Polar plunge in Siorapaluk

The Greenlandic name of this northernmost natural village (in the world!) describes a beach. And indeed, you could easily expect sun-tanned people with towels, beach chairs and glasses with little umbrellas in them. If it only wasn't for the lumps of pretty white ice that is spread out in many places, or for the nasty fresh wind that picked up speed over the inland ice and hits the landing site with the statement: Don't you forget where you are!

But where are we? Does the position on the map describe it? A little bit maybe - more than 77° north. Considering that the few other places in these latitudes had been erected for mining or military reasons, it seems a very bold move for people to come to this. But hunting  is good here. Very good apparently, nearly everybody in "town" is a hunter, many a platform (where the prey get's prepared, skins scraped, meat cut, and so on) is sporting numerous walrus and musk-ox skulls, whalebones, baleens and lumps of blubber. Certainly the most interesting biography has Magsannuag, who is actually named Oshima, of Japanese origin and has been living here for nearly 40 years. He is the most successful hunter around and also crafts beautiful things from bones and musk-ox horn.

Certainly he is indistinguishable from his Greenlandic neighbours, only when he speaks English you hear a slightly asian accent. Proudly he presents his "workshop", the fresh polar bear skin, his knives. When he tells the tale of the last big fishing on the first of August you clearly notice that up here nature is the boss. It's all about currents, weather, ice. A tough life, but somehow we can't help but admiring it. Maybe because we know for sure that we wouldn't stand a chance in this environment? Well, come on, our life is tough, too - we haven't had internet for two days now…

Towards the end of the landing a few brave ones defy the cold wind and the ice in the water - and go swimming, much to the amusement of the villagers, of course. They have a story to tell now of these crazy people, until the next ship will arrive. When? Who knows...

The lights of Thule

Thule - for a long time the name was used as a synonym for the end of the world. It could have been in 1968, when four American nuclear warheads were lost in the ocean after a plane crash.

Peaceful times these were in the beginning of the 20th century, when Knud Rasmussen founded the trade post by the name of Thule together with Peter Freuchen in the place that was formerly know as Uummannaq (not the same as in the Disko Bay area). Mainly fox furs were the trade goods and the cleverness of the two founders ensured a successful business. Big parts of the earnings went into infrastructure and improvements of the village. However, the arrival of Uncle Sam in 1943 ended the peaceful times, and after ten years the people of Thule were forced to move to Qaanaq without compensation. Today, the big airbase is still domination the bay, although the old part of the trade post is now accessible again.

And that's where we land in finest weather conditions. It is a strange feeling to walk among the abandoned houses, see the children's playground deserted, like a memento mori. But there is more to this place than the unpleasant events of the Fifties: Take the hike to Mount Dundas, for example. From afar the slope seems near-vertical and certainly not hikable. But what the heck! Let's try.

And believe it or not, by the end of the day more than thirty have managed to climb up this looming mountain and utterly enjoy the splendid view across the country. Where there's a will…

Long shadows are cast on the beach when we leave. Now we will be heading faaaaaar north…

Hearts on a dump

Hello, everybody - we're back! Back from the great North which is also a blind spot for the satellite. So, take a bit of time and follow our last adventures that are posted here. Going back as far as Kraulshavn...

Everything in life we judge by looking at it only briefly deserves at least a second, closer look. The shiny new world has left us sometimes merciless towards the shadowy side of things.
Kraulshavn, our afternoons destination, is such a place that no catalogue would mention, no sales agent in the full possession of his wits would recommend.

Why on Earth do we go there? For the heaps of smouldering garbage that are piled on the beaches in front of the most beautiful icebergs? For the filthy dogs that lie in the littered mud outside their broken pens? For he constant putrid smell in the air? For the miserable houses, windows and roofs patched with plastic tarps? The answer is clear: Yes!

Because in this forlorn place that seems so far away from the world there are people living. Warm, welcoming, friendly, smiling people, who gather immediately around the landing site, of course kids up front. People who embrace this weird invasion by inviting us for coffee and cake, by proudly showing us how to hunt the narwhale from the kayak. The children exchange autographs with us, written in ballpen on our forearms, giggling and running around to display theirs.

Young couples curiously approach us, shyly holding hands, some take pictures of us. And slowly it starts to dawn on the visitor that this is not misery we are witnessing but a bizarre way of the still existing traditional Greenland being confronted with the changes of the times. Only thirty years ago, as we learn, there was no material whatsoever that didn't decompose in a short time, so garbage was simply no issue. It is now, but changes manifest themselves slowly in this society that has survived for centuries by not changing. So no blame here at all. And the closer you look, the more often you find symptoms of this place being still way more traditional than the neat villages with their restored peat huts and museums; look at the graveyard, where under the christian crosses numerous piles of rock display the old way of burial on the ground. Walk with David, the hunter, who proudly shows you the 32 seals he has shot in only two days, see mother and daughter in their traditional garment coming back home. It's the people that define a place. Nothing else.

And so we all leave with undiluted sympathy for this place, still thinking of the laughing children on the rubble. This is more Greenland than many other places. In a good way.

Shootout in Uummannaq

When five people in orange jackets climb into one boat, carrying a big rifle each, it is not necessarily the beginning of unfriendly negociations. In fact, it is an important precaution for the time ahead, after all we are headed for polar bear country. Thus, most of the guides/lecturers have to brush up on their aiming skills. So we grab a Polar Cirkel Boat and make for the opposite shore, where we simply plant some cardboard targets into the ground, and off we go! After twenty minutes all "bears" are hit, and we have to hurry to get back - we even have our lunch on the boat ride… We make it just in time for the hike to Santa Claus' cabin, a very famous address in Greenland, at least if you ask Danish children. Under the looming heart-shaped mountain we scramble up and down the rocks until we reach the little green cabin in the bay, where coffee, tea and some delicious additives are put up on our arrival.

Regardless of the long day in fresh air many attend to the lectures in the afternoon and the  soiree of classical music by Hans and Susanna Bechmann, our Danish musicians on board. But then it's finally time to sleep, while FRAM is relentlessly heading north.

Important: Folks, we are headed now for the far North, which means that we will run out of satellite connection every now and then. Even two, three, days in a row we may be in the black. So don't you worry, we'll be back!

At the Foot of the Volcano

There's the distinct smell of sun lotion on the tender deck this morning. Yes, that's right - blue skies again! In these conditions we can easily dare to try a hike that will lead us out of Qeqertarsuaq, the little village with the whalebone gate, way beyond the initial destination - the "Valley of the Winds". Instead a large number of us continues along the shoreline of this wonderful place, following the lush tundra at the foot of the huge table mountains, all relics of the volcanic activity that took place around 60 million years ago. The sun is nearly blazing, unbelievable 18 degrees make us entirely forget that we are far above the Arctic Circle. And the colors! Reddish brown on the mountain slopes, stark green on the plains, with tiny bright blue dots (that's us, in the blue expedition jackets in the far distance) following the yellow dots (the markers for the path). If you turn your head to look across the sea: All shades of blue, deep and spotless in the sky, glittering with reflections on the oceans surface. But nothing is as bright as the biiiiiig icebergs sitting in the bay. Their surface is wet from the heat as if they just came out of the shower, so they gleam and shine like clean giant heaps of cream. Try to capture this, or stop!, even better: Sit down in complete silence for a couple of minutes and breathe the pure air, listen to the waves and feel the wind and the warmth. A true arctic moment...

Moodswing in Sisimiut

Friends, this is not what we asked for…

Can you imagine - clouds…? Yes, impossible as it may seem, the skies over Sisimiut are covered in grey this morning. Never mind, at least we can go to the pier and do not have to tender. Well, that's what we think - and then the fish trawler simply doesn't leave. So into the boats and shuttle over. Feels like a bad start. But luck favours the brave, and so we do not deviate an inch from the plans: The long hikers start their long hike, the boat trip to Assaqutaq takes off, the museum opens the doors for us. And behold, after a little while the skies open up, the sun starts to paint the fjord from grey to multicolor. The tiny little dots on the mountain ridge in the distance turn out to be the long hikers who actually made it through the clouds to the top. Drop the fleece jackets, put on sunscreen - we're back on track! The historical hike suddenly feel likes a stroll in the park, the city invites for shopping in the various stores and handicraft workshops. Even the Kayakers that arrive in the late afternoon to demonstrate their amazing skills look a little overdressed in the sunshine (believe me, they're not!). Another day in paradise...

Gang-er-sluss-uark...

...Gang-er-sluss-uark, Gang-er-sluss-uark: Whoever takes the trouble to pronounce the name of the place right will end up speaking it just this way for many, many times. Among our new arrivals there are quite a few walking around, nose in their notebooks, rehearsing like an actor. Greenlandic is certainly not the most palate-friendly idiom.

It is always a bit awkward to have changeover day, standing in the middle of two groups, one leaving that we have learned to know well over the recent days, and another one arriving, keen and happy and looking forward to the new adventure. But put it that way: Lookig back, facing beautiful memories may be a little sad, but you just had a time many others are longing to have. And who says you won't be back…?

And a smooth beginning it was, indeed: Everybody on time, no lost luggage, excursion vehicles ready to pick up the groups on the dot and everything under blue skies - again!

The orange Thermal Protection Suits have never been gleaming so happily on a drill as under the afternoon sun in the fjord, and during Captain's Welcome we nearly need our sunglasses in the observation lounge.

Quite many resist the urge to sleep and stay out on deck for a moment, while the second longest fjord in the world slowly plunges into the darkness of the greenlandic night.

Scones and Scores in Itilleq

Bathed in sunlight, the small village of Itilleq is sitting smugly in the small Fjord like a happy collection of colorful dice just tossed over the country. We are being shuttled over on calm, glittering waters, still rubbing in the last bits of sunscreen. A weird but very Greenlandic sight awaits us on the pier: four musk ox heads, with fur and eyes and all, are neatly arranged next to the landing site - it's shooting season. The successful hunters are proudly cutting up the vasts amounts of dark red meat and offer it for sale. Funnily enough our passengers all decline…

The Kaffemik, however, is more than welcome. It is certainly not often that you get a chance to sit in a Greenlander's house, being served delicious coffee and cake, while having a curious look around at the decor. It is surprisingly modern, featuring microwave oven and TV (showing a live broadcast of the football match Narssaq vs. Nuuk) and - probably the result of a grandson nagging for weeks - a gargantuan ghettoblaster in the corner of the living room. Then again, it's all about family, there seems to be not enough space on the wall for all the pictures of many generations. Greenland is definitely in a state of transition, tradition meets modern life.

Later on, guests and staff and crew of MV FRAM are put to the test during the famous soccer match in the middle of the village. For once we are not entirely devastated and come out with a spectacular 3:3. Well done!

And then everything takes a little melancholic turn: it's Captain's Farewell. That means the week - this splendid, beautiful week! - is getting to an end. Under a most romantic sunset we pass our last waypoint and turn into the Kangerlussuaq Fjord, where it all began only a week ago.

Ilulissat

We have seen lots of spectacular ice on this trip already but today is our major ice day.  Ilulissat means iceberg in Greenlandic and that pretty much sums it up.  The glacier Sermeq Kujalleq is the most actively calving glacier in the northern hemisphere.  The ice flows at a rate of approximately 19 metres a day.  Due to the unique nature of the nearby glacier, Ilulissat and surroundings became a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2004.

If you go to Ilulissat you absolutely must  see the Ice Fjord (also known as Kangia).  It is spectacular.  

We offer a variety of ways to experience the Ice Fjord.  There are helicopter, boat and hiking trips.  All of them are great!

Another gorgeous day greeted us as we dropped anchor just outside the harbour of Ilulissat at 08:00.  We continued our streak of nearly perfect weather.  

 No matter how you chose to view the ice - the views were always breathtaking. The mouth of the Fjord was choked with very large icebergs.   Lots of people selected two different excursions.  Boat and helicopter. Boat and hike.  Hike and...  whatever.  There was plenty of time to do two.  There was also ample time to wander about town.

The last Polar Cirkle boat left shore at 18:30 and the ship heaved anchor at 19:00.  As we passed the mouth of the fjord we saw a couple of humpback whales very near the ice. 

Our evening was filled with a charity auction where Fram raises funds for children in Greenland. Following the auction we were entertained by the crew with a great show of singing and dancing.

Eqip Sermia

It was another beautiful morning as we cruised towards the glacier Eqip Sermia. En route we passed the old abandoned mining town of Qulissat.  We could see from the ship that the town looks as if everyone just left yesterday. 

 Our morning was filled with lectures in English, Danish and German.  We also attended briefings about our activities for tomorrow.

As we approached Eqip Sermia the channel became full of ice.  It was like a long conveyor belt of icebergs. The weather was terrific.  There were scattered clouds and lots of blue sky.

At 15:30 we were visited by King Neptune.  He was here to baptize all those who had crossed the Arctic Circle for the first time.  Lots of people lined up to have ice-cold water poured down their neck!

At 17:00 we dropped anchor at Eqip Sermia and began to whisk everyone to shore in the Polar Cirkle boats.  There was barely any wind and the sky was clearing up.  There were constant loud rumbles from the Glacier.

We were joined at Eqip Sermia by the ship the Bremen.  Soon we could hear there zodiacs running back and forth to the beach.  It was a very colourful mix of blue jackets from Fram and red jackets from the Bremen.

The last boat left shore at 20:45.

We all enjoyed a delcious barbeque back on the ship.

At 21:45 we were entertained in the observation lounge with a demonstration of fruit and ice carving.

M-m-m-mannaq and Ukkusisat

Sometimes there are hardships to endure during this voyage in Greenland.  Today I had to eat lunch at Hotel Uummannaq.  It is a magnificent buffet featuring local delicacies such are Muskox, Halibut, Reindeer, Seal, Whale and Shrimps.  We offer this lunch as an optional excursion and it is always very popular.  Today it was my turn to go.  Yippy!  I tried everything except for the whale meat.  I spent many years with a whale research group and then a couple of years at an aquarium.  I lecture very often on whales.  With that as my background no doubt you understand it when I say it would now be difficult for me to eat one.  However I did ask several people how they liked the Minke whale meat.  Invariably they said they were surprised.  They described it as being very good.  It was quite tender, mild flavoured and a little on the sweet side.

I helped my self to generous portions of Muskox, Reindeer (Caribou), halibut and shrimps.  Delicious.  The Reindeer (I tried not to think of Rudolph) was served as a spicy stew.  The Muskox was tender and a little bit sweet.  there wasn't any seal meat this time around but I have tasted it before.  I would describe it as being a little bit like liver.

The view from the patio is superb.  If you find yourself in this beautiful town, check out the buffet at Hotel Uummmannaq. M-m-m-mannaq!

Shortly after lunch we started the hike to Santa's cabin.  We believe that we set a record for the number of participants on the hike.  Check out the long line of colourfully clad hikers!

We arrived in Ukkusisat in the early evening.  The gentleman pictured to the right is Hans Petersen.  He is 82 years old and is the oldest person in the village. As per usual, we invited people from the settlement to visit us on the ship where they entertained us with singing and dancing.  They also modelled some of their native clothing.

Then, at approximately 21:00 we all jumped into the Polar Cirkle boats and visited the settlement. There are 150 people living in Ukkusisat so it doesn't take too long to wander about the village.  There was coffee and cakes served in the town hall.

At 22:30 the last Polar Cirkle boats headed back to the ship.  There were lots of hugs and goodbyes.  These people are our friends.  It was our last trip to Ukkusisat for this season. It will be a year before we see them next.

Oh. You were wondering about the hardships I had to endure today.  I was so stuffed from the buffet that I could hardly drag my butt over the rocks on the  hike to Santa's cabin.  Ugh!

The Fellow In The Orange Jacket

Steffen is the fellow in the orange jacket.  He is a member of the Expedition Team and an excellent geologist. Of course I will deny that I ever said or wrote that. Steffen is very happy at the moment because he likes the rocks upon which he is standing.  Look at everyone else in the photo.  They are photographing the beautiful waterfall just behind him.  If you talk to Steffen he will tell you all about the beautiful ancient lava flow that the waterfall is covering up.  If you ask him about the colourful stratified cliffs that tower over Qeqertarsuaq he will tell you all about ancient volcanic eruptions and that each layer represents a period of volcanic activity.  The dark layers being basalt and the lighter red layers volcanic ash with high iron content. 

But everyone knows the dark layers are chocolate cake and the red layers are strawberry filling.

Everyone had a really great day today.  How could you not?  Qerqertarsuaq is very beautiful. The weather was perfect.  We started our landing operations at 09:00.  Almost everyone joined us on a hike to the Valley of the Winds.  Our hike ended at the waterfall (just behind Steffen).  Everyone was free to hike back to the ship on their own, at their own pace.  As usual there were lots of icebergs just off shore and a few bergy bits strewn along the beach. 

We heaved anchor at 15:45.  Our late afternoon was filled with lectures about Greenland and briefings about tomorrow’s activities.  Both fin and humpback whales were spotted in the afternoon.  We cruised through Disko Bay and around the time of the fashion show (22:00) entered Vaigat sound.  The fashion show was a lot of fun.  Clothing from the gift shop was modeled by the ship’s crew, officers (including the Captain!) and the Expedition Team.

Right now we are heading west, into a beautiful warm sunset

Nothing But Blue Skies From Now On

Blue skies smiling at me.  Nothing but blue skies do I see.  Or so sings Willy Nelson.  We can only hope for more blue skies like today. 

This is the way to kick off a trip.  This morning, bright and early, we cruised through a rather thick sea fog.  Fog often collects when warm summer air meets cold ocean air on wind free days.  And just as often the fog is confined to the sea. That is exactly what happened today.  When we approached Sisimiut the fog parted in a rather dramatic fashion revealing the picturesque town.  It was almost as if we had planned it.

Shortly after 11:00 the 1st Polar Cirkle boats headed to the pier.  The 1st people off the ship today were those going on the long hike to the top of Palaasip Qaqqa mountain.  I climbed up Palaasip Qaqqa a couple of weeks ago and I can tell you that it's a fairly tough hike and I can also tell you the stupendous view from the top is worth the effort.  The 1st image shows the view of Sismiut (you can see the entire town) and the 2nd photo is of the hardy gang that made it to the top.

A lot of people also went on a guided hike to Tele Island where we saw the ruins from Thule people dating back to about 1650.  There are also a couple of Thule graves which look very much like stone cairns.  In one of the graves you can see the bones of the person that was buried there.  The graves are very typical of that time period.  They are built close to the ocean with a view of the sea.  People were not buried in a prone position but rather more in a foetal position.

There were many jellyfish visible today.  Most of them were Lion's Mane jellyfish.  There was a Sherlock Holmes story entitled, The Adventure of the Lion's Mane  where a professor is killed by the sting of this jellyfish.  The sting can be painful but it is not enough to kill someone.  Lion's Manes are the largest species of jellyfish.  I photographed this one when I was standing on the dock.  It was just beneath the surface.

Well, just as Willie sings it, let's hope that there is "nothing but blue skies from now on".

When You First Touched Greenland

Let’s talk about your vacation in Greenland for just a moment.

This photograph represents a very special moment in time. It’s the moment you first touched Greenland.  You must have been excited.  This is a big trip to a very exotic destination.  Perhaps you had been dreaming about going to Greenland a for a very long time. And now the dream has become reality.

You had a hundred questions going through your mind: 

What will the people in Greenland be like?  

What will the landscape look like? 

You were curious about the ship, the food, your cabin, the people working on the ship. 

You asked yourself, “will I get sea sick? Will it be really cold?  Will I see an iceberg?”

Now the great mystery of your vacation is being unravelled moment by moment. 

When you arrived at the Kangerlussuaq airport you were greeted by members of the expedition team.  Outside there were three buses waiting to take you to the head of Kangerlussuaq Fjord.  After a twenty minute ride through the rugged hills paralleling the fjord the bus crested a hill and there lay MS Fram!  Another wave of excitement flooded through you.

Now it was time to put on a life jacket and your first ride in a Polar Cirkle boat. You checked in on deck three, were issued I.D. cards and escorted to your cabin.  Now there was time to investigate your new home.  Soon there were lots of lost people wandering about!

At 20:30 everyone attended a compulsory safety drill. Right after the drill we met the Captain in the Observation Lounge on deck seven.  The Captain gave a welcome speech and introduced some of the officers and the Expedition Team.

The moment you first touched Greenland was very special, but the most special moment will be when you are touched by Greenland.