The Capital of Greenland

Today we visited Nuuk, the capital and the largest city of Greenland.  According to the government guide, Greenland In figures 2010, the population of Nuuk is 15,469 making it one of the smallest capital cities in the world.  The total population of Greenland is 56,452.

There is a vibrant air in Nuuk that is  different from other Greenlandic communities. Perhaps it is a "big city" hustle and bustle.  Not only is Nuuk a government town with the headquarters of all political parties located here but the university is here as well, as is the national museum, national radio and television stations and the Katuaq Culture Centre. It is a centre for Greenlandic art and culture and is the fastest growing city in Greenland. It has shown steady growth over the last two decades.
As one might expect wilderness is right on the doorstep of Nuuk. Fortunately and unfortunately I joined a fabulous hike in the wild terrain bordering the city.  That was fortunate.  Unfortunately I did not have time to explore the vibrant city.  The photos for today's blog are all from our hike.

Can Rugged Explorers Have Heated Tiles In The Bathroom?

You are probably bored with our incessant bragging about perfect weather.  Well.  We had clouds all day long today and a bit of rain.  Feel better?  But rugged explorers like us laugh in the face of clouds and a little water falling from the sky.  True to say that we are rugged explorers that have luxurious heated tiles in our bathrooms.

 The entrance to Paamiut is very beautiful.   Fram had to thread her way through a narrow passage, skirting several small islands.  The harbour itself is small but deep.  There seemed barely enough room to come about but Fram's powerful thrusters allowed her to turn on her own length and then slip into the key moving sideways.  Slick. If only my car had bow and stern thrusters!

At approximately 09:00 the gangway was lowered and dozens of rugged blue jacketed explorers eagerly set off to investigate the attractions of Paamiut.

At 11:00 we were treated to a special performance by the local choir in the small and very quaint church.  I think just about everyone attended as there wasn't an empty seat to be found.  The church itself was very pretty.  It was built in 1909 in a very distinctive Norwegian style.

The town is easy to explore.  There is a very good small museum.  A ten minute walk takes you to a scenic lookout from which you can see most of the town.

Like Qaqortoq, Paamiut is very green.  Several houses had attractive flower gardens.

Just a few minutes after exiting the harbour we encountered three humpback whales.  The navigation officers were able to position the ship close enough where we had excellent views of the whales and at the same time not interfere with what seemed to be foraging behaviour.

All in all, another really good day!

Qaqortoq Is The Green In Greenland

Treading in the footsteps of Vikings argh!  The legendary viking chieftain, Eric the Red came to southern Greenland from Iceland around the year 982.  It is widely accepted that he named the region Greenland to encourage other settlers to follow him. This morning we landed at the last known area inhabited by Norse Vikings in Greenland.  Hvalsø.
The incredible stone structures of the church and meeting hall at Hvalsø date back to 1300.  The last official record in the community was of a wedding that took place in 1408.  The second last record was also about l'amour.  It was not a happy event.  A young man by the name of Kolgrim was convicted of sleeping with another man's wife.  The young lady's name was Steinum.  She was the daughter of the local lawman Ravn.  Kolgrim was accused and convicted of using sorcery to seduce Steinum.  He was subsequently burned at the stake.  Poor Steinum.  It wasn't long before she went mad.  She died soon after.

Whoa.

Fascinating story, but let's turn our thoughts to a happier time.  We had more perfect weather.  At the landing site everyone spread out over the Viking settlement.  Many sat in the sun and enjoyed the spectacular view of the fjord and the ruins.  Numerous sheep roamed the area.  Indeed there are over 20,000 sheep in Greenland.

I have to mention that in all of the  many years of experience of all of the expedition team members we have NEVER seen a group of passengers arrange their life jackets as neatly or as attractively as everyone did today.  The life jackets represent a new form of landscape art. Beautiful!

It is a short boat ride from Hvalsø to our next stop at the town of Qaqortoq, the fourth largest community in Greenland (population 3,306).

We had lots of time to explore the attractions of Qaqortoq.  Amongst other things, there is an excellent small museum, many beautiful scultures both free standing and carved into the bedrock and a superb tannery that specializes in making clothing and other items from seal skin.

Qaqortoq is a very lush, green town in the summer.  Qaqortoq is the green in Greenland

Enter, The Twilight Zone

Our morning was spent in a fog.  No. Not the alcohol induced kind of fog.  It was a dense sea fog that often happens when cold water and air, meet warm air.  Hundreds of northern fulmars escorted the ship riding the brisk winds like a massive invisible roller coaster

Despite limited visibility we were still able to spot whales.  In fact there were numerous sightings throughout the morning and into the early afternoon.  While most of the whales were far off of our route, we were able to ascertain that at least some (if not all) were humpback whales.

And then as if by plan, at about 14:30 the fog parted, the sun burst forth and there lay Greenland!  It could not have been more dramatic. It was almost like the curtains opening at the start of a play.  Barren, rounded mountains loomed out of the ocean just a few miles ahead.

Our goal for the afternoon was to cruise through a very narrow, very beautiful passage in the southernmost part of Greenland called Prins Christian Sund (no, that's not a typo).   Prins Christian Sund stretches for 55 nautical miles. It would take us six hours to navigate.

Soon the outside decks were festooned with a couple of hundred camera slinging, blue-jacketed, happy, smiling people.  Dozens of waterfalls that were fed by glaciers high above us tumbled down the bare rock.  The narrowest part of the channel was a meer 350 metres across.

Strange. As we exited the channel we could see the fog bank lying in wait.  I half expected to hear Rod Serling's voice from The Twilight Zone on our public address system. Still, it added a weird sort of symmetry to wrap up our day.

The Rewards of Relaxation

I love sea days, especially when travelling on Fram.  Especially on perfect days like today. The sun has been shining for most of the day.  The motion of the ship is gentle.  Extremely relaxing.

Fram is designed for comfort. She is perhaps a little wider than what you might expect for her overall length.  Because of the shorter, wider design a little speed is sacrificed but stability, by virtue of less rolling and therefore more comfort is gained. Her active stabilizers further reduce rolling.  

It is a very bright ship with extremely large picture windows in all public areas. The public areas are spacious and plentiful.  There is never a feeling of being crowded.  If quiet introspective moments are what you need or perhaps a place to sit quietly in the sun, Fram is the vessel for you.  It is easy to find solitude.  There are plenty of spots both inside and on deck, where you can have a quiet moment to watch the ocean roll by.

Sea days are both a time to catch up on your rest and a time to broaden your understanding of the regions we visit.  We have an Expedition Team that is dedicated to that end. I don't mean that they are dedicated to catching up on rest (although we try to do that too!) but is devoted to enhancing your experience on board by broadening your understanding of the history, politics, geology, geography and wildlife of the regions we visit.  Lectures were scheduled throughout the day on a broad spectrum of topics in French, English, German and Scandinavian, reflecting the needs of the international mix on board.  

It can also be a time to get to know your fellow passengers.  It would be unfortunate if you didn't. The Fram experience can be a cultural experience unto itself.  Where else will you find so many people from such disparate and interesting locales sharing a common interest?

Cetaceans were spotted severals times throughout the day;  humpbacks and unidentified species of dolphins.  Although the observations were often fleeting they were but one of the many rewards of relaxing by a window or out on deck. 

Every Dark Cloud...

Has a silver lining.


Bang! Wonka-wonka, bang!   Wobble   flap        flap                      flap.

Two flat tires.

Another beautiful sunny day. Many of us (47 to be precise) had opted to go on a boat tour of Breidafjördur Bay, a really great place to observe nesting sea birds.  It was a half hour drive by bus from where the ship was anchored in the picturesque village of Grundarfjördur to the even smaller fishing village of Stykkisholmur, where we would rendezvous with our excursion boat.  

Alas, it wasn't to be.  Our local Icelandic guide Barbara was doing a great job describing the history and various geographical features seen along the roadside when both of our left rear tires suddenly exploded. Bummer. 

But, soon help was on the way.  (Yes. There are excellent cell phone communications in Iceland).

As mentioned earlier it was a gorgeous sunny day.  We were waylaid in the middle of a wild volcanic wilderness.  The heavy browns, blacks and greys of lava rock and ash were relieved by generous swaths of green vegetation and bright splashes of vividly coloured flowers.  It really was a serendipitously beautiful moment.

Meanwhile a team from our Icelandic agents changed the two tires. Within an hour we were back on the road.  Too late to meet our excursion boat but the fantastic Icelandic landscape definitely eased our disappointment.

We departed beautiful Grundarfjördur at 14:30 and set our bows in the direction of Greenland.  The remainder of the afternoon was taken up by informative lectures and briefings of what to expect in the coming days.

  

The Entrance to the Centre of the Earth

Ours is an exotic adventure.  We begin in Iceland.  A place name that invokes images of geological tempests.   This spring, Eyjafjallajokull volcano (good luck pronouncing it!) shook the earth by causing 100,000 flights to be cancelled by spewing out voluminous, giantic ash clouds.  Jules Verne imbued Iceland with a rugged romantic aura.   On our 45 minute drive from the airport to the dockyards in Reykjavik we could see Snæfellsjökull volcano.   Because of Mr. Verne, everyone knows that the entrance to the centre of the earth lies within Snæfellsjökull.   The Icelandic landscape is rugged and beautiful.  We were graced with perfect weather: sunny blue skies with temperatures hovering around 10˚C.

Upon our arrival to Fram we experienced a very low tide.  So low in fact that we were able to embark on deck five, not our customary deck three!  This meant for a very steep gangway and proposed an interesting challenge for some people on their first experience with the ship!  Soon though we were all on board.
And before long we were whisked through the check-in process and escorted to our cabins. 

At 19:30 we set sail. It could not have been a more beautiful evening!  At 20:30 we all met at our muster stations on deck five for a compulsory fire drill. At 21:00 we joined the ship's officers, some of the crew and the Expedition Team in the Observation lounge for a welcome speach and introductions to some of the ship's key personel.

Now it's 23:33. The sky is still bright. We watched the sun set just 8 minutes ago.  The sea rolls gently along. A little earlier in the evening we had a group of five White-beaked dolphins riding our bow wave. Now, elegant Gannets soar about the ship. Kittiwakes, Arctic Terns and Northern Fulmars are all around. Greenland lies in wait.

BBQ in Skansbukta

Is it really the last day already? Most of us are flying out in the early morning of the 23rd, so lets use the time: Bridge visits with Captain Hansen in the morning, lectures by Camille, Martin and Ralf about photography, history and glaciers, beautiful scenery, writing the last postcards... I tell you- this is quite busy.


Our last landing today was at Skansbukta, named after the nearby mountain Skansen. For people interested in geology- that is an amazing place regarding color of the stone and the steep cliffs! In the layers one has found anhydrite, a mineral that is chemically identical with gypsum (Calcium sufate). It has been mined at a few places, including Skansbukta. Mining started in 1918 but closed down relatively quickly again. What can be seen today are remainings of the mining town including the mine entrance as well as a short railway line.
Walking around you stepped on tundra with a comparably rich vegetation. A few sea bird colonies are in the area as well including Kittiwakes and a few Puffins


Many passengers have asked me how Svalbard compares to Greenland or Antarctica! And you will not like the answer- you can not compare it at all, but you have to see it! I have been here on a holiday trip and have been working in Greenland now 10 years and in Antarctica for around 6 years as Expedition Leader. And no, you can really not say what is nicer!
Antarctica- one needs to see it! The scenery, the Drake Passage, the wild life, the penguins, the weather changes, icebergs en mass and glaciers coming down to the sea everywhere-it is hard to describe.
Greenland- that is more or less home for me. I love the people, the interaction, the nature., the remote settlements and the icebergs. But if you want to see wildlife, it is maybe not the prime place to go to due to the hunting culture. But if you want to experience nature and culture – you will love it!
And now to Svalbard: It is an amazing place for scenery and wildlife. If you want to see a polar bear- it is definately THE place to see! I found myself constantly watching through my binoculars- and doing a happy dance if there was a Polar bear or a whale or a walrus or....
So you get by now what I want to tell you: it is all not comparable- but that you have to come and see it yourself!

Krossfjord/ Kongsfjord and Ny-Alesund

June 21- the longest day of the year! And by now most passengers are really tired- because you just can not get yourself into bed! The sun is up all night long, it has a soft, yellowish light reflecting over the sea, great mirror images of the mountains can be seen in the calm water. We have been extremely blessed on this trip with the weather!

Krossfjord is approx. 30km long and 5km wide and shares its entrance with Kongsfjord. The entire area is situated in the Northwest Spitsbergen National Park. The name derives from „Cross bay“due to a wooden cross that was erected by the English whaler Jonas Poole in 1610. The land here rises steeply from the fjords. We used our good weather fortune to launch the Polar Cirkle boats in Kongsfjord and cruise along the glacier front at the head of the fjord.

Ny-Ålesund was named after the Norwegian town Ålesund, where the company that founded the mine was based. Coal mining stopped here in the 1960s and since then it has developed into an international research village. The settlement is without a doubt one of the most important sites in the history of the North Pole exploration! It was from Ny-Ålesund that Amundsen and Umberto Nobile started to fly towards the North Pole in the air ship NORGE in 1926. They were the first once to do so! Amundsen, having already been the first man to the South Pole, received most of the media attention. The dispute was also if the fame should go to Norway or Italy where Nobile was from. The result was an all- Italian expedition and in 1928 Umberto Nobile took his airship ITALIA to cross the North Pole again. The airship crashed on the ice after a successful crossing on the way back. Amundsen also took part in the rescue operation but his plane vanished with him. One has to imagine Nobile- after being rescued, the world saw him more or less as the „man who killed Amundsen“- not an easy weight one ones shoulder...
We could roam within the city limits freely and could follow the road around the settlement. Most ended up sooner or later in the souvenir shop and of course in the post office. The „main square“ is marked with the Amundsen monument.

You just can not go to sleep! After this expedition everyone needs a week of rest, I assume!! Today it was not only the good weather that prevented us from a good nights sleep- but also the fantastic and fun crew show on board MV Fram!

Magdalenafjorden "Gravneset" and Moffen

Magdalenafjord cuts straigth into the coast- it is often referred to as one of the most beautiful fjords in Svalbard. Going in you see the Gullyglaciar on starboard side and the Waggonwayglaciar right at the head of the fjord. And in this approximately 10km long fjord is our landing site for the day: Gravneset. It provides a natural harbor easily accessible for our small boats – and a beautiful sand beach for our brave (or should be call them crazy??) swimmers.

Remainings of the times of the whalers can be seen everywhere and therefore it is so interesting: English whalers established a whaling station until around 1623. Visible today are the remainings of the blubber ovens as well as the graveyard. Whaling in the 17th century meant good money- but many also paid with their lifes. Imagine being a whaler, coming to Svalbard in the summer time: the e.g. English winter has been long and hard, there were not too many fruit and vegetable available. Then you start your working season up in the High North already with a lack of vitamins so not only accidents during whaling itself but also scurvy took their tools. Here at Gravneset you find around 130 graves and it is one of the largest graveyards of that time in Svalbard. Freezing and thawing in the arctic areas also means that the coffins are pushed back to the surface.

In the early evening we reached Moffen. This tiny island was well known by the whalers already from the 17th century onwards due to the abundance of walrus- but they also buried their own dead on the island. In our days, Moffen is a well-visited place and the vessel has to keep a distance of 300m in order not to disturb the animals. Walrus are interesting creatures: a newly born Walrus is already 1.3m long and weights up to 85kg! Their color is usually brown but it varies- and you can see it clearly at the beach: Today it is rather warmish so the once that have spent some hours ashore, seem to have a more pinkish shade due to an increased blood circulation. They are also very social animals and often stay in groups.

We cruised into beautiful Raudfjord and there he was again- a polar bear in some distance on the ice! The day ended with the handing out of certificates for crossing the 80North today- and a few extra certificates for the brave swimmers! Our Captain Arnvid Hansen clearly enjoyed this as much as the passengers....

It has been a great day: beautiful passages, walruses and a polar bear!

Bellsund-"Bamsebu"

Our photographer Camille Seaman had to be very patient today- right when starting her lecture there was a call from the bridge: „Polar bear ahead“! Everyone is outside- but now the Polar bear seems to be hiding! After a few moments he appears again- looking curiously for a moment towards the ship but then going on with his business in stealing eggs and just ignoring our presence! What a sight here in Bellsund! Once we had enough time photographing, MV Fram goes on and Stine and Gro have finally time to introduce us to their world of the birds.

Today’s landing site was situated in the area of Van Keulenfjord. Our landing beach is called „Kvitfiskstranda“- the „White whale beach“. Whale bones, put into piles along the beach, are a clear sign of the former whaling activity. A hut called Bamsebu is now privately owned but still reminds of how life was for the whalers and trappers. Long nails, with the sharp end facing outwards, are proof that you always should think about polar bears! Today we are guided around in groups which give a great insight of the whaling history. We pass by the bleached Beluga bones at the beach and have a nice stroll towards the old wooden rowing boats that are still lying at the beach. It is a calm afternoon, reindeer are moving in the area, there are many eider ducks and the little auks seem to have found a home in the mountains.

There is a lot to take in during a day! And in the evening, the galley guys show what to make out of melons, pineapple- and ice! Those carvings always look so easy to do- until you try it at home!

Bjørnøya- the Bear Island

A question for you: Is Bjørnøya in Svalbard or Spitsbergen? The use of names is always a bit confusing. In 1194, the Vikings came to a place they called „the cold edge“- or Svalbard in their language. The official name distinction is: Spitsbergen is the main island- while Svalbard is the name for the entire archipelago- including Bjørnøya!

The origin of the name Bjørnøya itself is also quite interesting! In 1596, Willem Barents reached the island and his men killed a polar bear- hence the naming Bjørnøya, the Bear Island.Bjørnøya is a place rarely visited due to it`s remoteness- most tourists in our days fly to Longyearbyen and only a few arrive by vessel and maybe then pass by the island.  Bjørnøya has the reputation of often begin a bit foggy- but what a day today! Calm weather, sun, beautiful reflections! We were able to do both a cruising in front of the magnificent bird cliffs as well as a landing. Being in a Polar Cirkle boat in front of a 400m high bird cliff with thousands of birds above you truly gives you a perspective of one’s own „importance“. Suddenly you feel very small and just in awe with nature! Keep in mind that Bjørnøya is the only piece of land within a long range so many sea birds come here for nesting- or resting. The most abundant species are the Brünich`s guillemot and the Common guillemot, but in the cliffs one also sees Kittiwakes (ca 100.000 breeding pairs), Fulmars, a few Glaucous gulls and Little auk colonies. So our time in the Polar Cirkle boats was just flying by! As the weather was extremely calm, our expedition leader Karin Strand decided to also go ashore- a really rare occasion! The walk up to a cliff offered fantastic views into the bay and „our“ MV Fram.

Hornsund: flowers, Belugas and a Polar Bear- June 17

Glacier front, high mountain tops, Belugas in the fjord swimming among the ice and a polar bear waiting patiently for a catch at a hole- enough hints about our day?

The scenery alone is impressive enough in Spitsbergen’s southernmost fjord- eight large glaciers are calving into the Sund while in the background you see Hornsundtind, the third- highest mountain of Svalbard. We landed at Gnålodden- a nice place and good for a short walk. There is a large sea bird colony, and due to the rich fertilization you find some moss and lots of saxifraga. Trappers have been in the area for a long time due to the earlier hunting of polar bears and the hut you can see was in use until 1971.

Bears and foxes.... Today, we did not see a trapper hunting in Burgerbukta, but a polar bear! And we did see a pot of Belugas (White Whales) swimming in the brush ice! The Beluga belongs to the toothed-whales and is up to 1.500kg heavy. The name is a bit misleading as they only turn to a creamy color at the age of approximately 7 years while the younger once have a rather grayish color. And one tip: if you ever come on board, bring your binoculars!

Now we are on the way to Bjørnøya- time for lectures, information briefings and the curious feeling what tomorrow will bring!

Welcome to Longyearbyen- June 16, 2010

Most passengers arrived today rather early with a direct charter flight from Germany. And even though it meant not much sleep along the way- it was so much worth it! Imagine flying over Svalbard at 1am- you can see the mountain tops, all is snow covered, the light is very soft and the clouds prevent the view into the fjords. And suddenly you are there- Longyearbyen appears in the Midnight sun.

During the day we had a chance to learn more about this small, but very active community! Longyearbyen- the unofficial capital of Svalbard- offers an interesting local history as traces from mining are visible at many places. In the late afternoon we boarded MV Fram but the day was not over! Barentsburg, situated in Groenfjord, the „green harbor“ was our destination for the evening where we went to pier. The mining town is somehow very different from what you were expecting- the most heard comment in the beginning of the landing was that it really needs a clean-up. There is still mining going on with Russian and Ukrainian workers. And one finds a small school for 11 children. But when you have talked to the locals, listened to the enthusiastic guiding and have been to the folkoreshow that was presented in the evening- only then you truly understand the beauty of Barentsburg.

It was a day full of impressions- but it is hard to go to bed! Let me tell you- the midnight sun is best around 2am- and that is something you do not want to miss. What you are going to miss is a daily report of this voyage- this is a true expedition without internet connection.