A last day in Spitsbergen

In the early morning hours, Kap Mitra, the mountain shaped like a bishop hat at the entrance greeted us welcome at the entrance of the Kongsfjord. In this fjord, we spent an overcast morning exploring the settlement of Ny Ǻlesund. It is the northernmost settlement in the world. We saw, of course, the northernmost train in the world und sent postcards to our beloved ones back home from the northernmost post office of the world! Actually, about everything holds the title “the northernmost” here...

Up to 1962, Ny Ǻlesund was a mining settlement. Today, it is devoted to science and many different countries run their Polar research stations here. Our guided tours through this exciting place ended at the bust of Roald Amundsen. The great Norwegian explorer undertook a successful flight to the North Pole from Ny Ǻlesund. With only little imagination, you can still see the majestic airship that the Italian Umberto Nobile designed to this endeavor is attached to the mast outside the settlement. Another group of guests headed out to the bottom of Kongsfjord in Polar Circle boats to take a hike on the mighty Conway glacier.

Leaving Kongsfjorden, the MV FRAM headed north, past the seven glaciers, towards Magdalenefjorden. This is the most well known fjord in Spitsbergen. It is a lovely fjord with rugged, pointy mountains on both sides and an impressive glacier at the end. These are supposed to be the mountains Willem Barents first saw when he discovered this land in 1596, naming it Spitsbergen (peaked mountains). And for a long time, the Magdalenefjord was also known as "Baie des dents", the bay with teeth! We disembarked at the peninsula Gravneset (“the grave-yard peninsula”) where Dutch and English whalers from northwestern Spitsbergen came to bury their dead in the 17th and 18th centuries. In total, about 130 men were buried here. We also took a close look at the remains from three blubber ovens. The actual ovens are gone for a long time, but the whale oil that spilled over from the cooking kettles seeped into the sand and formed a sort of oil-sandstone. This sandstone resists weathering and thus, small oil-sandstone-knolls remain where the blubber ovens once stood.  Tours at three different levels of difficulty were offered. Some guests enjoyed a stroll along the flat beach, others took a medium walk and a third group set out for a real hike towards the scenic Gully glacier.

The start of something big!

Around lunch, we finally threw the lines and gently planed out of Longyearfjord. A morning filled with activities was already behind us. The day started out with a guided bus trip around Longyearbyen. This vibrant community is growing fast and counts more than 2000 heads today. For a long time, it was a coal mine, but in recent years it changed to a university town and hub for all kinds of Arctic activities. On board, everybody moved into his and her cabin, got an expedition jacket and took part in the emergency exercise that has to be carried out at the beginning of every ship cruise.

Next stop: Barentsburg, barely a two hours cruise away from Longyearbyen. Even though we did not leave Norwegian territory, we felt like having arrived to Russia. The small town is inhabited by Russian and Ukrainian miners. On a walk along the main road, our Russian guide gave us an introduction to the history of this settlement and told us about the life of miners today. Currently the small town is thoroughly renovated. Many of the living houses, the cultural center and the sports hall are under re-construction. Last year, they even started a small brewery! The local brand is called "Red bear". It is a rather light beer, and very tasty as we convinced ourselves at the local bar. The Russian experience was rounded off by a folklore show, with original Russian songs and dances. We listened to evergreens like "Kalinka" and own compositions like “Welcome to Svalbard. We are from Russia”.

After dinner, everybody moved to the Observation Lounge and was officially greeted welcome on board by the Captain Arild Hårvik, some of his officers and the expedition team.

A last icy day

The morning we spent in Ymerbukta where we got the possibility to walk next and even on the Esmark glacier! There was this very special morning light again before later on the full sun broke through the dark clouds. From the moraine we got a good overview over the glacier and the surroundings. During the last days we could not see so many birds anymore. Most of them started their migration to the south in the direction to Iceland already. Back on board we had the possibility to join lectures again. All the information we received helped us to understand the nature and everything we have seen so much better.

At 15:00 we recognized the first time that our trip came to an end. Our Captain Rune Andreassen invited us in the Observation Lounge to say farewell.

But there was still the second landing of the day we could look forward to. At 17:00 we started our landing in Brucebyen, a historical place next to the magnificent Nordenskjold glacier. At the landing site we could still see some houses built in 1919 by the Scottish polar scientist William Spiers Bruce and the company The Scottish Spitsbergen Syndicate Ltd, as a base for coal explorations in the area. But the highlight of the afternoon landing was a PolarCircelBoat-cruise along the amazing calving front of the Nordenskjold glacier. What a wonderful end of a beautiful voyage!

Back on board we had to pack to be ready for our disembarkation during the night. With different charter flights we went home. We will need days perhaps even weeks to understand everything we have seen. But for sure it was more than wonderful – our circumnavigation of Spitsbergen.

A Glacier day!

This day we spent in Hornsund, a fjord system which is very famous for its majestic peaks and spectacular deep fjords. The Hornsund belongs to the “South-Spitsbergen National Park. Historical remains out of 400 years polar history can be found all over in this region.

Around 9:00 we started our morning landing next to the “Hvalfangerbreen”. Guests who participated in a special glacier walk went to the landing site first. After a short introduction about the correct way to walk on the glacier, everybody got his spikes for the hiking shoes to feel safe and comfortable during the walk on the ice.

The second group of the day has been the kayakers. They got their introduction on board already. Dressed in comfortable kayak suites they stepped into their boats at the landing site and started together with two kayak guides their spectacular event along the glacier front. Shortly after the kayakers all passengers went out for an impressive morning next to the glacier. We had a very special light and for a while all of us, hikers, kayakers, the “beach people” and even MV FRAM have been connected under a very intense rainbow.

During lunchtime MV FRAM was cruising in front of the magnificent glacial landscape of Brepollen before we reached our second destination of the day – Gåshamna in Hornsund. Our hikers left the ship first and shortly after them we started our general landing. Here in Gåshamna we could find historical remains from the early whaling time, from the very famous Swedish-Russian Arc of Meridian expedition at the end of the 19^th century and of course patterns of different periods of Russian and Norwegian trappers.

Back on board we enjoyed a Pilipino Buffet and in the evening we have been entertained in the Observation Lounge by our Pilipino Crew with their famous MV FRAM Crew show. We can only say thank you for this engagement. The crew is always so busy but nevertheless they took their time to entertain us in such a wonderful way.

  

A day with Polar bear- and Whale alarm!!!!!

“Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a Polar bear on portside!” That was the first announcement of the day, and it was just 6:02am! What a start in an arctic explorer day. Just some minutes later we found a second bear at the beach. He just had breakfast – a huge reindeer and this bear should not be the last Polar bear of the day.

We were sailing through the Freemansund, a narrow passage between Barentsøya and Edgeøya. The morning sun covered the mountain slopes with the tundra vegetation in a warm golden tone.  Several herds of reindeer could be seen in the hills. World looked like paradise.

Around 8:00 we reached our landing site for the morning – Kapp Lee on Edge Øya; and here he was waiting for us - our third Polar bear of the day. His head was very black from dry blood. We could see an old carcass of any mammal at the beach; his food for some days. After a while the bear gave us the landing site free, but he stayed in the surrounding. To stay on the save   side we landed in very small groups for app. ½.  A big thank you to “His Royal Highness of the Arctic“ for his kindness to give us the possibility at least for a short landing.

The afternoon we spent on board. The lecturer team had prepared several topics for us about history, ice and birds. We thought that we would have time for relaxing this afternoon but it turned out differently. Just after the first lecture series we heard the announcement: “Whales, whales, whales!”  And we have to say, it was incredible. We saw whales all over.  It look as if we were cruising in a soup of different kind of whales! Minke whales, Humpback whales and Fin whales were feeding in the bay. From some whales we could see only the blast, but many of them showed us their never-ending backs and the flukes. Several whales even jumped out of the water. An unbelievable experience we will never forget. We saw female whales with their calves just next to FRAM. The officers tried to hold MV FRAM in the best position to watch the whales. For nearly three hours we have been out on the open decks or at least in the Observation Lounge on deck 7 with our cameras and binoculars to see this whale demonstration.

The day ended after a wonderful dinner menu in our bar in the Observation Lounge with FRAM’s famous fashion show. Perhaps some of us even dreamt later on about Polar bears and whales wearing fashion out of our board shop!

A Walrus day!

Today, we reached the sandy little island of Moffen – the northern most point of our cruise – around 8:00am. The sun gave the island a brown orange colour and in the same colour we saw our first Walruses on the beach. We could be happy. We have been able to watch two bigger groups of these giants under the seal. Most of them were sleeping but there was at least a little movement in the groups so that we could see the huge tasks. Here at the beach of Moffen you can see only the males. The females and their calves stay more near Franz Josef Land. It was a perfect start for an expedition day.

We used the time after breakfast and our first landing for lectures about ice and birds. Around 11:00 we reached Kinnvika in the Hinlopen Strait. Here we got the possibility to explore the scientific station that was built for the International Geophysical Year in 1957-1958. The landing gave us a good overview how the scientists lived during their research job at this time; and we had the feeling they did not live bad. They had good warm houses with heating, a sauna, offices, workrooms and laboratories. It looked like that they had a good time during their life here in Spitsbergen.

In the afternoon we passed by Alkefjellet. This bird cliff is up to 100m high and one of the most important bird cliffs in the Hinlopen Strait. During May and June the cliff is full of breeding birds, Glaucous Gulls, Kittiwakes, and especially Brünnich’s Guillemots. 60 000 breeding pairs come each year for breeding. At this time of the year the migration south had started already, but we could still see some different species flying around; adult ones and the youngsters from this year.

Our last landing for the day was planned in Trollneset, where we hope to see Walruses again. We could see these creatures already with our binoculars from the ship but then, suddenly we saw another creature showing up; a Polar bear was waiting for us at the landing side to welcome us in his kingdom.   So that meant no possibility for a landing, no longer hike, no kayak adventure this evening. But our expedition leader Karin is well known for her fast changes in the program. To give everybody the chance to see the Walruses and the Polar bear we started with short boat cruises. This evening changed to an unforgettable adventure in the golden evening sun.

So we had Walrus observation for breakfast and Walrus observation together with a Polar bear as a late night event.  Can you imagine a better expedition day?

24 hours a day are not enough!

MV FRAM reached the Monaco glacier in Liefde Fjord around 8:00 in the morning. Here we got the possibility for a very interesting cruise with our little PolarCircel Boats along the calving front of this huge and impressive glacier. The view to the glacier directly from the sea level was so different to the view we got from Fram. Everything looked so much higher and bigger. The light and weather was perfect for the cruising and for ice pictures. As we had no direct sunshine we could see the blue color of the glacier very clearly. Glaucous Gulls and Kittiwakes were flying in front of the glacier or were resting on the ice floes. Some of us could even see seals in the water. It was hard to leave the ice behind and return to the Fram to be ready for the exchange with the next group. Under these excellent conditions everybody forgot the cold in front of the glacier.

After this glacier event we enjoyed lunch with our travel companions. Everybody believed that their cruise had been the most spectacular trip of the day; and that is OK; at least it was unforgettable for everyone.

The early afternoon we spent in the lecture hall to listen to the different lectures given by the expedition team – and then we heard the announcement we were waiting for: Polar bear!!!!!!!!! Everybody ran to their cabins to pick up a warm jacket and the camera and then we were standing all together at the ship’s bow or in the Observation Lounge on deck 7 to watch the king of the Arctic. He was faithful and gave us enough time to watch him before he made the decision to go to the water and swim away.

Our late afternoon landing should have been in Worsleyhamna at the northern part of the Liefdefjord. But believe it or not another Polar bear showed up and we had to see how he would behave before we could start our landing. The Polar bear gave us the way free; he made the decision to stay at an acceptable distance; so we could land.  During our landing we had enough time to see the historical remains and wildlife like a Red-throated Diver (Loon) family on a pond. This was a good possibility too to make some pictures of the tundra vegetation.

Back on board we had our dinner and then we joined a special fruit and ice carving show by our galley crew. It was impressive how creative they could be.

After dinner a special event for our strongest Arctic explorers on board started – a camping night in the high Arctic! The camp was set up very fast so the night could start as soon as possible. There was a fine bonfire with BBQ at the beach, enjoyable talks and nice little walks around. But there have been also some duties like Polar bear watches during the whole night. And this watch was extremely necessary as there was a Polar bear in the area for the whole night. The bear was so nice to stay so far away that there was no danger at all; but he made this camping event very special. Not many people have slept in a tent watched by a Polar bear!

A sunny, sunny day in the high North

The morning of our second cruise day we should spend in Ny-Ålesund. The little settlement lies in the “Kong fjord”. Its surroundings belong to the nicest areas in Spitsbergen and we saw it in the best weather you can imagine. Clear blue sky and sunshine already in the early morning hours. The glaciers in the bay were shining in the morning light. Northern Fulmars, some Glaucous Gulls and Black-legged Kittiwakes greeted us in the harbour. There was no wind and the world looked a bit surreal.

The area around Ny-Ålesund was already well known during the whaling time in the 17^th century.  In 1917 a private mine company from Ålesund in Norway founded the city Ny-Ålesund as a mining town. Today it is a huge research “Station” town where Scientifics from all over the world find best possibilities for their modern projects of arctic and climate research.

Ny-Ålesund is very famous for the historical arctic research too. Names like Amundsen, Ellsworth and Nobile are strongly connected to this place. On our walk through the town we got all the stories about these arctic heroes.   Full of new impressions we went back to the ship. Lunch was already waiting for us.

The next landings of our circumnavigation of Spitsbergen would be in the nature only, no town or settlement during the next days. In the early afternoon we learned in a special so-called “AECO” - briefing how to behave in this sensitive landscape. Directly after we could rent the “Muck” boots from the ship so that we could start our landing in Magdalene Fjord very well prepared, mentally and with the right equipment.

In Magdalene Fjord passengers have been divided in groups by different interests. We had fast hikers, slow hikers, those they wanted to enjoy more or less themselves, than we had kayakers and even swimmers and at the end we had a small of group of passengers which went on a very extraordinary 1 ½ hour PolarCircleBoat cruise to the very special historical place of Virgohamna.  We saw a lot of wildlife on our way like hunting Arctic skuas, Puffins, Walruses and Harbor Seals. The sunset over the glacier panorama we will never forget. In Virgohamna you still find remains from the whaling time, and from the time when Andree tried to fly with a balloon over the pol. Our expedition team member Stephan did not become tiered to chair all his historical knowledge with us.

As the day was filled up with so many activities most went to bed early. Everybody wanted to be fit for the next upcoming day.

A first busy day

A first busy day

During the night we arrived in Longyearbyen. Boarding would be in the afternoon and so we used the time to learn the city in guided tours.

At 16:00 MV FRAM opened its doors for us and we recognized directly – we are on an expedition vessel. Our first afternoon and evening was fully packed with a dense program. But we are here only for one week and of course we want to see as most as possible – so let’s do it.

Directly after the check in we got our blue expedition jackets. With this nice new staff we moved directly to the mandatory safety drill. After the drill we heard already the announcement for our first dinner buffet. There was even no time for a longer Captains welcome. We have been so busy that even the Captain had to use the very unusual opportunity to welcome us over the P.A. system. So there is a huge question standing in the room: Will we have really holidays?

At 20:00 FRAM reached the Russian mining town Barentsburg. Here we had our first landing of the cruise. The sun was gone and the clouds were hanging greyish over the typical Russian settlement. We could see all the old coal mining equipment, something of it was laying as iron and steel garbage directly in the harbor next to our lovely FRAM. But for sure we have not been in a tourist center anywhere in the Caribbean. We have been here to see the real life so far in the high Arctic; we wanted to see the real way of life in this very special Archipelago of Spitsbergen; and we got to see it.

Like in Longyearbyen the morning we had guided tours through the settlement in Barentsburg. We have been very surprised about all the new reinstatement of the buildings and constructions. We tested the “Homemade” beer and vodka and enjoyed at the end a fantastic folklore show.

Oh what a first day. Soon after the landing we went to bed, more than tiered. What will bring the next day for us