Sunny Sisimiut

The Greenlandic coastline greeted us with a thick fog as we looked out of our portholes this morning. But just as soon as the town of Sisimiut was in sight the fog lifted and a beautiful sunny day was awaiting us.

Sisimiut is the second largest town in Greenland and approx. 5500 people live here.

When Fram nicely laid alongside the pier we were in no doubt that we had entered a fishing town. The inner harbor was covered by an armada of both smaller and larger fishing vessels.

Prawns are the main catch for the fish processing plant, but the local fishermen also fish flounder, catfish, cod, and at this time of the year the caviar from the lumpfish.  Some of us went to Hotel Sisimiut and had a taste of some of these very tasty delicacies.

 

The most agile of us went out with local guides to hike to the top of the nearby Palasip Qaqqaa (Priest Mountain), which is 551 meters high. It was quite a hike but it was definitely worth the effort having the beautiful view over Sisimiut from the top of the mountain.

The rest of us stayed in Sisimiut and had either a nice city tour with the local guides or went on our own and some took the historical hike back in time and learned of how Sisimiut had been populated by various Inuit cultures dating back to 2500 BC and up to present times.

Before departing Sisimiut a local kayakman came and gave us an impressive show of his skills with a Greenlandic kayak (called qajaq in Greenlandic).

Now we are on our way to the town of Qeqertarsuaq and the expedition team have told us to start looking for icebergs.

Kangerlussuaq

Photo © Esther Kokmeijer

Our charter Greenland Air jet touched down in Kangerlussuaq at approximately 15:40.  

Kang’ is very near the Arctic Circle but we stepped off the plane into 17˚C and brilliant sunshine.  On our way here we flew over the second largest ice sheet in the world.  It was a stunning view of the Greenland Icecap!  With more than 2.6 million km³ of ice in Greenland and this far north, one would expect Greenland to be a lot colder. When we get back home how will we explain our tanned faces? But hey! Nobody is complaining.    In the summer Kangerlussuaq is the warmest inhabited place in Greenland.  In the winter it one of the coldest inhabited place.

Photo © Esther Kokmeijer

It was a short walk across the tarmac and into the small airport. The Expedition Team from the ship was there to greet us and to escort us to three waiting motor coaches. After a short twenty minute ride we arrived at a remote, but busy pier.   There was a freighter loading and offloading containers  and was anchored not far from Fram.

At the pier we were each issued a lifejacket and shown how to put them on. We hopped in the Polar Cirkel boats and enjoyed  a short ride to the ship.  Once on the ship we were issued ID cards and then shown to our cabins.

Photo © Esther Kokmeijer

  

At 18:10 we all took part in a mandatory safety drill outside, in the warm sunshine on deck 5.  It was quite interesting to observe the demonstration for donning the exposure suit and life vest.

Right after the drill it was time for a delicious buffet dinner. By the time we finished dinner and returned to our cabins our luggage had been delivered.

  

At 20:30 we were invited to the Observation Lounge for the Captain's welcome cocktail.  The Captain gave a speech and then introduced us to key members of all of the departments of the ship.  The Expedition Leader, Anja Erdmann, then took over and introduced the members of her team.

  

It is a gorgeous evening to sail down the long and very beautiful Kangerlussuaq fjord. It will take about 9 hours for Fram to travel the length of this, the third largest fjord in Greenland.  

It has been a very long day for all of us but now we can all relax and let our Greenlandic adventure unfold.

Photo © Esther Kokmeijer

Itilleq: On the Arctic Circle

Photo © Andrew Wenzel

Itilleq is one of several small communities that we visit in Greenland on a regular basis.  In a way it feels a bit like coming home when we come here.  We have gotten to know some of the people here very well over the years.  So for the Expedition Team it is a very comfortable feeling to walk the streets of Itilleq and greet familiar faces.  

Photo © Andrew Wenzel

As has become the tradition in Itilleq, we were invited into people’s homes for a kaffemik.  A kaffemik is a social event where sweet baked goods are served along with tea and coffee (of course).  It is a nice way to get a peek inside people’s homes and to get to know them at least a little bit.  Our hosts are always gracious and the food and coffee delicious.

We had more gorgeous weather which made walking about the village a treat.  The houses are every colour of the rainbow plus a few colours not found in any earthly rainbow. 

Photo © Andrew Wenzel

For photographers there is lots to keep them happy.  There are always reindeer antlers lying in someone’s yard, there are the brightly coloured houses, the ubiqitous Greenland Dogs with perhaps a puppy or two and clothes out drying in the sun and wind.  Today someone had a full muskox hide drying in the sun while someone else had their colourful traditional costumes hanging to dry. 

Photo © Andrew Wenzel

All of it hand stitched.  The craftsmanship and fine detail in the clothing was impressive.

Today was our first visit to Itilleq of the season so that is always special and as always we played a soccer match which started at 15:00.  Fram vs Itilleq.  Much more often than not we lose and today was no different.  the final score of the game was Itilleq 5, Fram 3.

Now we are sailing south towards Kangerlussuaq Fjord.  Itilleq lies directly on the Arctic Circle.  Tonight we will once again have a sunset.

Ilulissat - The icy town

During the night we reached our northernmost point of our trip, Ilulissat. In English that means nothing else than ”the town at the Icebergs”. All excursions and all our plans for the day have been focused on ice. The most productive glacier of the northern hemisphere sends his icebergs in the Kangia Ice fjord next to Ilulissat. Icebergs in different shapes and sizes were lying in the sea around the town. We tried to reach them by small boats, we hiked to the ice fjord and some of us even flew with a small plane over the ice. It was an amazing day in an icy landscape.

We cannot explain this day with words. So look at the pictures and enjoy with us our incredible amazing experiences.

Sisimiut

“We shall not cease from exploration.  And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” 

T.S. Eliot.

Photo © Corina Gamma

The sun continued to light our path northwards as we plied our way towards Sisimiut.   

At 09:00 we crossed the Arctic Circle.  In recognition of that momentous occasion King Neptune himself paid a visit to Fram this morning but he declared that the price to be paid when crossing the Arctic Circle is baptism with frigid Arctic waters and ice,  all of which would be poured down the back of your neck!  Many people lined up and paid the frozen fee with a smile on their face.

“ We are now truly in the land of the midnight sun.  From June 3 until July 10, the sun never sets in Sisimiut.

Photo © Corina Gamma

At 11:00 Fram reduced speed and turned towards the coast and the entrance to Sisimiut harbour.  Snow patches covered the rocky shoreline in a quilt work of sparkling white and rocky browns.  We tied up at the pier a little ahead of schedule at 11:30.

Looking across the bay from Fram we could see the imposing mountain, Palassip Qaqqaa, where the long hike for the afternoon would take place. There was hardly a cloud in the sky.  Later in the day we heard from the weary hikers that the conditions encountered on the arduous trek were a little soggy but the views from the top were unparalleled. 

Photo © Corina Gamma

In fact everyone returned from their various excursions completely satisfied and with smiles on their faces.  

Today everyone had to be back on board the ship by 17:30 and at 18:00 we bid adieu to beautiful Sisimiut.

As we cruise northwards towards Ilulissat in Disko Bay the sun continues to shine.  
There is a light breeze and the seas are about a metre.  We are now truly in the land of the midnight sun.  From June 3 until July 10, the sun never sets in Sisimiut.

Photo © Corina Gamma

A capital in a glorious landscape

During the night and the morning we were sailing along the Greenlandic South West Coast northward. Our next destination should be Nuuk, Greenland’s capital. The weather has been amazing again and we enjoyed the view over the snow and ice covered mountain ranges in the distance.

At the same time we had lectures again. It was difficult to make the right decision. Should we listen to a lecture to be well prepared when we reach Nuuk or should we stay on the open decks or in the Observation Lounge to enjoy the nature? But then suddenly there have been creatures that made the decision for us – whales. At least seven Humpback Whales showed up in front of the vessel. Our captain slowed down the ship and gave us so the best possibility to watch these huge animals. It was unbelievable. They did not feel disturbed by us. Especially the giant flukes have been an imposing picture.

Photo Klaus Kiesewetter

In the early afternoon we reached Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. The town is with app. 15.000 inhabitants the largest city of this icy land. The Paleo-Eskimo of the Saqqaq culture settled in this area already 5000 years ago. The city was founded as Godthåb in 1728 by the royal governor Claus Paarss. Hans Egede, Greenland’s first missionary founded his mission colony on a small island directly in front of the area, where Nuuk is located today, in 1721. But only some years later he moved to the new founded colony of Godthåb on the mainland. The old colonial part (Godthåb) is still an important historical part of Nuuk.

Nuuk is a very modern city today, with modern inhabitants, modern buildings and a modern “way of life”.

During our time in Nuuk we could explore both parts of this amazing town, the historical part, the present part and perhaps even a little bit of the future.

And our hikers on board even enjoyed the fantastic surroundings of Nuuk.

In the evening we relaxed in the panorama lounge. The crew invited us to a fruit and ice carving show and Mikki, our Greenlandic artist, played his guitar. The day could not end in a better way.

Qassiarsuk

How fresh was every sight and sound on open main or winding shore! We knew the merry world was round, and we might sail for evermore.
The Voyage, Alfred Lord Tennyson

We dropped anchor in Qassiarsuk quite early at 06:30.  It was another beautiful day! It seems that spring is a couple of weeks late in arriving in Greenland.  Nevertheless Qassiarsuk is one of the greenest and mildest areas on the entire island which is why this is one of the most agricultural regions in all of Greenland.  

“ as the excursion boats plied their way up the fjord, blue skies followed in their wake.

Boat Excursion to Glacier
Photo © Corina Gamma

The excursions to see the glacier at the head of the fjord started off early with the first boats leaving at 07:30.  The sky was largely overcast 1st thing in the morning but as the excursion boats plied their way up the fjord, blue skies followed in their wake.  

Boat Excursion to Glacier
Photo © Corina Gamma

The deeper into the fjord we went, the more ice we encountered.  Finally, the small excursion boats stopped where they could enjoy a terrific view of the glacier at the end of the fjord.

Guided walk Viking History
Photo © Corina Gamma

Meanwhile, back in the small community of Qassiarsuk it was a perfect day to go for a stroll on your own or join a guided walk to discover the Viking history of this bucolic community.

Shortly after 11:30 the last Polar Cirkel boat was back on the ship.  We spent the afternoon on board Fram enjoying the fantastic scenery in some of the fjords of Southern Greenland.  We also were prepped on tomorrow’s activities and plans for the Nuuk, capital of Greenland.  

Fashion Show
Photo © Corina Gamma

In the evening we attended a fun fashion show that was put on by the ship’s crew, officers and Expedition Team.  Even the Captain took a few turns on the runway!

Greenland – Here we come

We sailed around Cape Farewell - the southernmost tip of Greenland - during the night and we have to say - it was bumpy, very bumpy. Some of us could not sleep and made the decision to stand up again to watch the sea from the observation lounge or any other place on the ship with a nice seat and of course a huge window; it is always helpful in a rough sea to see the horizon.

The wind was decreasing during the morning so that passengers could participate in the lectures about Greenland in the lecture halls.  

Around lunchtime we reached our first destination in Greenland, Qaqortoq. The town greeted us with sunshine. As soon as the captain went alongside the first children showed up at the pier to welcome us.

In different excursions we explored this wonderful town in South Greenland. Qaqortoq was founded by the Norwegian-Danish trader Anders Olsen in 1775 as the old colony Julianehåb. Qaqortoq is today the largest city in South Greenland with app. 3.300 inhabitants (2012) and belongs to the community of Kujalleq.

The city is famous for its open air gallery “Stone and Man”. 1993 -1994 the well-known artist Aka Hoegh started this gallery together with 18 artists from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Greenland and the Åland Islands. Today there are more than 40 sculptures to see in town.

“Great Greenland” Greenland’s exclusive tannery is located in town and an important economical factor for Qaqortoq. One excursion group was able to visit the tannery and learned a lot about Greenland’s seals and the problematic to sell the fur to the international market.

As we had wonderful warm weather, sunshine with some clouds, everybody stayed longer in town as expected. It was wonderful to stretch the legs after two sea days.

After dinner we had a special evening landing in Hvalsø, next to the ruins of an old church and farmhouse out of the Viking time.  The extraordinary light during the sunset created an unforgettable light over this important historical place. 

Snow- and Lapland Buntings were still singing their wonderful songs when passengers had to leave the landingside.