Stockholm - Noble Splendour

Today we enjoyed a relaxing morning on board. Sailing from Bornholm to Stockholm with gorgeous weather is an additional benefit on this cruise.

The morning was not only reserved for enjoying the sea and the scenery but also to our lectures. Guests could choose amongst various topics such as Photography, Baltic Amber or an art lecture on the Hermitage of St. Petersburg, some even attended all lectures.

Cruising towards Stockholm we passed the archipelago of the Swedish coast, approximately 24.000 small islands mark this striking landscape. Most of us spent the time on the outside decks not to miss anything. The commentary highlighted the most interesting points of this stretch and guided us into Stockholm where we arrived in the afternoon. The city was bathed in sunshine and almost seemed golden when we approached it. Once MV Fram was moored most of us left for excursions, exploring the waterways of Stockholm by boat or attending a walking tour through the old town. Staying here overnight, right in the center on board MV Fram is another exclusive experience as most ships leave the same day from Stockholm. Many guests thus went for an evening stroll in the Old Town to enjoy the inviting ambience of the city.

Good night Stockholm we cannot wait to see more of the city tomorrow.

Bornholm – “Little Big Island in the Sun”

We reached Bornholm in the morning around 7:00 am – in perfect time for our planned morning excursions. The weather could not have been better, clear blue sky and sunshine combined with temperatures around 18°C.

For many of us it was a geological highlight to see this amazing island. From geological point of view the island is divided into two parts. The northern part of the island belongs to the so called Fennoscandian Shield, the area has been formed during the time of the Proterozoicum and its characteristics are the granite rocks, steep cliffs and scarce vegetation typical for Northern Europe.

The southern part of the island however is formed of ancient sediments an area shaped approx. 500 million years ago, thus younger than the northern part. Typical for this southern part of the island are the flat white colored sand beaches, and classical dunes. A truly amazing geological highlight we could experience when travelling in-between this two geographical zones as this means we are crossing the geological border between Middle Europe and Northern Europe, this line is called the Tornquist Zone.

Today’s excursions showed typical landscapes, houses, villages, windmills and vegetation. The excursion highlights for many guests were the visit to the various destinations such as the ruins of Hammershus, Gudhjem, Round Churches in Nylars,Osterlars and Nyker, the charming villages of Hasle and Svaneke. Culinary attractions on the island included the famous “Bornholmer” a freshly smoked herring served on rye bread, delicious soft ice cream with various toppings such as crusty chocolate or salty liquorices and handmade sweets. Cute little shops offered a variety of local hand crafts.

During the afternoon we had a selection of lectures touching down on various topics related to our upcoming destinations. The evening ended with the one and only famous “MV FRAM FASHION SHOW”.

Good Morning Kiel Canal!

At 5:30 am we entered the Kiel Canal at Brunsbüttel, an 98,6 km canal connecting the North Sea with the Baltic Sea. The planning dates back to the days of Emperor Wilhelm II of Prussia; the opening ceremony took place on 21. June 1896. Cruising on the world busiest manmade water-street was a perfect start into the day.

Excellent weather, interesting and highlighting commentary from the bridge made this a unique experience. It seemed we were gliding over green and yellow fields. Beautiful 18^th & 19^th century mansions, farmhouses, small and quaint villages, little inns and restaurants could be seen along the canal.

As we passed along many cyclists and bypassing people waved and greeted happily MV FRAM. Following the ship ahead of us, a Cargo-ship called Nordic Hamburg we approached the locks at Kiel-Holtenau were we left the Kiel Canal at 1:30 pm. The “Kieler Förde” is the first water of the Baltic Sea on this Cruise. Good bye Kiel Canal – Hello Baltic Sea.

After a scenic & leisurely morning our on board lecturers offered us insight knowledge on the Geology and Ecology of the Baltic Sea and the history of the Hanseatic League.

With quiet sea the evening ends with live music in the Panorama Lounge carrying us to the next destination – Bornholm.

Welcome on board….“Let’s party….“

Today is a change over day on board, guests which have spent the last cruise with us are departing and new guests arrive. It is a busy day with many guests arriving within a short period of time. Once everybody is on board we leave the pier at 4:30 pm.

We did not just leave Hamburg, no; we were part in one of the city’s most famous events the “Hafen Geburtstag” one of the biggest harbor festivals in the world. 310 ships participated in a festive parade on the Elb River, and MV FRAM was in the midst of it. Guests and Crew alike were on the outside decks not to miss anything. All kinds of ships ahead of us and around us – Tall-ships, Steamships, Cruise-ships, Icebreakers, Expedition-ships, Navy-ships, Coast Guard-ships, Excursion-boats – all kinds, all sizes, all colors. Absolutely fantastic this parade on the water. A highlight to see besides the collection of historic Tall-ships was also the Queen Mary 2 from Cunard. The shores were crowded with spectators, cheering and waving the passing ships. When we passed the “Landungsbrücken” we were officially introduced and an orchestra played the National Anthem of Norway – a truly touching moment.

We trust the photos of this day will give you an impression how wonderful this experience was for all of us.

FRAM locked up?

No worries, this is not breaking news, but a minor event which even adds spice to our trip from Oslo to Hamburg, you'll see.

After a sunset of major beauty we started the long crossing towards Hamburg. The sea was flat calm, also during the day, so lingering on deck was a sheer pleasure. Late during the night we reached Kiel-Holtenau and entered the Kiel Kanal (Nord-Ostseekanal), this event witnessed only by the night owls among us. The QE2, who was supposed to be somewhere near, must have slipped our course. Well, she is just so tiny…
Everyone else had only one thing in mind: the famous harbour festival, hosting the most beautiful traditional big ships right downtown Hamburg. A fantastic event, this year spoilt with warm, sunny pre-summer weather.

But, please: Why aren't we moving? What are these walls, so close on either side??
Simple answer: It's the lock, the Brunsbüttel Sluice, that is the westernmost end of the channel. And it was locked, the lock. And locked. Aaaand locked. Due to the very high traffic on the river Elbe we had to stay put for more than two hours until finally the gate opened and dismissed us into the wide river mouth. 
Sharp left turn, and off we go! Captain puts another coal on the fire (so to speak), in order to gain a little speed. 

But the trip upstream River Elbe is full of attractions, some of them grim as the nuclear power plant of Brokdorf, other simply pretty like the passage along lush green pastures and farms.
And then the skyline of Hamburg is drawing near, heralded by an increasing amount of vessels. We are here! Captain Arild Hårvik blows the horn, certainly one of the loudest heard by the crowd. FRAM is in town!

The sunny side

...of things is what we should look at rather than to frown and moan about the shadows.
It is mostly on departure days that this kind of thinking springs to mind, there is simply no reason to ponder philosophically on a bright blue sea day or during a fine landing in a beautiful place. But when it's over… different story. A noticeable reluctance in walking down the gangway for the last time on this trip, the melancholy of saying good-bye, climbing into the busses and waving back to the orange jackets that are gathered on the pier. It'll pass, for certain! There is something to look forward to, there is home and family and garden and springtime and dogs and friends and whatnot. And there is also the prospect of coming back. Wouldn't that be nice?
Meanwhile, another load of provisions and blue jackets and engine oil and parts and paint gets delivered and stored in the bowels of FRAM, crew and staff members are going and arriving, Hurtigruten officials come aboard for meetings and information and material. That also is changeover day, a logistical pitstop for all who work on the ship. But all with the nice backdrop of the pittoresque fortress of Akershus, whose turrets are pointing into a - no surprise here - blue sky. Pretty, pretty.
And not long until the busses appear, full with those who are going to take a ride with us to Hamburg. A lift rather, it is only one and a half day. So, folks, settle in quickly, not time to loose. Best to start right away, with a little leisure in the afternoon light. 

Well, that's the sunny side, isn't it?