The Capital

     One advantage of the approaching winter in the northern hemisphere is that you do not have to be an 'early bird' to enjoy the sunrise. The current clear weather is giving great spectacles of light at both ends of the day.
     The Vasco da Gama Bridge spans the Tagus River with a total length of 17.2 km. It was in full light by the time we passed under it on on our way into Lisbon.
 

      Old and new architecture not only rub shoulders in this capital capital city, they actually run into each other. The city sights, Cascais, Sintra and a fado show were all enjoyed.

     After dinner, a  fun test of things learnt on the voyage, led by quizmaster Frieda, was held in the Observation Lounge.   Somehow the two judges managed to keep a straight face through the laughter.

Onward to Porto in Portugal

     Stunning moonlight accompanied the overnight sail towards Portugal and the port of Leixoes, just 10 km drive away from the centre of Porto. 

     Vímara Peres, was sent by King Alfonso III of Asturias, Leon and Galicia,to regain from the Moors the area from the Minho River to the Douro River including the city of Portus Cale later named Porto and Gaia from where the name of Portugal emerged. A statue of this 9th Century hero stands next to the Cathedral.

     Walking in the centre of Porto is not just about seeing historic buildings and the famed tile decorations. Laundry hangs out to dry, elderly ladies sharpen their kitchen knives on the granite steps, goods are delivered. The streets and the rail station bustle with activity.

At the mouth of the River Douro the local fishermen were fixing the nets used from their small boats. A little further inland the port wine warehouses nestle together on the opposite river bank from the civic centre. Joining the two is Gustav Eiffel's distinctive iron bridge, carrying road and tram traffic on different levels.

     Port is a fortified wine produced exclusively in the demarcated Douro Valley Region. Helped by the microclimate around one hundred different varieties of grape are grown. Typically a sweet, red wine is produced, often served as a dessert wine, but there are also dry, semi-dry, and white varieties.

     In the early history of the port wine trade, many of the most powerful traders were English families. Over the years Portuguese, as well as Dutch, German and Scottish-owned shippers became prevalent in the port industry. Fram's guests visited the warehouses of rivals Calem and Sandeman. Tasting, of course, the only way to appreciate this particular heritage of Porto!

Clear skies in the City of Crystal

Galicia is an autonomous region in northwest Spain, erosion by the Atlantic Ocean has contributed to the many capes on the coastline.   Best known is Cape Finisterre said to be considered by the Romans (along with Finistère in Brittany and Land's End in Cornwall) to be the end of the known world. 
    
Our port, La Coruna, a political capital from the 16th to the 19th Century, is characterised by glazed window balconies called galerías. This solution for the challenging weather, particularly rainy days, dates back to the 18th Century. The finest examples face out to sea from Avenida de la Marina.   Shortly after Fram moored, stunning morning light bounced off the windows as hundreds of local runners streamed past in a weekend road race.

     Santiago di Compostela, only one hour away, drew many passengers to see the Cathedral. Dedicated to the apostle James, this final destination of medieval pilgramage routes is also surrounded by many other historic buildings.
     Heading back out to sea it was easy to see the Tower of Hercules, a lighthouse that has been in continuous operation for nearly 2,000 years.  It is easy to understand how its nightly beam can be seen for 24 miles.

The Bay of Biscay

For crew there are regular safety drills, a day "At Sea" often finds them on one of these exercises. This was no exception. Though not involving passengers, many are keen to watch the activity.

Lectures, bridge visits, dolphin and whale sightings - quite a day. A calm Biscay meant afternoon waffles with Antonio on piano were popular.

Fram's voyages in Europe visit several sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List, Fiona explained how properties obtain a place on that List. Steffan put 4.6 billion years of geology into a nutshell, Freida described the ecology of oceans, Katya illustrated Spanish and Portugese Art. Arne introduced everyone to our next port A Coruna in the Galicia Region of Spain. Klaus spoke of Christopher Colombus, who passed through the Bay of Biscay in 1476 on his way to England, Ireland and onto Iceland. It is not recorded how the sea condition was then, but it will definately have taken more than a day to cross!

Nantes

Past St. Nazaire, 56 km down the Loire River (the longest in France) to Nantes.  With a history spanning three thousand years the city developed at a place where a number of islands embraced by the river enabled it to be crossed and bridges to be built.  Notable amongst many historic buildings are the St. Pierre Cathedral and the Chateau of the Dukes of Brittany.

     A region for Muscadet, Sancerre and Vouvrey wine, the estate of Chateau de Goulaine is thought to be the oldest known wine business in existence. Their fine tapestries and butterfly house were enjoyed as well as their wine.

     Nantes is also the home of LU biscuits, their "petit beurre" still produced after more than a hundred years, though no longer in local ownership.

What started as a grey afternoon turned to sun in time for enthusiastic photographers to catch the autumn colours at Clisson. Coaches returned from excursions to a pipe band playing at the gangway and a superb sunset.

Company at Sea

There was good company along the French coast heading towards our next port of Nantes. Birds and vessels came and went from view through the day.

     Northern Gannets nest on the south coast of England, but they are back at sea now that the breeding season is over. The wind made this a good day for them.
     Commercial and small boats passed and distinct, but a little too far away to photograph well, sight of the tall masted sail ship The Bounty.
     The original is one of the most famous ships in the world. known for the mutiny which took place in Tahiti in 1798. This replica was constructed by MGM for the 1962 movie “Mutiny on the Bounty” starring Marlon Brando.  Now this Bounty sails around the world offering dockside tours about the history and details of sailing vessels from another time in maritime history.

Cruising the Seine River

An overnight stay in Rouen, the historic buildings beautifully lit, and a morning stay that enabled passengers to get to Giverney and to the Abbey's of Jumieges and St. George de Boscherville.  The distinctive towers of Notre Dame de Jumieges made this the tallest church of 11th Century Normandy.

Claude Monet painted Rouen from St. Catherine's viewpoint as well executing a well known series of the Cathedral facade demonstrating the effects of changing light. The gardens of his home at nearby Giverney also inspired many of his Impressionist works.

Cruising the Seine River, on the way back out to sea, the sunshine, albeit briefly, bounced off the chalk cliffs and the dramatic bridges near the mouth of the river. 

Look up! The City of Rouen.

In the heart of the historic city the Notre Dame Cathedral has grown over centuries and survived Viking Invasion and Allied Bombing in 1944.

A metalwork spire added in 1877 made the Cathedral in the tallest in the world for a brief time, and it is still the highest in France.

Also overhead, amongst fine Normandy style half-timber architecture is the Gros Horloge. In operation from the 14th Century until 1928 without stopping once, calculated to be more than 5 million hours.

Passing Dover

A sea day with diverse subjects for lectures and chats from the Expedition Team - Geology, Ornithology, Architectural Style, History and Photography.  

By late afternoon Fram reached the English Channel, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. Named the Dover Strait, the narrowest part is only 34 km wide.  Today was (just) clear enough to see land on both sides.

Musician Antonio, a native of the Azores, played both afternoon and evening, and crew members sang some of their favourite songs to guests to round off the day.

Rivers of Western Europe

Fram arrived in Hamburg soon after dawn. Passengers disembarked in the cool, but it soon became a scorching hot day. Sailing back out of the city this afternoon, the deck was the place to be, not only for the breeze, but to see the properties along the banks, pleasure craft and locals enjoying the beaches along the Elbe River.

The new arrivals have their blue jackets, have done safety drill and enjoyed dinner. All are settled in for 'The Rivers of Western Europe' a journey south visiting ports in France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, and the Canary Island of Lanzarote.

Moving toward Hamburg

At sea on our way to Hamburg.   The last day on board for this group of passengers, with lectures, bridge visit and waffles to enjoy. 

At his cocktail the Captain reported covering some 1900 nautical miles during this voyage. Guests have the chance to take the photographer CD record of 'Round UK'  home with them.  With so much packed into a handful of days, it is difficult to choose photos to show you on the blog, so here are a few more.

Expedition Team  'Round UK'

The South of England

Portsmouth was the port of call today. The nickname of Pompey, which is shared by the football team of this city, is thought to come from the old chart abbreviation of Portsmouth Point to POM P. For centuries, and still today, a major naval base for Britain, Portsmouth is also a major ferry terminal for continental routes. Passing through the port we viewed vessels as diverse as Admiral Lord Nelson's historic HMS Victory, HMS Warrior of 1860, modern Royal Navy aircraft carrier's, ferries of every size, hovercraft and even the Ffyes banana boat.

Enjoying unseasonally hot weather in the South of England guests travelled across the Hampshire County countryside to the megalithic site of Stonehenge, where there was an unexpected show of a flock of starling birds. Alternatively passengers had the option to visit the town of Winchester where the focus was a tour of the Cathedral which dates back to 1079.

No voyage on Fram is complete without the great show put on by the crew, and for "Round UK" this was the night.   It was a 'full house' in the Qilak Lounge.