UNESCO World Heritage Day!

As we arrived in Bonne Bay this morning, we found that another (!!!) sunny day was waiting for us. However, the sea was choppy and it was a quite wet crossing in the polar cirkle boats to the shoreline of Woody Point.

The little village with around 600 inhabitants is beautifully situated close to the famous tablelands of the Gros Morne National Park. Many of us took the opportunity to explore the area on shorter and longer hikes while enjoying the stunning autumn colours. A real highlight were certainly the characteristic red leaves of the maple trees. Gros Morne National Park was designated a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1987 for its “exceptional natural beauty” and “outstanding examples representing major stages of earth’s history”. One of these examples is represented by the tablelands, which form one of the best and most accessible pieces of exposed earth mantel material in the world.

The park is also home for a variety of animals and at the entrance we were advertised by a signpost that this is bear land. Very exciting! - but the chances to see one…not very promising. Instead, some of us were so lucky and caught the glimpse of a moose! Moose were introduced in 1904, originally two females and males. Today, the population consists of the considerable number of around 100,000 animals, which are causing quite a lot of damage to the vegetation.

A fascinating plant we find in the park is a carnivorous plant. It belongs to the “pitcher plants” and its leaves form cups filled with liquid. Insects are trapped and drown. However, the drowned insects are not consumed by the plant directly, but by the larvae of a special fly, that live inside the cups. The plant in turn lives on the excreta of the larvae – a real symbiosis.

After a morning of exploration, MS Fram sailed along the coastline in the afternoon and passengers could choose between lectures or just relaxing on deck or in the Observation Lounge.

The day was concluded with the famous MS Fram Crew Show presenting many hidden talents on board, including a group of Russian poll dancers.

Whaling Day!

16^th Century, Red Bay – the Capital of Whaling! Well, maybe not the capital, but certainly in those days one of the most important and largest of the at least 16 whaling stations along the seashore of the area.

In the only 300-souls-village we were surprised to find 3 beautifully set up exhibitions on whales and whaling. The skeleton of a big bowhead whale was on display and a ‘chalupa’, an old rowing boat used to hunt these big beasts. It was only a little longer than the mandibles of the whale lying next to it for a scale reference. All these items, together with the remains of four galleons, were found on the seafloor at Red Bay by underwater archaeologists.

Hard to believe that until the 1970s, nobody knew about all this history. Only then, British researcher Selma Barkham started to investigate in the Basque region of southern France and northern Spain old records of different types. She revealed the large-scale whale fishery carried out by the Basques in the 16^th century in Canada (after they had exterminated the local right whale population in the Bay of Biscay) and it was only then that the different artefacts were discovered in Red Bay. Not only under water, but also a large cemetery of approximately 140 whalers was found on Saddle Island. Today, Red Bay’s collection is thought to be the best of its kind in the world.

Not surprisingly, many of us spent the day investigating the different museums. But the nice weather (again!) also invited for a hike on Saddle Island to which a shuttle service with the polar circle boats was set up. Others went on an even longer walk to up to Tracy Hill to have a wonderful view and some went on an excursion to Point Amour.

Leif the Lucky… again!

Another Viking day! In the morning we arrived in St. Anthony, a village with 3100 inhabitants on the northern tip of Newfoundland. Newfoundland, known for storms and rain, greeted us with bright sunshine and blue sky - so not only Leif is lucky, but we are, too! But the wind – yes! – it was present all day.

On the pier, Kol the Viking was waiting for us to lead us on the excursion to L’Anse aux Meadows, a 1000 year old settlement of the Norsemen – presumably founded by Leif himself. It was a 45-minute bus ride (on local school busses) through stunning Indian summer scenery (boreal forest in green and yellow with some beautiful ponds) to reach this famous place, today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. L'Anse aux Meadows was discovered in 1960 and since then it is proven that it was definitely not Columbus who was the first European to set foot on the new continent! (despite our school books…).

We strolled along the remains of the old houses (some grass mounds in the landscape) and a large part of our visit was dedicated to see several reconstructions of those Viking buildings, including a church. It was great to seek refuge from the cold wind inside the houses where Norsemen and -women in traditional outfits were weaving or knitting next to warm fires and very happy to answer all our questions. Also a real Viking boat replica was on display with which in 1998 some audacious adventurers (or shall we call them crazy) had crossed from Greenland to Canada in 86 days.

In the afternoon, many took the opportunity to go for a walk to Fishing Point, a nice viewpoint with a lighthouse. We had the chance to look at some typical plants like cranberries, crowberries, arctic blueberries, the Lapland cornus and also the balsam fir, here in dwarf form due to the harsh weather conditions.

A successful first day in Canada and we are looking forward to more!

Labrador Sea Day

Bridge-tours were the program of this morning. Everybody got the chance to visit Captain Rune Andreassen and to learn more about the ship. There is the paper sea chart where the route is firstly established and then the information is transferred to a computer. The track pilot (if switched on) will set the ship on that pre-established course, although due to the action of waves and wind the real course does certainly vary. But GPS and other instruments will take care of that.

The Captain also explained about our stabilizers, which are 4 meter long “wings” with flaps that come out of each side of the vessel. They help to reduce the rolling, however, nothing can be done against the pitching. So we were lucky that the movement of today was not too bad, although we definitely had more wind than yesterday. Or is it that we all have got our sea-legs by now?

The sky cleared up during the day and the blue water with the white caps shining in the sun gave us the real ‘ocean feeling’.

Birds were again following the ship and different species could be identified: the already mentioned fulmars (again very numerous!), several flocks of kittiwakes, glaucous gulls, greater and sooty shearwaters, little auks, pomarine skuas (very special!) and even a raptor (probably a peregrine falcon) was around. Not to forget our blind passenger from Greenland, a young snow bunting on deck 7.

The sea was too rough for a good whale watching, however, some of us were lucky enough to spot small groups of pilot whales.

Otherwise, the day was used again for relaxing, attending lectures, films or a question-and-answer session with the expedition team. Some of the guests tried out the Jacuzzis and others worked out in the fitness room.

In the evening another question round took place – this time with the Captain, the Chief Engineer and the Hotel Manager to talk about topics related to Fram.

Good-bye Kalaallit Nunaat

Kalaallit Nunaat meaning "land of the Greenlanders” as the locals call their country, lies far behind us now. Two days at sea separate us from Canada, but as the weather and wave conditions are really good, these two days are welcome in order to relax and take in all the many impressions and experiences we have had so long. While letting the eyes lazily glide over the ocean, with our inner eyes we let once more pass by the images of ice, glaciers, mountains, friendly people in colourful costumes and of course some Viking ruins.

And for those not in the relaxing mood, there was again a full program of different talks to keep everybody busy. Lectures covered waves and whales, but also birds, climate, photography and life in modern Greenland.

In the afternoon passengers and staff alike were magically attracted to the Observation Lounge, from where a tempting scent of fresh waffles was spreading around the whole ship.

With cream, jam or the Norwegian brown cheese they were simply delicious.

Another sport of the day was trying to take pictures of the birds that accompanied Fram all day long. Most of them were fulmars, relatives of the mighty albatrosses in the southern hemisphere. Both belong to the tubenoses and are truly marine creatures. They only return to land for breeding while spending the rest of their lives at the ocean. Fulmars come in two morphs: one form is totally dark grey, whereas the other has a snowy white body and grey upper wings. The dark morph can only be found in the high north, and therefore we were delighted to see some of them within the flocks of the more common white form. Occasionally, the birds came so close to the ship, that we could almost touch them (yes!). Suddenly, the big telemetry lens were useless and wide-angle lens became much more appropriate to take good shots!

Well, tomorrow is another day and maybe a chance to try once more our luck.

The good (?) old Viking times

Does Greenland have any bad weather at all?! – we ask ourselves. Another day full of bright sunshine and blue sky lies behind us. Another day full of highlights with more landings, more Viking remains, more scenery. 

However, when the alarm clock rang this morning the first reaction was an “oh no!” as it was still dark outside and very early. But yes, a tough program was waiting for us and the first landing started at 7.30. Hvalsey was the destination and once awake, everybody was delighted to presence a spectacular sunrise.

When we arrived, the ruins of the Vikings were still in the shadow, but as time passed by, we could almost see how the first sunrays began to illuminate the old buildings. Hvalsey offers the best preserved Viking church and it was here that the last documented wedding took place, back in 1408. It is also the last written record of the Norsemen before they disappeared from Greenland.

Around 9 o’clock we lifted the anchor again to reach out for our next landing place: Qassiarsuk. It was an amazing sail through the Tunulliarfik Fjord (Eriksfjord) with new snow on the peaks at the starboard side. Despite the sunshine, there is no doubt that winter is approaching – we could clearly see the sea starting to freeze. In Qassiarsuk, the beaches were covered with thin little ice plates and in some parts there was still frost even in the afternoon.

Qassiarsuk is an important historical place as it was here that Erik the Red, the first Viking to settle in Greenland, established his farm around 1000 years ago. Ruins of the old church and other buildings reminded us of those times, and despite the Vikings have gone long ago, still today the area is very green (for the first time we understand the word Green-land!) and used for sheep farming.

Local guides gave us a tour through the 40-souls village. At the end, by the replica of the Norsemen’s church and a longhouse, Tjorhilde, Erik the Red’s wife, was waiting for us. Ok – not she in person of course - but she did look very authentic! It was Edda from Iceland who in a dramatic one-woman-show made history become alive. We could imagine it all: violence, murder, passion and the strong will to colonize this new country.

And now we will follow Leif the Lucky (whose monument watches over the settlement) on his explorations that took him even farther…to the west…and to find another continent – today called North America!

Ulloq nuan – a great day!

 Was it due to Steffen’s special birthday that we were granted with yet another splendid day here in Greenland?! Everything started with a spectacular sunrise and soon after the Fram entered the picturesque Prins Christian Sund, a 60 km long channel in the very south of the country. High mountain peaks, glaciers and waterfalls make up a breathtaking landscape and not one cloud was seen in the perfectly blue sky.

Anja had called Aappilattoq, a little village in the middle of the Sund, only 30 hours ago and asked if they would be prepared to receive a visit from our ship. Fortunately, they were indeed very happy and we could make an extra landing here as special bonus. And a special landing this was indeed! We received a very warm welcome from the inhabitants (particularly the children!), many of them in their national costumes. Boys and men wear a white anorak, black trousers and the traditional “kamiks”, the boots made of animal skin. The female dresses are much more colourful with their carefully handmade pearl collars.

Lots of pictures were taken – but not only from us! Also the locals enthusiastically could not stop making photos of each other.

When everybody was ashore, we were invited to assist an open-air dance performance ending with passengers, staff and locals all dancing together in a round circle. 

We further had the opportunity for a ‘kaffeemik’ in the school (which is quite impressive, given that they currently only have 22 pupils), to visit the church, to wander around in the settlement or to climb a little hill for a better view.

Finally, the local choir came on board - in addition to the school children who were happily exploring the ship and trying out the table tennis. We all gathered in the Observation Lounge to listen to some songs and to watch another polka performance.

In summary, our visit was a highly enjoyable intercultural encounter and very much appreciated by everybody involved.

The voyage then continued through the reminder of the Prins Christian Sund and took us later in the afternoon to Ikigait. Facing the steep cliffs of an impressive mountain, remains of an old Viking settlement are still visible. It is easy to imagine them living here during sunshine weather like today – but how had life been during long winter nights and endless snow storms?

Skjoldungen or the cementery of shoes

What a day! When Anja in her morning announcement informed about an outside temperature of 8°C, everybody was reluctant to believe it (at least the expedition staff!). But yes – soon after we landed on shore, one thermal layer after the other came off and also the passengers were surprised with this almost tropical climate! Needless to say that everybody was delighted.

Skjoldungen was our morning destination and is the name of an abandoned settlement in the middle of nowhere. 1964, as part of a nationwide program to concentrate the Greenlandic population in a few central sites, all inhabitants were relocated. 

Today we find rotten houses, rotten barrels, a rotten mangle and…most impressive… different rotten shoes in all sizes, shapes and colours…everywhere.

A ghost “town” which makes us aware how long it takes to decompose human remains and for nature to take over again. Especially in this sensitive arctic environment, where everything is preserved for years or centuries. 

But besides the anthropogenic traces, something else caught our attention and enchanted all of us: the incredible colours of the vegetation. Bright red patches of birch and berry leaves intermingling with the yellow of the willows – what a beautiful scenery!

  Later in the day, these intense autumn colours were a perfect contrast to the dark mountains, the green sea and the white icebergs, making our circumnavigation of the island of Skjoldungen a very special experience. Lack of wind contributed to some fantastic reflections in the water and the dramatic peaks of up to 1900m, glaciers and a few narrow passages will be an unforgettable memory.

Whales, ice and a true arctic experience

Our day started with an introduction to our route, to boarding and disembarking of our Polar Cirkle Boats and to the AECO-Guidelines. AECO stands for Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators and its main objective is to ensure that tourism in the Arctic is carried out with the “utmost consideration for the fragile, natural environment, local cultures and cultural remains, while ensuring safe tour operations at sea and on land”. And a truly Arctic day this was! Already in the morning we could get a glimpse of the snowy Greenlandic coastline in the distance and it was not long until the first icebergs appeared close to the ship.

We reached our destination Umiivik during lunch time and soon after the tender pit was set up and prepared for our first cruising. 

 

In the meantime, two humpback whales entertained passengers who were looking out from the Observation Lounge or from the forward deck on the bow. The animals seemed not to be disturbed at all by the presence of the Fram and were friendly enough to stay in the area during the whole afternoon. Some of us were even so lucky to observe them directly from the Polar Cirkle Boats! Humpback whales are baleen whales and can reach a considerable size of up to 18 m. They will migrate to the Caribbean soon to mate and give birth in warmer waters. But before, they need to store enough energy in form of blubber to survive several months without feeding at all.

However, not only the whales were responsible for a fantastic afternoon. The icy scenery with glaciers all around was simply stunning. Hard to tell how many different shades of blue, white and grey were present. The crackling of the melting brush ice was interrupted once in a while by big thunders that came from inside the glaciers. Sometimes, if quick enough, one was able to catch a glimpse of some little pieces breaking down from inside of the huge ice caves.

Also, the bizarre and majestic icebergs were breathtaking. The almost transparent blue colour of some of them surely took up thousands of megabits of pictures!

Finally, not to forget that this is also a very important historic place: it was from here that Fridtjof Nansen started his 40-day journey across the Greenlandic Icecap in 1888.

An exciting day ended with the Fram sailing out of the icy area in foggy conditions, which again reminded us of where we are: in the ARCTIC!