ISFJORDEN - and farewell

Sunday 6^th of June

Today we sailed in Isfjorden, and this was a good name for this fjord today, because in the beginning we met a lot of drifting ice. There were six lectures before lunch all together, and while Marta was talking about coal production in Svalbard, we actually passed the Russian settlement, Barentsburg and saw the black smoke from the coal power station there.

After lunch captain Rune Andreassen and his crew invited for a farewell coctail in Panorama Lounge, deck 7.

The cottage in Skansebukta. And some purple saxifragas. Photo: Ian Lawson

In the afternoon we landed in Skansebukta. And finally, we could have a bath. Yes, in the fjord. And again, the Chinese were the toughest of us. Afterwards we had a nice Barbeque dinner on deck 7.

We arrived Longyearbyen in the middle of the night – and all the Chinese left the boat for an early plain. And it felt empty.

This voyage, as everything – has to come to an end. It has been a beautiful and fantastic voyage. Me, the blogger would like to thank you, both my new friends at Hurtigruten and all the passengers and all others who made Fram’s first trip to Spitsbergen possible.  

PS: Monday some of the remaining passengers went to the University of Svalbard (UNIS) and got a lecture there. They also had a guided tour in Longyearbyen.  

FINALLY, THE KING

SATURDAY 5^th of June

We woke up and had our breakfast in Raudfjorden this morning. All landscape was covered by snow and also a lot of fast ice in the fjord. It was not possible to do a landing, but suddenly everybody forgot about that, because the captain was on the loud speaker:

POLAR BEARS! Finally. Three of them, or were there four, or five? Somebody said six, so – well, they were far away, more like small yellow walking spots on the white ice.

– That was the animal I wanted to see the most, so this was really funny, said Olevarius Frostad Udsby who thought the bears looked quite big in his binocular. Olevarius is the youngest tourist on this voyage, ten years old. He is taking a lot of pictures every day and also making this little film he is going to show his friends at school when he returns.

After a while we left the bears to go even further north, to 80 degrees. We went to see Moffen, this little island north of Spitsbergen – and there we could see several groups of walruses on the shore, swimming and playing and breathing in the water, over 100 all together.

 

After a while we got a visitor on the vessel, king Neptun. He baptised the toughest of us, well, the Chinese, with ice cubes. In the afternoon we did a landing and climbed a little mountain at Ytre Norskeøya. Then we sailed south, and reached the most beautiful fjord in the world, Magdalenefjorden around midnight.

Puh, what a day! We have to learn you a Norwegian word: Ojojoj!

At the top of Ytre Norskøya, little Fram to the left. Photo: Ian Lawson

NY ÅLESUND

FRIDAY 4th of June

This Friday we spent in the northernmost permanent settlement in the world: Ny Ålesund. In the summer time around 150 people lives here, researchers from all over the world. China, Korea, India, Norway and six more nations have research stations here.

But we were not the first tourists in the town. Last summer they had about 30.000.

– This summer there will be even more tourists, said Roger Jakobsen. He is the director of Kings Bay which is running the logistics for the researchers in Ny Ålesund.

– We have to find a balance between tourism and research, he said. Too much tourism can damage the research.

– But it is also important that people can see what we are doing, he said, and then strictly instructed us to follow the rules:

– Stay on the roads, don’t touch anything, don’t throw anything – and turn off your bluetooth.

 The northernmost permanent settlement in the world, Ny Ålesund. Photo: Ian Lawson

Then we went to town in another beautiful day. We had a guided tour in town and also a tour outside town in the afternoon.

Next to us in the fjord we saw a whaling boat and a blue vessel with a rainbow on it. Greenpeace had just arrived town, helping some German scientists with equipment. The press group and some other of the passengers got a brief about the actual project, which was a cooperation between nine different countries, trying to find out more about pollution and CO2 storage in the oceans.

We left around eight o’ clock – to get a closer look on the glaciers in Kongsfjorden and the sun helped us with a beautiful light.

EVEN MORE WALRUSES

The shining sun and around 15 walruses started this thursday in this Arctic Paradise. The walruses where at Poolepynten on Prins Karls Forland, on the west coast of Spitsbergen. Here we did a landing to take a closer look at these fascinating animals.

– To see this animal real is totally different than to see them in pictures. It was very exiting! But we were told to keep quiet, so I had to keep my feelings inside, said Yu Xue Yong. The photographer of today’s picture.  

Vivian Lee also liked the animals very much.

– It felt good, to give them a little space – and being quiet and protect them, she said.

 Our big, beautiful friends. Photo: Yu Xue Yong

This was another day with sun and fantastic high mountain peaks trying to crash the sky. After lunch we sailed into St. Johnsfjorden. To the very end. There were ice and ice and seals, we looked and looked, but no, we did not see this yellow, white, big thing. The fog came sneaking into the evening when the crew were holding their show in the Panorama Lounge.   

Ice, ice, ice and a sleeping walrus

WEDNESDAY 2nd of June

What a morning! We’ll let photographer Xavier Cervera from Barcelona, Spain tell from his cabin:

– My alarm was on 08.30, but I woke up 06.15 from a strange sound. It was a totally new sound for me, that I have never experienced before. And the vessel went very slowly. I went to the window, opened the curtains and waow – we were surrounded by ice, he told.

– What did you think?

– I felt like being on another planet. Where am I? Are we stuck? Must we stay here? I thought. I didn’t shower, I didn’t even take off my pyjamas, I just ran out and started taking pictures …

Photo: Camille Seaman

Xavier didn’t know the ice was going to surround us the hole day. We didn’t manage to get into Hornsund as planned , but went into Van Keulenfjorden further north instead. And there, we met the biggest animal so far, a really beautiful walrus relaxing on the ice.  We all ran out with our very long cameras, but he walrus didn’t really care. He continued his afternoon sleep, lifting his head once in a while.  And about thousand click later we left him, still with our cameras lifted, looking for other animals, some actually saw reindeers on the beach, some also saw seals, but no king of Arctic, yet.

Photo: Camille Seaman

The weather? Sun and no wind, the mountains were actually reflected in the water.  And the glaciers – crashing with the fjords, again and again and again. Also the really experienced people aboard were kind of amazed, making really happy noices on the deck. 

In the evening we found a nice landing site on the southern shore of Van Keulenfjorden.  We saw some whale bones from the hunting of white whales in the 1930s – and even flowers – this summer’s purple saxifraga. After that, the clock told us midnight, even though the sun was still shining. And shining and shining, till the clock told us it was a new morning again. 

BJØRNØYA – Day 4

Today we reached Svalbard – and it’s southernmost island, Bjørnøya. And this was really the Big Bird Day. We have met one of the largest sea bird colonies in the North Atlantic actually. We arrived the southern tip of Bjørnøya in the middle of the day. Then we already had listened to about four lectures, and some also saw whales from the deck – so this is not quite a lazy holiday … 

Guillemots and kittiwakes. Photo: Ian Lawson

When we arrived Bjørnøya we went out in the small boats, watching the fantastic cliffs and birds. In sun, snow, wind and sun again.

Photo: Ian Lawson

Some of us learned a lot of new bird names today, but now we have to ask, Gro Vestues, our biologist and member of the Expedition Staff:

–  What have we actually seen today?

– During the breakfast we saw the fulmar, sailing past the windows, watching our coffee. When we got closer to Bjørnøya we saw the guillemots, a lots of them, and kittiwakes. And during the small boat cruise we saw all these birds pluss the glaucous gull nesting. In between we also saw some great skuas passing by, Gro said.

– And what was this day like for you, bird lover?

– It was really good to be back on Svalbard and see my old friends, she completed.

When we left Bjørnøya the snow and wind curtains closed down the view for a while  – perfect weather for even more education. 

NORDKAPP – the northernmost?

Hello there!

We are already in day three. And this monday was full of birds. Or, sorry, at first we visited Nordkapp, the northernmost place in Norway, we were told. But afterwards they told us it was a lie, because Knivskjellodden, a small spit to the left – is even further north.

It seems like it’s very important this “northernmost-thing”: The city were we disembarked, Honningsvåg, has fought for a long period with Hammerfest to be the northernmost city in the world. And our bus guide also told us about a lot of “northernmost this and the northernmost that” – and also the northernmost cat and dogs and even the northernmost American Car Club – all in Honningsvåg.

The northernmost ptarmigan? And the northernmost Chinese? Photo: Jørn Henriksen

In the morning there were some clouds, but than the nice weather came sneaking into our day – so when we reached Gjæsværtappan the sun was shining again. 

– Much better than they told us, Per Martin Pettersen smiled. He was out on deck five together with his wife Gunnhild Eidsvoll, she also very smiling.

Gjæsvartappan is a group of islands in Nordkapp municipality, with Norway’s largest bird colony.

– I saw a gannet. Fantastic! And I also learned the skill between razorbill and guillemot, she said, proudly.

They are both teachers from Moelv, close to Lillehammer in Norway.

– We are so exited. I think you need both fysical and sensual experiences to understand what all this talk about climate is about, Gunnhild said. Neither of them have been to Svalbard before.

After waving good bye to Nordkapp from the ocean it was time for education. Olav Orheim, former director of the Norwegian Polar Institute talked about what happens with the climate in the Arctic. The famous german climate researcher Mojib Latif talked about “Why the polar bear needs a refrigerator”. And now, outside: Only ocean, ocean, ocean, grey, black, white, beautiful.

TROMSØ – for two days

29th and 30th of May

WELCOME to this blog. And this trip. Climate Voyage 2010 from Tromsø to Spitsbergen. First Climate Voyage for Hurtigruten ever. First time to Spitsbergen as well.

We will tell you in key words what is happening every day on this trip. Some days we will present ”A guest of the day”, their thoughts, experiences and expectations. But lets start with yesterday, also called Saturday.

When the vessel arrived Tromsø. For the first time. Congratulations! It is 114 years since  last time another Fram was in Tromsø. Then with Fridtjof Nansen. When he returned from his attempt to reach the North Pole in 1896.

Saturday we all embarked. Amongst us: Chinese, Germans, Scandinavians –192 people all together, business people, professors, scientists, journalists and so on. At the Polar Environmental Centre we got wine and canapees – and together with the very shining sun this was a warm welcome.

Sunday the ship opened the doors for visitors from Tromsø. The sun was gone, and we went back to the Polar Environmental Centre to learn more about the climate changes and the polar bear.

– Should we go on a cruise like this? was one of the questions to the Director of Norwegian Polar Institute, Jan-Gunnar Winther.

– This is a cruise with substance. Don’t have bad conscience. You will be good ambassadors, he told us.  

– Have a nice trip! You have a lot to look forward too! he completed.

At five o’ clock we waved good bye to Tromsø, then we waved to Lyngsalpene and we are still waving – to beautiful mountains and low, grey skies as we are heading north.

Music, Waves and Whales

What a amazing morning. The last day of  our Event-Cruise  was a highlight pure. Nyksund, the old
fishing community that came to fame when it was so abruptly depopulated. The houses cling on the
rock knolls around the harbour.

Red, greeen an grey wharf buildings are clustered together, their paint peeling. More than a few are one the verge of total disintegration. Inside the village itself, all is eerily calm-even on a fine summers day, like in the beautiful morning today.

Finally, there is some activity, as tourists of different nationalities amble betweeen the wharfs and houses with their cameras ready to captures images of this former ghost town. This are also the pictures on the day when all passengers of MV Fram qonquer Nyksund. The condition of the village bears witness to this-during the hectic tourist season, there is a melancoly undertone always present. And in the end of our walking through Nyksund there was a surprise for our passengers.

There was a classical concert in the museum, a former storehouse on the harbourside. Music from Debussy, Hugo Wolf, Arvid Hansen and Edvard Grieg with norwegians artists-Marit Nygård (Piano) and Synne Meland (Songs). A unique athmosphere on this historical place.

After leaving Nyksund we headed for the Vesteralen Islands. To the West the island of Andoya there is a little rock called Bleikoya, which is home to tens of thousands of seabirds. Kittywakes, cormorants, alks, puffins, skuas and sea eagles were observed in great flocks turning around Bleikoya and feeding right offshore. However, because of the rocky approach, we couldn't get as close as at Runde.

So in the end we headed North-Northwest for the deep sea canyon off Andenes. This is where the male sperm whales dive to the sea floor, as deep as 1.000 metres below the surface, to catch squid, their preferred food. Their females prefer warmer temperatures of more than 15 degrees C and stay in the Carribbean, around the Azores, Madeira or off the Canary Islands. Shortly before reaching the canyon, the helmsman exclaimed "there she blows!". 

We joined the whale-watching vessel from Andenes, MS Reine, which is equipped with an under- water microphone and via radio channel 16 were informed when strong clicks were heard, indicating a surfacing whale. We were verz lucky: our first whale surfaced right in front of us at 1 o'clock from our course, heading for us. After breathing about 30 times, the head of the whale came higher up, the animal took one last breath and then curved its back: "diving!". Then the fluke came up as the whale headed down for another vertical dive. Everybody took a photo of the tail, which for sperm whales is like a fingerprint. We will be able to identify the animal from the Andenes sperm whale catalogue.

The day ended in Bjarkoya, the settlement of the Viking Thore Hund, where we were met by real vikings and their families.

Fjords, Legends and Trolls

Again it is a beautiful morning. Today we spent nearly a full day on the archipelago of the Lofoten, famous for its natural beauty. At 7 a.m. our ship docked at the small pier of Reine. Two excursions were offered. One a visit to the fishing village of Å (the shortest village name in the world) and another one to the Lofotr Viking Museum in Borg. At 1p.m. MV FRAM set sail to the village of Svolvær, which is located on the south coast of Austvågøy. There our guests joined a rafting safari or a tour to Storvågan and Henningsvær.

At 6 p.m. we left Svolvær for more gorgeous landscape; the narrow approximately 2 km long Trollfjord. The name derives from troll, a figure from the Norse mythology. While cruising through the fjord we even spotted those legendary Trolls.

By special invitation the local guide, Geir, from Digamulen gave us and introduction to the upcoming port, Digamulen. At 9:30 p.m. we reached the village of Digamulen, where our Captain Rune Andreassen was born. Most of our guests went by Polar Circle Boat for a visit to this little charming place.

Spring at the Polar Circle

 

Around noon we crossed the Northern Polar Circle, passing by the monument, a globe, which marks the Latitude 66°33’N. Later on we arrived at the old trading post of SelsØvik. By Polar Circle boats we covered the short distance between ship and landing side. All 9 school children awaited us with their teachers to welcome the guests of MV Fram. After chatting along with the locals and checking out the historical trading post most of the guests took the opportunity for a walk on the island. It seemed that spring had just arrived here, spring flowers blossoming everywhere. For most guests, coming from Germany, it was the second time to experience spring this year.

Our afternoon stop brought us to the Svartisen Glacier. Already from the ship we had gorgeous views of the glacier; however a big number of guests made the hike to the glacier front, returning to the ship with unforgettable memories.

Norway at its best

The morning we spent in FrØja, an archipelago of more than 5000 small and tiny islands. As the weather was good, many passengers spent the early morning hours outside on the various decks or in the panorama lounge. At 8 o'clock, just after breakfast Anja, the expedition leader, went ashore by polar circle boat to meet with the welcome committee of FrØja. Only minutes later she returned with the Mayor of FrØja, his daughter and the Director of Tourism. They met the guests of MV Fram for a warm welcome to the port of FrØja; where MV Fram touched down for the first time. The citizens organized and planned our visit. Everywhere we enjoyed warm welcomes. Our visits included the culture center with a movie about town, a salmon tasting with drinks, shopping in the center and a highly interesting visit to one of the largest salmon farms of the world. The friendliness of this community has impressed us and with fond memories we return to MV Fram for further exploration. Cruising through narrow passages, passing by rocks eroded by glaciers during the last ice age covered partially with tundra vegetation and boreal forest we head direction polar circle. The weather and the landscape present Norway at its best.

The day ended with another highlight, the one and only MV FRAM Crew Show. Guest and crew enjoyed it alike and surprised each other with hidden talents, dancing, singing, laughing ...simply, the best!

Pentecost in Andalsnes

Welcome to the dramatic nature as More and Romsdal. So we start our excursion trough Romsdal
with Raumabanen directly from our ship because the railway station is opposite.
The Rauma Railway is operated by NSB, the state owned Norwegian train operator. This trip
offers our passengers a unique opportunity to experience one of Norway's most spectacular
natural regions. The train follows the river Rauma, runs dead-slow, to allow travellers time to
photograph such attractions as the famous Trollveggen, Europe's tallest vertical rock wall.
Later the train crosses the river at Kylling Bridge, Norways most impressive railway bridge.
It is here that the Rauma River is perhaps at is most dramatic.The Rauma Railway's bridges and
horseshoe tunnels are a tribute to the skill of the engineers who built it, and passengers will appreciate
why it took a full twelve years from the start of construction to the official opening of the line in 1924
by King Haakon VII.
Another highlight was our second excursion to Molde,the town of roses and jazz and the Atlantic Road,
a strech of road on highway 64 in Nordmore and Romsdal. The road is 8,274 meters long an goes from
Vevang in Eide to Kårvåg in Averøy.The construction includes eight bridges, and replaced the ferry
connection between Ørjavik and Tøvik. The road cost 122 million kroner at 1989 values and was partly
financed by road tolls. The toll was removed in June 1999.
Back on board there was a presentation of Vingården Tuen, the most northerly winegrower of the
world. Johan Setnes, the owner offers desert wine and wine-aperitiv in our panorama-lounge.

The nightcap in our daily program: we were ships passing in the night - two times! MS Fram traded cheers, waves, banners and fieworks with the MS Nordkap and MS Midnatsol, two other ships in the Hurtigruten fleet.

Olden, Nordfjordei and the Bird Island of Runde

On our way from Bergen to Olden we passed in the evening narrow sounds and hundreds off tiny islands. In the early morning we reached the Nordfjord, which is the sixth longest fjord in Norway. At 7 a.m. MV Fram docked at the pier of Olden. Our excursions for the day included a boat trip on the Lake Olden and a overland-tour to the Briksdal Glacier and Nordfjordeid. The helicopter flight over the glacier was due to the low clouds not possible. At 1:30 p.m. MV Fram reached the capital of the municipality of Eid; Western Norway. The ships Polar-Circle-Boats were put on water for a transfer service to Nordfjordeid where the passengers explored the scenic city. At 8:30 p:m. another high light of the day the Bird Island of Runde. Runde is famous for its enormous amount of birds. About half a million or more seabirds  inhabiting the island, most of them are to be found in the cliffs.