The Great Island

Our arrival could not have been prettier at Godhavn, our destination for the day. Name doesn't ring a bell? Sorry, I am talking about Qeqertarsuaq, the 950-soul village at the southern end of Disko Island. However, the name Qeqertarsuaq means Great Island and comprises so much more than the sheltered bay, so maybe I should use the Danish name for the Good Port we are anchoring in - Godhavn. OK, now I got you confused - that's why we give information briefings on board every evening, explaining names and places and history bits, and, and, and.

Still blue skies, a fairly strong wind, so not a whiff of fog destroying the view onto this marvellous volcanic plateau which forms the whole island, looking like a giant layer cake.

Speaking of which: Today is the 120th birthday of HURTIGRUTEN.

We - the Expedition Team on FRAM- take this opportunity to send a big birthday greeting not only to the company, but also to our friend and colleague Anja back in Germany, who picked this fine day for her birthday, too. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Qeqertarsuaq has become the centre of activity over the years. Right upon arrival the hikers take off and follow a long, beautiful path along the basaltic coast, enjoying a most colourful display of dark rock, deep green moss and Angelica, the whitest ice, and the bluest ocean you can imagine. The wind was noticeable, but it served as the most efficient mosquito repellent, so even having lunch on the seaboard among little waterfalls and springs was perfectly undisturbed. 

Whereas the hikers loved the strong breeze the boat riders, who set out to the icebergs while hoping for whales, had to fight the elements pretty hard. Against the wind, against the waves, it was impossible to get closer to the three humpback whales that were spotted by the hikers. They simply swam the wrong direction...

The Kayakers came back with big biceps, as they had to paddle hard in the wind as well. But they loved it!

We invited the locals on board to celebrate the company's birthday with us, and it was such a delight with their broad smiles, and the giggle of the children was certainly adding to the cheerful mood.

Of course, as soon as all activities were wrapped up and finished the wind calmed down... thanks, Murphy...! On the other hand, the ride through the iceberg-loaded Vaigat Sound was a sight for gods, legions of majestic white houses sitting on a mirror, waving us good night.

Really - a GREAT Island!

What Is Your Dream Destination?

Fram Approaches Sisimiut

Our first full day in Greenland!  Our first day of landings and excursions.  Today is the day when our vacation really begins in ernest.   We had the opportunity today to see how our dreams of Greenland matched with reality.  How often does the average person get to do that?  For many, this is a trip of a lifetime, some people have dreamed about venturing to the Arctic and exploring Greenland for many years and now here they are.  How exciting that must be for them!

Hike up Palasip QaQaa Mountain

 

Craftsman at the Sismiut Craft Workshop

The more you put into a vacation the more you get out of it but we try to facilitate the Greenland discovery and experience as best we are able and we try to make it as easy for you as possible.   We have assembled a selection of the very best things for you to do while touring Greenland on board Fram. 
Take today in Sismiut for example.  We have arranged an extraordinary guided hike to the top of Palassip Qaqaa mountain.  The views from the summit are breathtaking.  There is an historic hike to Tele Island where you can learn about the millenniums of occupation of Inuit in this area.  If you are a gourmet, or gourmand, or both, there is a delightful luncheon available featuring Greenlandic foods:  shrimp, Halibut, Arctic Char, Salmon, Amassat, Muskox, Caribou, Seal, Whale, all served with a variety of salads and vegetables.  There is a terrific boat trip and guided tour of the Ghost town of Assaqutat.

We always provide you with a team of onboard experts with a wide range expertise.  Here in Greenland we also have a policy of employing Greenlanders whenever possible.  Two of our current Expedition Team members are in fact Greenlandic.  We, The Expedition Team, are at your disposal.  If you have a question about whales, or seals, or birds, all you have to do is ask us.  We will enjoy spending our time with you answering your questions.  If you have questions regarding the geology, or history, or wildflowers of Greenland, we have team members to help you.  If you want to know about Greenlandic culture; what's it like to grow up in Greenland or perhaps you would like to know about Greenlandic art or music, we definitely have team members to answer your questions.

The tiny commitment you have to make to get the most from every day of your holiday is simply to come and talk to us.  Come to our lectures.  Come to our briefings. None of us are shy. 

Greenland Kayak Demonstration at Pier side Sisimiut

Times that were, times that will be

Memories - the ultimate souvenir. Pictures can only be a support for our recollection of events, places, people. But nothing beats leaning back in a comfortable chair, looking into the skies with unfocusing eyes and letting the impressions drift by as they come. 
Certainly the ones who are leaving us today will do that, images of ice, whales, Greenlandic children, dogs, and marvellous landscapes forming a kaleidoscope of Arctic beauty. 

And as many it will be, that's what we hope, for all of those who arrived today, with their eyes and minds wide open, ready for adventure, ready for weather, ice and - well, Greenland.

We wish you a warm welcome here on MV FRAM. May the trip be a splendid one...

The beginning already is promising: After three days of a very rare phenomenon - rain, Kangerlussuaq presented itself sunny and with a fantastic visibility. So the first boat ride over to the ship was not as wet an episode as it sometimes can be, but merely a joyride. Check-in, jackets, dinner, safety drill and captain's welcome, all this happens under the influence of the great excitement - we are in Greenland!

Back door

Flat calm seas welcome us to the last landing day of this trip, and the most amazing change springs to mind almost immediately: the ice is gone! Was it only yesterday when we had to cancel the landing in Ilulissat? Because of all the bergs and floes that were piling up like there was never an end to it??

This is a vivid illustration of the stunning mobility of frozen water, it could have been just the other way round.

Peaceful conditions now as we are riding into Itilleq, a cosy little village in a cosy little fjord, after a morning with lectures, bridge visits and a crew drill (with a lot of noise).

Strange thought that the mountain range behind it already belongs to the Søndre Strømfjord, which will lead us to Kangerlussuaq during the night. We are literally at the back door of our final destination.

Which does not keep us from undertaking all kind of activities. Not only is there the normal landing in this very welcoming place - everybody is invited to Kaffemik, meaning coffee & cake in the houses of the Greenlanders - but also the Kayaks are on their way shortly after the anchor is dropped. And today we have something special going on: Those who want can go fishing with Norwegian officers, who certainly belong to the world's experts if it comes to these things. 

Out they go, spotting for birds indicating small fish, which in turn shows where the big fish are. And so they come back with about 300 kilo of cod.

Those who stay "in town" are part of the traditional soccer game MS FRAM vs. Itilleq, featuring an enormous number of players on a small soccer pitch; result: 8:7 for - MV FRAM.
And then - believe it or not - it is time to pack the suitcases, a whole week flew by, full of impressions, of all kinds of weather, adventure. Well, we sure hope you'll be back one day. See you somewhere around the world!

The Nature of Expedition

Expect the unexpected. What was used for a marketing slogan could not be chosen better for our kind of voyage. Only reluctantly should the word "holiday" be used - it sounds like beach, planned meals, little umbrellas in colourful drinks and no surprises. We, however, are on expedition, and that is a totally different animal altogether. To think that the entry into the most touristic, most vibrant city of Greenland is granted would be wrong. Like today, when heavy ice was blocking the bay of Ilulissat. In spite of all the efforts we had to turn around at the end of the night and do something else. 

So, instead of going to the crowded touristy hub of the country we went to a place that hardly sees tourists at all - Qasigiannguit (don't try to pronounce it!) And it turned out to be amazing, as the villagers made a huge effort to come up with a wonderful program for us. There was the visit of the village's children, to begin with. 
But that wasn't it:

Not only they quickly printed a small map of the attractions on-the-fly, they arranged for a mask dance, a dog sled presentation, local dances (which is basically a Polka, remnant of the whaling era), and a wonderful choir in the church. 

We even got the chance to sing our very first song - in Greenlandic!
This was more the true Greenland than we had anywhere else before, and so we leave Qasi... (you know, what I mean) with warm feelings.

Plan A+

We are travelling in the wild, where the elements are powerful and relentless. And it is certainly no good idea to be stubborn and lean up against them, as it is not wise to see changes as problems instead of opportunities. Sometimes the result can be surprisingly beautiful.

To prove our point, we decided this morning NOT to follow our plan A which would have led us to the admittedly very picturesque glacier Eqip Sermia. The ice situation, however, seemed precarious, it would have taken the whole day or more to get through in the first place.

But why not convert a bad hand into a winning one? Boats to the water, and everybody on board got an ice ride of the unforgettable kind, zig-zagging through the white and blue labyrinth, getting a glimpse of the cold forces that govern our planet on both ends. And as if to underline it, a couple of humpback whales showed up in front of the ship. And on return all faces were glowing with delight, nobody regretted this decision. King Neptune was on our side when he came to visit and baptise the guests.

But that was only half of Plan B. In the afternoon, the mind still full with impressions, we landed in Camp Frieda, named after our Friederike who spent a good part of her early life here, in a tent and researching. It is a pretty plateau at the bottom of a gentle valley. Right into this valley we go with a group of intrepid hikers, while many others joined a shovel-and-book excursion on the topic of tundra vegetation in Camp Frieda, led by - Frieda...

Oh, and shall we forget about our Kayakers? The ones who set off to paddle through the frozen alleys and along the ragged coastline, to brave wind and waves and ice? We wouldn't do that, would we?

So, at the end of the day not a single soul still thought about Eqip Sermia, our initial Plan A.

We instead had Plan A+.

Higher than ever

We all associate North with "Up" and South with "Down", so up we go, as high as many have never been before. Already in the morning we crossed 70 degrees North, that is about 590 kilometers north of the Polar Circle. After spotting two Fin Whales in the morning we dropped anchor under a cloudless sky, a short boat ride away from Uummannaq, the island that features that peculiar mountain with the big dent on top. Certainly a landmark, and hence the name - roughly translated from Greenlandic it means "Live up", reflecting the relief of the ancient paddlers when they came across a known place and thus weren't off track.

The huge fjords were the Inuit's hunting grounds for centuries, many remains can be found. One of the most remarkable locations is without doubt the tiny post-medieval settlement of Qilakitsoq, where in 1972 seal hunters discovered a cave with the mummies of six women and two children, all extremely well preserved. Only in the 80s the significance of the find was understood and the bodies were subsequently recovered.

All this we learn on a combined History Landing & Ice Ride in the morning, offering insights in Paleo-Eskimo times and great views on huge icebergs. In the meantime the hike to the well-known hut of Santa Claus on the far side of the village gets on its way; the Old Man, however, is not home. Well, definitely worthwhile anyway.

This wasn't it: Still further north we ride after lunch, until the early evening light finds us in Ukussissat, minute little settlement surrounded by the mountains as cragged as it gets. FRAM entertains very friendly relations to this place, and so the villagers, as usual, come aboard to show us their song and dance, and soon the observation lounge is swarming with curious kids who welcome the opportunity to grab a coke and have fun.

Swarming, too, is the landing site where most of us go ashore afterwards - but this time of fish, a LOT of it.

And as the sun goes down (but not all the way, of course) the bed is made for some - out on deck, for a unique sleeping experience in the open air, whilst FRAM is turning south again.