Sisimiut – Pearl of the Coast

Winds were calm, waves were absent and the sun was above us already hours before we reached our destination – Sisimiut. Sisimiut is called Pearl of the Coast among locals. One can easily understand why when the strong colours of the beautiful buildings come closer and closer and the majestic landmark ”Nasaasaaq” stands proudly behind the town.

Sisimiut is the second largest town in Greenland with its almost 6000 inhabitants. Sisimiut doesn’t look that big from the seaside but when walking around  with all the locals going about their daily chores and the cars driving up and down ”Aqqusinersuaq” (the main street) it is clearly that it isn’t a small town.  

Sisimiut is a mixture of old and new – most towns in Greenland are like that. When arriving to Sisimiut you see the harbour with it’s modern boats etc. When walking not too far from the pier you see traditional Qajaqs ( kayaks) that locals have been using for thousands of years. Walking a bit further away from the harbour you pass buildings from the Colonial years – the Museum area is a part of that as well. When leaving the Museum area you’ll have to watch out for cars driving on the main street – there is even a Porche Cayenne in Sisimiut.

Walking up the steep hill towards the Center of the Town reveals modern buildings, shops etc. Mostly everything that you see when walking through Sisimiut is modern – not the graveyard where hundreds of locals are buried. But it is still a beautiful sight with the crosses and the plastic flowers – the good thing about the plastic flowers is that they remain beautiful and colourful for a long time. A beautiful sight is also in the winter time when the graveyard is full of candle lights.

At the end of Sisimiut is a living proof that the old traditions have survived. The dog yard with almost one thousand Greenlandic sledgedogs. Many cultures have used sleds and sledgedogs for transportation and hunting – they are still being used even though it has been thousands of years since the first Sledgedogs came to Greenland. How amazing is that!? Sisimiut is actually the first place North of the Polar Circle with Greenlandic Sledgedogs. From here you will not meet any other kinds of breeds. Except German Sheperds used by the Police.

MS Fram docked at the new Pier which is only one year old, the gang way opened and out came the Smurfs as the locals call the passengers onboard Fram with their blue jackets. Many locals don’t see the cruise ship but when they see the blue jacket they know there is a cruise ship in harbour – they know Fram is here.

Many ”Sisimiormiut” (People from Sisimiut) like the Fram passengers and the crew of course. Fram passengers always smile, enjoy their stay and respect the locals. Passengers have during their journey from the starting point been taught by the staff that locals are quiet, smiling and helpful. By knowing this the passengers are taught to respect the different communities that they visit during their visit to Greenland.

Fram is also good business for the local artists and tour operators. Passengers buy Greenlandic art as well as different excursions in Sisimiut. Everything from sightseeing to boat tours are being offered. Many always join. That means that many learn a bit more about Sisimiut that they didn’t already know. If they hadn’t joined any of the excursions they wouldn’t have had the face to face meeting with the local guide. The local guide who lives in Sisimiut and tells you stories that you can’t read in any books.

The Day is over – we’re leaving Sisimiut to go to a new fantastic place in Greenland….

 Takussaagut – See you. :o)

Kangerlussuaq

The charter Greenland Air jet touched down in Kangerlussuaq at approximately 08:15.  I could only imagine what an amazing flight it must have been over the Greenland Icecap, however I could imagine it very well as I have made the same flight several times.  On a day like today with clear blue skies and crystal clear air, the view over the second largest icecap in the world is jaw droppingly beautiful. Miles and miles of seemingly unending blue ice punctuated here and there with searing blue ponds and lakes on top of the ice-sheet.

Today is of course a changeover day.  The crew back on the ship was busily preparing the vessel for the new arrivals - which means changing the linen on beds, cleaning cabins, doing laundry, vacuuming, more cleaning, preparing meals, etc. etc. etc.  Fram is a bee hive of activity on changeover days and we only have about eight hours to get ready!!

But since the ship was obviously not ready for new arrivals it meant that we could go out and play in the Kangerlussuaq area.  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 show us to outside to three waiting… hm, I’m not sure what to call them, how about, “Tundra-buggy/buses” and two conventional buses.  Half of our group set off to view the icecap in the Tundra-buggies and the other half went in the buses to explore the countryside around Kangerlussuaq which was followed by a really great BBQ style lunch by a small fresh water lake. And then after lunch we swapped vehicles so that everyone got equal opportunity to see the icecap and area.

Kangerlussuaq is the warmest part of Greenland in the summer.  Because of the warm sunny weather the wild flowers are further ahead here than in most other areas of Greenland.  Lapland Rosebay was growing in profusion.  Other flowers blooming included Arctic Cinquefoil, Alpine Arnica and Entire-leaved Mountain Avens.

Our tour of the Kangerlussuaq region ended at a remote pier.  Suddenly the road just ended in the middle of nowhere and there was a sizeable pier.  A barge was busy loading and offloading both for Fram and a container ship.

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.

 Before we got underway 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.

 At 21:00 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.

 It is June 15, six days before the longest day of the year.  We are, for all intents and purposes, at the Arctic Circle.  Indeed, we will cross the Circle as we make our way down the fjord and then later in the evening we will cross it again as we exit the fjord and make our way northwards. There will be no darkness tonight.  We are in perpetual light.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Ilulissat Icefjord is also known as Kangia and is certainly one of the most stunning sites that Fram visits. In 2004 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site of unique cultural and natural value.

Kangia is a beautiful 60km long fjord, where icebergs from one of the world’s fastest moving glaciers create some really amazing scenery. The beauty of the area is due in part to the enormous production of icebergs from the glacier Sermeq Kujalleq at the head of the ice-fjord and the shallow underwater bank of moraine material at the mouth of the fjord where the large icebergs run aground.

Today when we visited Kangia the fjord was chock-a-block full of ice. The ice ranged in size from small brash ice all the way up to immense icebergs. The weather was perhaps the best we have had on this trip. We experienced clear sunny skies all day long. Having forgotten my sun screen this morning, my red face can attest to how much sunshine we had.

Whether you chose to visit the fjord on foot, by boat, or by air, it was an impressive site. It was even possible to combine all three ways to see the ice. Many people hiked to Sermermiut and Kangia and then also revisited the ice-fjord and the giant icebergs by boat.

Fram was anchored just outside of Ilulissat harbour and was there from 08:30 until 19:00. This gave everyone enough time to not only visit the unique UNESCO World Heritage Site but also time to explore the town. In the evening it was wonderful to cruise through the heavy ice and back into Disko Bay.

Getting Hot at the Arctic Circle

Well, they are only human beings, after all… Who? Meteorologists, of course. No other species on the planet can be wrong so often without consequences. (OK, maybe politicians…) They promise sunshine, we get rain. Hey, that was just an unexpected low pressure system riding in! We dress up in shorts and T-shirt, and it’s bitterly cold outside - listen, pal, the winds have turned to East, couldn’t know that, could I? And when by weird coincidence reality meets the forecast, then it is a triumph of modern science.

But there is that one other scenario: The forecast is wrong and everybody is happy about it.

This morning the bridge announced a partly cloudy day with 8 degrees, so just ok weather for the many things we had in store for Sisimiut, the second largest Greenlandic city. City touring, tasting of Greenlandic food, hiking, taking a boat ride to the scenic island of Assaqutaq, or, later, watching the amazing skills of the local Kayak champion.

And of course for the crossing of the famous line, the Arctic Circle. King Neptune and Captain Hårvik gave everyone the opportunity to sample Arctic ice water - down their neck, during the famous baptizing ceremony.

On arrival in Sisimiut the clouds dispersed almost immediately, making way for the most incredible blue sky. The temperatures rose to surprising degrees, and suddenly the word of the hour was - sun protection. They are not going to believe this at home…

So every activity was blessed by the weather, only the hikers felt a little too hot sometimes and were happy to finally reach the snow on the top of the mountain.

And nobody thought about meteorologists anymore…

The Early Bird Gets The Whale.

The early bird gets the Whale. Just before 07:00 the navigation officers slowed the ship down to engage in a little whale watching. We were able to maneuver quite closely to four Humpback Whales. Watching huge marine mammals was a great way to start the day as we approached the capital of Greenland, Nuuk.

Just before 10:00 we were tied up to the pier just behind two Danish military vessels. We had a rather tiny pier allocation but no matter, the bridge officers are used to maneuvering Fram into and out of tight spots.

As usual when we are in Nuuk, we had a shuttle bus that would transport everyone from the pier to a very central downtown location. The shuttle left every half hour, from the ship and every half hour, on the quarter hour from the National Museum so it was a very convenient service.

The beginning of the day started out rather overcast but by late morning the clouds were parting and the sun was beaming through.

A cultural and historical walk began on the shuttle bus on the pier at 10:30 which made sense as it was a fifteen minute walk through a marine industrial area to the central part of Nuuk.

Lots of people went on the Nuuk city tour. Two more buses pulled alongside Fram at 10:30. One bus was for German speakers and the other tour was conducted in English only. After a comprehensive city tour we had the option of getting off the tour bus at the national museum or in downtown Nuuk.

The weather continued to improve throughout the day making our visit of Greenland’s capital really special. We had ample opportunity to explore on our own because Fram did not depart the pier until 19:45.

Once back on open sea fog enveloped Fram in a dense white blanket.  Visibility was reduced to 100 metres.

Later in the evening at 22:00 the crew entertained everyone in the Observation Lounge with the MS Fram crew show. It was really a lot of fun as the crew sang, danced and even juggled for us.

A Door is Closing

Well, wasn’t that a fine day yesterday?! And all was possible for the sole reason that we were able to sneak into Qaqortoq almost literally through the back door.

This door stood open all night and would do so for the next couple of days - that’s how it looked like. Last night’s ice chart, however, told a different story: The ice belt moved north rapidly and was consolidating in many spots.

In other words: The door was closing. There was only one decision our Captain Hårvik could take: if we didn’t want to get trapped inside the fjord labyrinths for an unknown amount of time we had to get out in the open.

Probably the most confusing part of this adventure was the fact that this race against was an invisible and intangible one - thick fog covered the sights, and so everybody had to take what happened at face value. Which they did - big kudos to all!

It takes a few hours until we know: Yes, we made it, the trap snapped shut behind us! So, we had to sacrifice our landing in Narsaq, a comparably small price to pay. And already there is a bonus for us: We will be arriving in Nuuk at 10:00 tomorrow morning, earning us four hours more in this really interesting Greenlandic city.

With this in mind, everybody is at peace and so the lectures are well attended, the afternoon scones are devoured with delight and we are simply having a good time.

Ahhh, the Q's.

Ah the Q's.  So many Q's in Greenland. Qaqortoq. Qassiarsuk. Qooroq. Qeqertarsuaq. Illoqqortoormiut. Well, we don’t actually go to Illoqqortoormiut which is a relief because I can hardly spell it, never mind pronounce it. Today though, we had a really lovely time in Qaqortoq and Qassiarsuk and many of us we went to Qooroq as part of an excursion.  At 08:00 the sun was shining and and it was already 10º C when we pulled alongside the small pier right in central Qaqortoq.

As soon as the ship was cleared quite a few groups of people quietly began to queue on the quay for their various excursions.  Some people set off to the Upernaviarsuk Agricultural station, while others gathered for hikes, or to join a Keffemik, or to visit the Great Greenland Tannery.

For most people it was their first opportunity to actually set foot in Greenland. Sure we had been cruising in Greenland waters for more than a day but that’s not the same thing as stepping on terra firma. I’m sure it was a moment that they won’t soon forget.

Many people in Qaqortoq were wearing their national costumes as there was a conformation in the morning and it was also a religious holiday.

By the early afternoon the temperature was hovering around 17ºC.  Many people were strolling about in short sleeved shirts.

At 12:30 everyone was back on the ship and we waved goodbye to our friends in Qaqortoq.  The sun continued to shine as we cruised down a long narrow fjord.  We had planned on delivering a couple of lectures during the afternnon but it was such a nice day we thought it a better idea to get everyone outdoors.  Lectures cancelled!  Everyone get outside and enjoy the sunshine and scenery with the Expedition Team! And they did!  Who wouldn’t?  The decks were crowded with people sunning themselves and enjoying the great scenery. It was a quintessential day for cruising!

Shortly before 17:00 we quickly dropped anchor in front of Qassiarsuk.

The landscape seemed practically luminous as the setting sun cast a warm glow to the lush green country side.  This part of Greenland is very much farming country.  Sheep were grazing in pastures and farmers in tractors were busy in their fields.

Here too there were various excursions to choose from. there was the Erik the Red settlment walk.  There was a hike between two fjords and there was a really nice boat trip to the Qooroq Icefjord.

Statue of Lief Erikson

There was nothing but happy smiling faces as everyone had ample opportunity to explore to their hear’s delight on this, their first full day of landings in Greenland!

Nature is the Boss

As the night approaches, more and more strange sounds are heard all throughout the vessel: like something is crunching, brushing against the hull

We have reached the ice.

Funny material, ice: It is so much more predictable when it is really cold outside, the frost keeps it well in place. But comes springtime, then it starts moving. Incredible amounts of white begin to follow the major currents, and one of them is bringing them to Greenland’s South, to Kap Farwell. But the journey doesn’t stop there, instead the cold voyagers take a sharp turn to the right and then skirt the western shores of the world’s largest island.

In our case a long and mighty arm of sea ice is stretching north-west, forming a long frozen peninsula almost parallel to the coastline. This is unfortunate, because our destination for the day lies behind this barrier, so Captain Hårvik and his crew try their best to get through/around it, making the route in the electronic navigation Chart look like the footsteps of a drunken spider.To make it a little more challenging for him we encounter dense fog, forcing us to slow down to low but safe speed. What sounds like a bad morning is actually a very picturesque scenario, the silhouettes of the ice floes and ice bergs appear like faint ghosts, drifting by in majestic silence only to fade to white just behind the ship. Every now and then we have to kick one out of the way, and then FRAM is slightly jerking. She can take that, point of fact she is built just for this! So we utterly enjoy the ice ride, as well as the lectures and the music (and the delicious Norwegian pancakes)

The ice belt, however, proves to be unyielding, and as time progresses we finally have to give up on the plans to reach Qaqortoq in the afternoon. Instead the decision is taken to head north towards Bredefjord and make another attempt in the morning of the next day.This is it - this is real expedition! We have to adapt, to embrace the unexpected. And one thing is clear (as ice…): not we are the ones commanding the events - Nature is.

Denmark Strait: Day Two

The crossing of Denmark Strait is not to be taken lightly.  It has the potential to be one of the stormiest seas in the world.  We were privileged to have a benign crossing.  There was just enough movement on Fram to remind everyone, “Oh yeah.  I’m on a ship.”

As the day progressed the seas picked up a little but still no big deal.  The waves were at best two metres by the latter part of the day.  The skies were a constant grey and during the early evening we were enveloped in fog.  Visibility was limited to about two hundred metres.

As today was a full day at sea, we had a full program of lectures.  We also held briefings designed to familiarize everyone with our Polar Cirkle boats and our tender pit operations.  The briefings are also the time when we can inform people about what’s going to happen during our upcoming landings. 

At 16:30 the Expedition Team set up a boot rental shop on deck three.  For those who felt they had brought inadequate footwear for Greenland they could avail themselves of a fine pair of Muck boots for the duration of the voyage.

Michael delighted everyone by singing and playing his guitar again in the Observation Lounge with performances at 14:00 and again at 20:30.  It is a real pleasure to have Michael on board!

Yesterday Evening's Fashion Show!!!

A Day at Sea is a Day at Ease

I can not begin to describe you how lucky we are on this crossing of the Denmark Strait. This waterway is usually a nasty one, and can easily compete with the infamous Drake Passage down south between Patagonia and Antarctica.

Not today. Hardly we feel the ship moving, a steel-gray flat-calm sea is carrying us towards Greenland on a south-westerly course. A gentle breeze and blaming temperatures complete the comfort. It is difficult to imagine that right here we could as well face 12-meter waves and violent storms at the same time of the year.

Everything is so soothing today! The lecture program is entertaining and the information briefings bring everybody up to speed. The captain receives visitors on the bridge to explain the ships systems, books are read high up in the panorama lounge, from where the occasional whale is spotted throughout the day. Our musician Michael provides ear candies with his guitar playing and singing, the meals are taken slowly - we do have time.

Seabirds come to pay us a visit only once in a while, as they love stronger winds, the horizons stretch all around us. We are in the middle of a friendly ocean.

Tomorrow we will reach the longitude of Kap Farwell, the southernmost part of Greenland. The question is: Will we be able to see it? The bridge informs us about the latest ice report, and it seems that there is a long ice field embracing Greenland’s South right now, which would force us to take a detour.

There is only one way to find out - let’s go and have a look.

One thing is for sure: Tomorrow will be an ice day!

Grundarfjordur

Photo © Martin Johansen

It was a perfect start to the day. We awoke to a beautiful partially sunny morning.  The sea was calm.  Northern Fulmars soared over the ocean. 

Northern Fulmars
Photo © Martin Johansen

Photo © Martin Johansen

The occasional elegant Gannet glided by the ship.  The emerald green hills that surround Grundarfjord grew slowly as we approached the small fishing harbour.  Right on schedule we pulled alongside the quay at 08:00.The motor coach tour to Snaefelsjokul was very popular today as more than 50 people had signed up for it.  Even though the sun seemed to be shining more often than not, for much of the day, Snaesfeljokul was obscured by clouds.  But then, on the final leg of our journey the clouds parted and there before us was revealed the route to the centre of the earth.  For those of you who are not fans of Jules Verne, the French master of early science fiction wrote in his beloved novel, The Journey to the Centre of the Earth,  that the entrance to the centre of the earth is found at Snaefelsjokul.

Photo © Martin Johansen

A group of hardy hikers set out for the hills behind Grundarfjordur at 08:45.  It was ideal weather for a trek in a picture perfect setting.  The hike led through a glacial valley and to a tremendous waterfall.

In the afternoon everyone had time to explore the area at their own pace.  There were several restaurants/cafes and gift shops.

In the early evening there were lectures and then after dinner Michael entertained everyone in the with songs in three languages English, Danish and Greenlandic in the Observation Lounge.

 

 

Kicking off the Arctic Season!

Well now, wasn’t that a great adventure? The first circumnavigation of Iceland on FRAM - ever. We all are so happy that everything went so well, and indeed it looked like everybody had a great time, that was certainly our impression at the gangway in the morning, when we waved good-bye.

Thanks to everybody who went exploring with us in unknown waters! We enjoyed it a lot and hope to see you back on board one day.

Well, a few we do actually see again right now, because they made their dream come true and have two voyages with us, back to back. That is definitely the full Viking package, first to learn about their history in Iceland and as of today follow the tracks they left in Greenland. And let’s not forget that the following trip will bring us into the element our brave ship was built for - into the ice!

So, nature and culture and history will come together to create very intense experiences. This idea must have a world-wide attraction, as our new guests are from many nations, all keen to discover and explore.

A warm welcome to all of you! Let’s go Arctic…