So low in fact that we had to wait another hour for the tide to come in before we would have enough water to get our boats to the small dock. The bay in front of Thule was completely dry. All the fishing boats were sitting in the tidal flats high and dry. The floating dock was not floating. It too was stranded far from any water.
At 11:00 there was plenty of water and the first people on shore were the hardy hikers. Off they went with a packed lunch. Their walk led them through town and then up to the mountain above Thule where they had incredible views of the town, the ship and the many icebergs surrounding the Fram.
All day long we were surrounded by many happy friendly children all looking to help us with our boat operations.
While we were visiting Thule many local fishing/hunting boats returned. Many of them were successful. We watched several boats unload seal meat and a couple of boats had plenty of Narwhal meat to unload. The buckets in the last photograph are full of Harp Seal meat.

Our crew had been looking forward to visiting Thule again. Thule had been looking forward to our crew returning after a year's absence. Why? Because Team Fram's basketball team beat Thule's basketball team the last time they met. This was an opportunity for a good-natured rematch. The result? Thule won by four points in a very sporting game.
By 16:00 the last Polar Cirkle boat left shore. All too soon the Thule choir had sung its reportoire in the Observation lounge. We waved goodbye to Thule, each of us content with a very full day.

Smith-Sund

00:00 or shortly after. A brief announcement. Bears! Another incredible stroke of luck and a pair of eagle eyes on the bridge brought us two more Polar Bears. Soon the decks were crowded with bleary-eyed but excited photographers trying to capture this golden moment in the ice forever. We all o-o-o-ed and a-h-h-h-ed and photographed to our hearts content. It was a precious moment to be savoured.

After a late night, the 8:00 wakeup call came all too soon. We were happily surprised to find that we were going to go exploring the pack ice in our Polar Cirkle boats! How exciting! The ship was drifting right on the edge of the dense ice pack.
There was not a breath of wind. Ice was everywhere. The sea was like a mirror. Canada lay on our left. Greenland on our right. Soon Polar Cirkle boats were zipping us through the open pack ice. It was a summer/winter wonderland.
By noon, we had all had our cruise in the ice. It was time for lunch and more scenic cruising.
At 15:00 we were visited by Neptune. Many lucky people were chosen to be baptized by Neptune with Arctic water and ice for the privilege of crossing the Arctic Circle by sea. Who knew that Neptune was so cruel?
Throughout the day we saw many seals including Harp and Bearded seals. We all saw lots of seabirds including: Little Auks, Black Guillemots, Northern Fulmars, Ivory Gulls (some say the Ivory Gull is most beautiful of all gulls), Black-backed gulls, Glaucous Gulls and Kittiwakes.
Now it’s more scenic cruising with a constant bear watch!