Water, Waves and Waffles

Anjas soft voice is the signal to get up. An amazing morning with bright sun shine. A beautiful start for our historical trip around England, Ireland and Scotland. The daily program is filled up with informations about our route. Interesting lectures were given by Klaus (viking discoveries to the West), Friederike (geology of the Atlantic Ocean) and Katja (the English Gotik). There is also time for sun bathing on the deck chairs. A lot of trafic is around us. All types of ships from many nations are passing in a constantly stream on our way to the English Channel. At 3 pm we could smell the delicious waffles in the observation lounge. Later on Anja presents the destination and excursions on the following day. Portsmouth was in focus. Everyone is looking forward  to tomorrow. It will be our first landing. What a wonderful sun set. The cliffs of Dover are ahead of us but still too far to catch a closer look.
After a day with information it is too early to go to bed. A special event, a "song-contest" is waiting for us in the observation lounge. Some of our crew members are excellent  artists, they will sing with heart and soul.

Passenger exchange in Hamburg

We always talk about passenger exchange days. One trip is coming to an end, the next one is starting immediately. And how often do we, that work here on board hear "oh, so you are going on holiday again?" when going onboard for work.

So today it is time for a little clarification. And this is a rather typical work day...
06:00 hours- wake up, check mails, any last minute changes? (after going to bed at 2am- I am a night "owl")
07:30 hours- announcement for guests, information about wind speed/ temperature/ arrival time
08:00 hours- arrival at Hamburg harbor. Ship is cleared but... luggage is still on board as it is taken from deck 7 out to the pier and from there to the terminal building.
08:45 hours- luggage is out, guests are leaving the vessel and the shuttle busses are leaving...
09:30 hours- nobody is in the terminal building anymore... Good bye to you! And hope to see you again soon!
10:00hours- meetings, meetings, meetings... Everyone wants something at the same time... Port guests are arriving, there is a press conference going on etc etc etc
The stewards are busy preparing the cabins for the afternoon, everyone settles accounts from the last trip, getting ready for the new arrivals. Daily programmes are printed for tomorrow and suddenly there are a 100 things in ones head.

14:00 hours- Just came in from a quick walk around Hamburg. The terminal is already full of new passengers. Oh, it will be a great trip! Everyone looks excited- and something flashes up my head- I mixed up the lecture halls in the daily programme for tomorrow! So- back on board, printing again, team meetings...

15:00 hours- The new guests can not wait to get on board! The luggage is brought in by crane again. Klaus, Benno and the crew are checking luggage tags, bags and suitcases are handled all around the ship...

And then: announcements, announcements, announcements "Welcome on board MV Fram and to the voyage to England, Ireland and Scotland...." I promise you- I can say it in my dreams...

16:30 hours- everyone is settled in... and then finally at 17:00hours we are leaving the pier.  Other people are waving to the ship, Benno gives narrations to Hamburg from the bridge... and it is time for dinner... and more meetings... and the passenger drill.... and the Welcome by our Captain Rune Andreassen... and more paper work... and ...  Good thing that today the clocks are set one hour back!

We love our jobs here on board! It gives us the chance to see the world, meet interesting people, built quite a few friendships- and have a home far away from home here on board MV Fram! So it is work- but you bet: we do not want to trade to any other job! When I look out of my expedition leader`s office, one day I can see the bridges of St Petersburg opening in the middle of the night. Soon there will be the glaciars of Svalbard, the icebergs in Greenland, the maple trees of Nova Scotia and the penguins in Antarctica. One thing is for sure- it is a dream job!

Last seaday and the Kiel Channel

We ended our "Baltic Sea" cruise with nice weather. After two days with stronger winds and waves everybody enjoyed the calm sea on our way to the Kiel Channel. Most of the passengers were sleeping a little bit longer because last evening Klaus told in the Panorama lounge stories out of his own life as a lecturer on the "Seven Seas". It was already very late when most passengers left the lounge to go to bed.
But after breakfast we had again a full program for the whole day. Those passengers, they haven't been on the bridge before had now the chance to visit our Captain Rune Andreassen and to enjoy the nice view from his working place. At 10.30 a new lecture series started. Klaus gave us the last informations about the Kiel Channel and Friederike gave us an informative lecture about seabirds. During lunchtime we had the possibility to see the slideshow from our onboard photographer Cyndie. The slideshow was so well done and it was nice to remember all our stops we had on our cruise. After lunch Katja abducted us into the world of the vikings. And than it was "waffle time" again. After all this good food we need a diet when we are at home again. At 16.30 Friederike told us about Greenland, Antarctica and Spitzbergen. After we had seen all these wonderful pictures we are thinking already about a new cruise onbord MV FRAM.

Just after dinner we reached the Kiel Channel. Nearly everybody stood at the open decks or sit in the Panorama lounge with a nice drink. Green trees (they haven't been green in Russia or in Scandinavia) and yellow rapefields were passing by. And of course the locks have been very interesting for all of us. We nearly had no time for packing. The last evening onbord is not the nicest evening at all. You want to do everything at the same time, packing, relaxing in the bar, a last talk with the expedition team etc. But perhaps it is not the last day onboard. There is always a chance to come back. There are so many different destinations waiting for us. The knowledge about this will make it a littele bit easier to say good bye.

Roses. Ruins and History

St. Mary's Cathedral was greeting from a distance at the entrance to the old
Hanseatic-Town of Visby-also known as the "City of Roses and Ruins".
During the summer time the smell of roses wipes through the streets. Today, we can only sense the

Middle Ages,with the gates, towers,churches, warehouses and narrow streets.

It provides an excellent example of a typical North-Hanseatic town.

But the rich merchants in the hanseatic period also had many enemies.

There were the pirates who raided ships and robbed and terrorized Visby.

But the days are gone- now tourists come to spent their summer holidays

and experience the "Pearl of Baltic Sea".

On our trip around the island, we were accompanied by a grey sky and a cold east wind that swept over the trees und our heads. The beauty of the scenery is unique.We passed the picturesque old fishing village, Gnisvärd, dating back to the 1700's. And from the massive cliffs of Högklint, we admired  the stunning view over the coastline of Gotland and Visby. Unfortunately, we are not able to spent a very long on the island as the ship is waiting for us to continue our voyage. 

In the afternoon we enjoyed interesting lectures and especially the famous waffles in our observation lounge.

But last not least, our Captain invites for the great Farewell Dinner and the crew says farewell. Even though it is not our last night on board, we had our farewell dinner tonight as tomorrow in the evening we go through the Kiel Channel! Read about that later!

Stockholm - the Capital of Sweden

Unbelievably nice, exciting... the skerries, the entrance to Stockholm. Six o clock in the morning, too early for many passengers we were passing the outer lighthouse. A fresh breeze from northeast brought the ship a little bit out of balance. Small islands with needle trees and colored wooden houses on starboard and portside. What a wonderful site. Breakfast started 7.30 am. Each and everyone was on his feet and joined the passage through the narrows. 10 o`clock arrival in the centre of Old Stockholm, Gamle Stan how it is called. Only a few minutes walk to the small shopping streets with lots of cute restaurants and coffee bars. An area which looked liked a middle age city. The Kings Palace not very far and the famous island of Djurgarden on the opposite side of our ship. The whole day excursion went after a walking tour in the old city to the Vasa museum on Djurholm. It is impressing to see the proud war ship from the17th century which was lying under sea level for 333 years. The old picturesque Viking trading town "Sigtuna" was the next destination on the trip. The Swedish guide explained how Christianity started at this place and identified rune inscriptions on big stones. A wonderful trip! A half day excursion brought passengers on a ship around the Swedish capital. In the afternoon some of the guests went to the fabulous ice bar and enjoyed a vodka drink in an ice glass.

Everyone loved the stay in "the Beauty on Water" of the north. Stockholm is built upon 14 different islands and the mainland all linked together by over 50 bridges.

An excellent Philippino buffet was served in the evening as the ship found his way out of the lovely skerries.

The buffet was followed in the observation lounge by a superb entertaining by the Philippino crew with songs, dance and acrobatic performances.

Hyvää huomenta Helsinki

It was a great morning in Finlands capital. As the city awakes slowly, we were nearly on our way for the first excursion, experiencing the uniqueness and beauty of the sights and architectural diversity. Helsinki is a rather young city, only 200 years old and the cathedral dates back to 1852. Finns are proud of their independence, the only bilingual street signs are reminders of the component parts of Sweden.

The metropolis has undergone a gentle, but constant change during the years: in the old factory district you find today lofts and businiess building. It is a lively city, shops, cafes invite to sit outside in the sun. Suomenlinna Sea Fortress is only a ferry ride away. It is one of Finland`s cultural treasures and was built in the 1700s. Today, Suomenlinna is a city district with approximately 900 residents.

And already we hear music in our ears: half an hour from Helsinki at Tuusula Lake, one finds the villa of the countrys greatest composers, Jean Sibelius. His work is well known all around the globe- and when you see the surroundings you know what gave the inspiration for this great artist.
We still had time for a short stroll over the marketplace with many fruits, vegetables, flowers and fresh fish. And be aware: one can not resist the charm of the old Market Hall and taste a delicious rolls!

Right on time we set off, but I am sure that many guests would like to return to Helsinki! 

Back on board there is a full programme once again: lectures are given and in the evening there will be a great surprise: a very skilled carving show with ice, fruits and vegetables!

Good morning St Petersburg

Like the early birds we started into the morning on our second day. But our night enhusiasts had still rather small eyes- and that for a good reason: each night the bridges of St Petersburg open at a set time and are beautifully lightened. A wonderful scenery over the old capital of Tsar Peter.

One excursion stared with a city tour towards the Peter and Paul Fortress, the birthplace of the city and place of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Here you also find the Aurora- from here came the signal of the start of the revolution in 1917 by firing a single blank shot from the bow gun. But the hightlight of this excursion was definately the visit of the world famous Hermitage Museum- the "Crown Jewel" of the museums of St Petersburg. Founded in 1764 as a private museum of Catherine the Great it is now displaying an unbelievable selection of about three millon pieces of art. To see all of them you would spent an estimated 17 years!

The Neva river cruise gave us a great sense why the city is called "Venice of the North". St Petersburg is situated on 42 islands with more than 60 small rivers and canals crisscrossing the city. Our open boat went past the magnificant palaces facing the Neva, beautiful parks and garden and the onion-shaped domes of the Smolny Cathedral. This tour also brought us to the Yusupov Palace, an outstanding historic and architectural monument of the late 19th, early 20th century. It presents a fine example of the Russian classicism. The Yusupovs resembled a rich family and they were great collectors of art as well. The palace is in addition one of the most mysterious places of the city, full of occult memories. It was here that Grigory Rasputin, a peasant monk (also the "Lover of the Russian Queen",) who had gained control over the Tsar`s family through his alleged supernatural powers, was murdered by the young prince Felix Yusupov. And in the cellar of the palace there is a display of wax figures re-enacting the whole event (a bit like "Madame Tussauds").
In the early afternoon it was time to say "farewell" to this great place and we sail out the river and passed Kronstadt.

And Helsinki- here we come!

St. Petersburg

Oh what a day, we are in St. Petersburg, this wonderful russian city, also well known as the "Venedig of the North". Everybody was looking forward to this day and we have been very happy, when we could see the first golden roofs very early in the morning. But, and there is always a but, we were a little bit disappointed, that the sunny sky we have had for the last days was gone. Instead of the sun we had grey clouds and rain, but even when it was raining cats and dogs we staid optimistic and that was good because the weather became better during the day.

All of us had a more or less busy daily schedule. The excursions started already very early and we really needed the time to get a good first impression of St. Petersburg. Very soon we recognized, that we would need weeks or months to learn all about the town, but our guides did their best to provide a good overview. A big group started the bus tour in the direction of  Pushkin to visit the Catherine Palace and of course the reconstruction of the Amber Room. We nearly got a "gold and amber rush" and too soon it was time to drive back to St. Peterburg where a typical russian lunch was waiting for us. Champagne and balalaica music set us in a good mood. After the visit of the magnificent St. Isaac Cathedral we had a little bus ride through the city and than we went back to the ship.

Another group conquered the town on foot and had the possibility for shopping in the famous Nevskiy Prospekt. Those, who could't walk very well had of course the chance to explore St. Petersburg by bus. After a long day full of new impressions we were all happy to sit down in our ships restaurant to enjoy the Norwegian Buffet.
Dinner gave us new power for a classic concert given by a russian orchestra on board MV Fram. In front of the panorame of St. Petersburg it was an unforgettable event.
After the concert everybody went to bed early because another day is waiting for us in St. Petersburg. At 7.15 the first excursions will start, but this city is really worth to get up early!

The old Hanse city of Tallinn

A beautiful morning has broken over Tallinn.  After a wonderful Norwegian breakfast with lovely Gejte Ost and fresh smooked salmon we started to conquer the historical city of Tallinn.On the pier bicycles were waiting for a ride with the group of our sporty guests. Everyone enjoyed the 12 km cycling outside and inside the mysterial city walls. The other guests went by foot through the narrow streets, passed hundreds of restaurants and coffee shops and some of them bought souvenirs from the people dressed in mideveal clothes. Excursions brought the rest of us to the churches and the ruins of the Brigitta monestry, passing the beach entered the upper city. At the market place a lot of people were gathered. It looked like a campus in the Mediterian area.
We set sail early in the afternoon in the direction of St. Petersburg. Lectures about the Hanse trade organisation,  the fish of the Baltic Sea and the preparing of immigration for the next day were offered in the lecture halls.

We are all just watching the last 20 minutes of the glorious sunset on the Baltic- either from the dining room, the outside areas or from the Observation Lounge. Cydnie, our photographer, is just preparing a picture presentation upstairs that will run continuously later on tonight.

It has been an interesting day- bridge visits with Captain Rune Andreassen in the morning, lectures about architecture, amber and the Baltic Sea and our next destination Tallinn. Even though it is a sea day, something always goes on! And if it is only eating freshly baked waffles in the afternoon! And as we have very busy days coming up, everyone is happy about the calm seas and the sunshine we experienced today. And while finishing writing this blog, the sun is nearly gone and I bet you wish you would be here with us when you read this!

Zaproszamy do Gdynia!

Welcome to Gdynia, Poland! It is not only the countries richest city (due to the fact that most buildings, shops etc are privately owned) but also the youngest city of Poland. The city rights were only granted in 1926!  Before that it has been a rather small place that turned out to grow quickly with the construction of the seaport in the 1920s. Today Gdynia is home to approximately 250.00 inhabiants.

All in all five excursion busses left in direction Gdansk. This 1000 year old city on the Baltic coast is an amazing place- especially on a public holiday like May 1st! Everyone seemed to be relaxing in the sun, strolling along the main streets and enjoying the rich Renaissance facades of the houses around the Long Market with the famous Neptun Fountain. Wherever you look, there are fine buildings from the time of the Hanseatic League. In 1945, the city was destroyed by 90%. Now many buildings  are restored- but only the outside while the inside is used in a modern way. And that is also the reason why Gdansk is not in the Unesco list.

The pictures today show impressions of Malbork Castle and Gdansk.

Gudhjem/ Bornholm

Travelling in our days is amazing: yesterday Kiel, today we spent in Denmark, tomorrow Poland, later on in Russia, Finland, Sweden and then back to Germany. Imagine how long it took travellers 100 years ago what we are going to experience within the next 12 days?? At the moment we have 229 German speaking passengers on board and the morning was spent with port and excursion presentations. Around noon we reached Bornholm in typical spring weather... A mixture of rain, lots of sunshine- and some wind. The picturesque fishing village with approximately 750 inhabitants did not offer a harbor but we are very  independend with our Polar Cirkle Boats. Once ashore, many went on excursions to see either the exciting Southern part of Bornholm or for a roundtrip. Others explored the town, enjoyed the fantastic views or chatted with the locals that came down to the harbor to greet. And what would be a day in Gudhjem without some typical smoked hering or a icecream?! Too soon it was time to say "good bye" again and off we went- tomorrow it is time for Poland!

The beating heart of FRAM

At sea, at sea, that's where she longs to be…
This old line seems to fit perfectly on our brave ship, her bow ploughing the waves as if she enjoys it. But do we, who are travelling with her, working on her, living in her - do we ever think of what's moving us? With this thought in mind it might be a good idea to climb down into the deepest recesses where all propulsion comes from. Here sits the power that drives us across the oceans, that gently manouevers us into ports and fjords, that pushes FRAM through the ice with vigour. And you do hear it. You think the control room is a noisy place? Just enter the next room through the heavy door, but don't forget your ear protection! Four huge diesel generators (MAK, which is a German make) hammer their song in the belly of the boat. It's deafening, everyone who works here must be a lip reader!
And also here, especially here, maintenance is a constant chore. The guys just take apart a oil cleaning filter, it's routine for them, but looking at the amount of available tools you realized that this is highly specialized work. Thanks for all that, thanks for working so hard down here, where nobody seems to notice, in order to make this vessel what it is.

And now we are arriving in Kiel Ostseekai, in Germany after a long while.
Thanks to those who leave and a warm welcome to all the new guests. Have a good trip!!

Seaport with attached History

Gdynia and Gdansk, neighbours on the Polish shores of the Baltic sea, couldn't be more different from each other. Gdynias not only has the highest building on the Baltic coast (the "Twin Towers"), also its port is big enough to host more than 40 big cruiseships at a time, so it is no wonder FRAM gets a pier all on its own!

Today, everything is a little bit out of the ordinary, since one of the victimes of the recent Smolensk plane crash was the Gdynia-based High Admiral of Poland and we arrive just on the day of the funeral ceremonies. That means traffic jam everywhere, controls and closed streets. Anyhow, the bus somehow finds a way to Gdansk, where people can walk around this very old city and get a glimpse of medieval architecture and Hanseatic style.
But this can only be a short stopover - Oslo is waiting for us!