And here's the problem, folks: On a day like this, with two picturesque landings, it is nigh impossible to squeeze all the pictures into the text. There are just too many! So, let me tell the tale of the day first, and then scroll down and enjoy the images. Aaaaaand here we go:
In the haze of the early morning there is a new sound in the ship: The anchor chain is rattling down into the depths of the British Channel. The island of Sark is so small that there is no way for a "big" ship like ours to make pier, so FRAM has to stay at a safe distance. In no time the five boats are in the water - let the tendering begin!
The conditions are perfect, no waves to speak of, so the Polar Cirkel Boat ride is a dry pleasure.
The hidden little cove that we are entering reveals a stairwell onto the bracing wall, no wonder this place was a perfect hideout for pirates in their time. Today, to our great surprise, the sea level is almost reaching the pier, so it is only a small step up. But that is going to change during the day, trust me on that one.
From the tiny tunnel in the rocks some tractor-pulled coaches emerge to bring us up the winding slope into "town". They are the only motorised vehicles on this paradise island. All other transport is horse or bicycle. What-a-bliss!
Once up, many of us change to horse carriages to begin a scenic drive across the island, the more active bunch mounts bikes to be a bit more independent. The others - well, they walk. The island is just under 4km long, so everything is sort of close by, be it the "Window in the Rock", the church, or one of the incredibly lush paths leading anywhere in this forlorn world. It is just perfect for a lonely walk, listening to birds, the waves and the wind.
After a couple of hours everybody resurfaces reluctantly at the pier. The peacefulness of this place has left its mark, we move a little slower and think a little less. A cure for the restless mind.
But our next destination awaits just around the corner, the island with probably the most colorful history in the nearer surroundings - Guernsey. The name alone is mystery, containing Norse elements ("Island")and unknown ones. Populated since the Neolithic times, it was first a target, then a stronghold for pirates, a battleground during the 100-year war, and several wars to follow, including WWII, of course. Today it is a hub for the Channel Island tourism and a shopping paradise, since there is no such thing like VAT here.
Again we "have" to take our boats to get across, a scenic ride along the looming Cornet Castle, which guards the entrance. On arrival the buses are waiting and the excursions leave. However, many decide to just stroll in town, see one of the cosy pubs (or two), or - go shopping. There is certainly enough to see.
After a loooong day everybody returns to FRAM and devours the buffet Philipino style, which normally precedes the famous Crew Show. It will take some action to keep people from falling asleep in their seats, after hours and hours of peace, fresh air, and excitement!
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| Smile and wave! |
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| The first Polar Cirkel Boat ride, and not a drop of water. |
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| Mind the sea level in the morning |
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| ...and later. It's the same staircase! |
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Through the tunnel to the village
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| Better than cars |
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| Our new liferaft, tested by Arne and Karin... |
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| The idyllic hideouts in the lush greens near Dixcart Bay |
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| Dixcart Bay ("Dee-Kaar", like French) |
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| Many caves and pirate holes |
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| Daffodils - it's Easter! |
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| Well, mind your head then... |
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| Window in the rock, made by an artist in the 80s |
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| Rocks and boats, all over the place |
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| The coat of arms of St.Peter Port - written in French |
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| Cornet Castle |
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| The sturdy church of St. Peter Port |
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| This we call a low tide... |
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| Fram behind Cornet Castle pier |
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| The picturesque port |
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| It's clear people are not mainly hunters... |
Very often we get asked which one of these exciting regions we'd prefer. Impossible to answer to that, they all have unique features. Look at Greenland for example where you find undoubtedly the greatest variety, manly dominated by the fact that it is the home of the Inuit people who have lived there for about 8000 years by now, coming in from the North! They are the real ice people, and their way of adapting to the violent nature has created traditions that are still valid and important for survival and daily life, from the extremely sophisticated way of clothing to their music, their coexistence with the dogs, and their hunting skills with the Kayak. Here you find the harmony between landscape, ice and people. That's Greenland for you.
if you like it rougher, if you want to increase the chance of seeing polar bear by a huge factor, Svalbard would be the place to go, the archipelago that spans the unbelievable latitudes from 74 to 80 degrees North. There's no indigenous people here, a mere 2000 souls live in this wilderness, most of them in Longyearbyen. No ports, no piers, only us and a nature that is swarming with animals. Long and exhausting hikes await those who want, always guarded by our armed guides. Seeing a live polar bear on the same speck of land you are just walking on leaves an impression so intense that you will carry it with you for the rest of your life.
How to beat that...? Well, you can try, on the most remote continent there is - Antarctica. Twice the size of Europe, it is covered to 97 percent with ice, up to four and a half kilometers thick. Only to get there you have to cross more than 1000 km of wildest ocean, but then you are part of a privileged minority on this planet, having seen the largest wilderness there is. Antarctica dwarfs everything by it's sheer size, it has the potential to change you. If you let the continent do it, you'll be coming back as a different person. In a good way, you get a very healthy understanding of scale and vulnerability that we tend to have forgotten in our civilized world.
FRAM goes to all these destinations every year, and we are constantly working on new ideas to enlarge our portfolio, be it in Europe or in the far ends of this world. So, the inspiration of possible voyages in the futures makes up for the thought that this is the final day of this trip. The Captain's quotation of Mark Twain during his farewell speech sums it up nicely: in 20 years from now we will be more disappointed by the things we didn't do than by the things we did do...
There is a stark contrast between the pier of Honfleur and the place itself. Opposite Le Havre on the southern bank of the river Seine estuary, it is everything but pretty, grey concrete and steely constructions, functional. But there is a red carpet for us laid out by the port authorities, like we are movie stars arriving for a gala. Nice touch. And there is a nice sunrise in the East, just under the enormous bridge that spans the Seine mouth. If you follow the sun you'll be ending up in Paris, but that's not where we want to be. Our destination is just a 20 minutes walk away - Honfleur, pearl of the Normandy. And a true pearl it is: From the distance it seems like many narrow houses huddled together amidst green hills, and if you get closer, cross the old rusty flood gate, walk around the marina and the fishing harbor, this first impression proves to be just right. The buildings could easily be taken from a pirate movie, old, so very old they seem, in the most charming possible way, the wooden beams bent under the centuries, causing the facades to lean into the alleys. On the other side of the harbor basin a completely different aspect: Here the houses seem to have had something in their food to make them grow taller, without letting them get wider at the bottom. They look ridiculously narrow, and you can't help getting the image of people walking into their rooms and walking out again - backwards...
It's Easter Sunday, and to everybody's surprise all the shops are open. Of course there is a throng in all the streets, in front of some delicacy parlors there are even people queueing for pastry or meat or the unrivaled specialty of Honfleur - the Calvados, distilled from apples and mighty stron. Any year of this famous stuff is available, any price tag to be found.
Those who are rather inclined to turn to different spirits were welcomed in the beautiful church of Sainte Catherine that had been erected from the only available building material after the 100-year war - wood, ship's wood. So the similarity with a seagoing vessel is not just coincidence. The place breathes a very particular animus, even on a normal day. Today, however, is Easter Sunday and the church is packed for the service, people singing devoutly, incense hanging in the air, pierced by the colorful light from the stained windows.
The church empties quickly after the mass, and this is the moment when you start to feel the place. There is something about it, like you are sending your thoughts from there to wherever you want them to be. Energy, coming from a building. 
