Monday 7 July

After a good sleep sailing through the impressive Kangerlussuaq Fiord we woke up sailing on the gentle waves of the Strait Davis heading up north along the western coast of Greenland.

The landing on the island of Qeqertarsuaq was planned to take place at 6 in the evening so we had time to listen and watch the lectures made be the Expedition Team. They gave us a very good introduction to the history of Greenland and the modern life of everyday Greenland and a thorough explanation of what ice and snow actually consists of.

 

The town of Qeqertarsuaq is like all Greenlandic towns very picturesque. Only some 950 people live here. There is a fish factory in Qeqertarsuaq but in Greenland the island is mainly known for the volcanic basalt rock the island is made of whereas most of the rest of Greenland consists of Granit and Gnejs rock. And the town is known for its tiny warm springs of which one of them produces the only bottled spring water which is exported from Greenland.

 

Some of us went on a brilliant ice cruise and got to see the majestic icebergs from very close. The variations in color are amazing and the sizes and shapes the ice comes in are endless.

 

When we arrived at the abandoned miningtown Qullissat it was covered in a mystic fog giving the term ghost town an extra dimension. But after a while the fog lifted and we could all discover the beauty of the old mining town.

Whenever Qullissat is mentioned it is sure to give strong associations for most Greenlanders as it was a strong reminder to the Greenlanders that it was the Danes that took practically all important decisions in 1972 when it was decided to shut down the mine and abandon the town. Today the ghost town and most Greenlanders have reconciled with the past, but it is still a strong historical reminder of how things used to be.

On our further way to the Eqi Glacier Fram had a royal visit from the old King Neptune making sure all who had crossed the Polar Circle for the first time was baptized.

At eight in the evening we were taken ashore at the picturesque area of the Eqi Glacier. It had an impressive ice wall of around 200 vertical meters and nearly every 20 min. a piece of the ice would fall off with a sound just like thunder.

THE GHOST TOWN

 This morning FRAM reached Qullissat, a ghost town in the Vaigat Strait between Disco Island and the main land. Actually it was a coal mine which attracted people in Qulissat in 1924. In heydays there was 1200 people living here and the whole production was 570000T before the mine finally shut down in 1972. In 2000, a tsunami triggered by a landslide swept away some older houses along the shore.

Walking through town gave us a good feeling of what life could have been in those days. One could see some old furniture, stoves and pipes, even beds were left behind when people moved. A group of hikers made it to the mine entrance and we started speculating on how harsh it must have been working here.

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Today Greenlanders come to Qulissat by boat for hunting and fishing and stay in houses they restored. Of course they have to provide everything from power, fuel to food, only fresh water can be gained from a nearby waterfall or from melting ice.

 

By noon we were all back on board and FRAM continued to navigate towards the Equi Sermia glacier. En route we had lectures about the history of Greenland, when we got a message through the PA system, announcing a special visitor. We all went on deck 5 and sure enough, there was Neptune, ready to baptize volunteers and others.

During the approach to Equi Sermia, FRAM sailed through some nice ice belts coming from the glacier. After the barbecue outside on deck 7, we started our landing and hiked the mountain to enjoy the great view of the glacier Equi.

 

 

Upernavik is the northernmost place we will visit on our journey along the West-Greenlandic coast. It is the last town before Qaanaaq/Thule in the far north.

In the old days the Inuits would over the year move from place to place in their hunt for animals. Upernavik means the Springplace, meaning it would be the place to go in springtime for certain animals. In the case of Upernavik most likely Narwhales which come by the town in springtime.

When we came by the choir and a group of children had prepared a splendid show for us. There was singing and dancing in the communal house and some of us also got out on the dance floor and had a try at the traditional Greenlandic polka.

Like all towns in Greenland the houses in Upernavik have nearly all kinds of colors. It a great tradition and it is beautiful to look at.

Bach on board Fram we had our first groups visiting the bridge and getting and impression of how much of a job it is handling a ship like Fram. It is safe to say that we have all enjoyed the safe and gentle handling of Fram on our journey by the officers.

Tuesday 1 July

Illorsuit was the name of the little settlement north of Uummannaq we visited today. It means “many houses” in Greenlandic and it looks like it was named many years ago when a few houses gathered at one place would make up for many houses J

Illorsuit is stretched along a long sandy beach. A beach made of black volcanic rocks turned into sand. Like most settlements the people here lives from fishing mostly Halibut and hunting Narwhales and a few Muskoxen if one is so lucky to win the right in the lottery to shoot a Muskox.

 

The people of Illorsuit were very friendly and the office of the municipality had opened its doors to us offering coffee and cakes and displaying and selling some handicrafts made by the people of Illorsuit during the winter and by the beach an old fisher and hunter told of how hunting was in the old days.

 

 

We left for Upernavik at lunch time and had an interesting afternoon onboard listening to the lectures from the Expedition Team giving their often very personal experiences of travelling and living in the Arctic.

HELLO UUMMANNAQ!

This morning FRAM reached Uummannaq, a remote community of 1300 people, nestled on a small island along the northwest coast of Greenland. The landmark of the island is the "heart mountain".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As soon as we arrived we started our tenderboat operation to bring on land those of us who wanted to talk to the locals. So we went to the museum and there was Ole the fisherman and his friend Jonas waiting for us. We learned that Ole was born and raised in Illorsuit -a small settlement north of  Uummannaq- and has been a fisherman and a hunter for his entire life. He gave us many details about his fishing and hunting skills and all the equipment he uses. We talked about the species and quotas they are allowed to fish and hunt. To summarize Oles life, one could say that he moved "from kayak to Yamaha". The church and the local museum were open for us so on the way back some made a stop there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many of us participated in the Polar Circle Boat cruising to Qilakitsoq, an historical settlement dating from the era of the Thule Culture. In 1978, eight mummies were found here in a cave. Scientists dated the mummies to the year 1475. We could see some ruins of the old turf houses and graves. Today the mummies are on display in the national museum in Nuuk.

In the afternoon we started our hike to "Santa's cabin", and a big group joined for a three hour walk on the foothill of the "heart mountain".

 

















In the evening we reached the little settlement of Ukkusissat. We invited on board local people for singing and dancing. Marianne and the choir where there and gave a great performance. Later we joined them in the settlement for a 'kaffemiq" and music, a wonderful way to end another day in Greenland.

Saturday June 28 2014

On our third day we reached Qeqertarsuaq – the only town on the island with the same name. Qeqertarsuaq means the big island. It’s also named as Disko – a name given by the Dutch whalers in the 1600s. The sea south of Qeqertarsuaq has always been an important place for whaling. In the 1900s foreign whalers killed too many whales – in Greenlandic waters as well in many other places in the world. The bpwhead whale and the humback whale were protected for 25 years from the beginning of the 1980s and today the number of whales have improved so much that IWC – The international Whaling Commission – has approved a small quota for sustainable hunting. Not for export but only for consumption in Greenland.

Qeqertarsuaq is a little beautiful town with less than 1,000 inhabitants. 60 km away by boat is the little settlement, Kangerluk with less than 40 inhabitants.

We did hikes to the basaltic rocks and hike to Blæsedalen – the Windy Valley - where the Red River during millions of years had formed a deep canyon in the volcanic rock.   At the waterfalls a Canadian Goose-pair with their to small goslings lived on the top of a rock column. Secure from foxes and other potential disturbances, but so near to visiting tourists, that we had a really good look at them.

The hike to the basaltic rocks followed the coast. It’s a dramatic scenery with the blue sea; majestic white icebergs, black/brown/red cliffs and green vegetation.  Not forgetting Fram’s guests turquoise jackets.

After nine hours in Qeqertarsuaq we set course for Qasigiannguit - another town in the Disko Bay.

Sunday 29 June

Qasigiannguit is the Greenlandic name for the beautiful town we visited today. Not the easiest of Greenlandic names to pronounce, the name means “the small dotted seals”. As with many other Greenlandic names of places it refers to the kind of animals one can catch in the area. In Qasigiannguit you can catch small dotted seals J

The museum had set up a splendid program for us. They have made a unique display of how life was in the old days before the Europeans came. A reenactment of how a small family of 3 generations would look like if you met them on their summer hunting grounds. They greeted us with dried fish, seal blubber and whale meat grilled over a fire.

On the way to and from Qasigiannguit we were surrounded by icebergs in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes we call the Disco Bay the largest sculpture park in the World.

In the evening the Expedition Team and the officers had their fashion show. Everyone was having a laugh and it is a good opportunity to experience the team spirit and see some of the really nice quality clothes the shop onboard offers.

Tomorrow we are looking forward to a day by the spectacular heart shaped mountain of Uummannaq.

Friday 27 June

Last night Fram left Kangerlussuaq. Today we reached Sisimiut, some 100 km north of the polar circle. It is the second biggest town in Greenland with 5400 inhabitants. The early settlers -people from the Saqqaq culture- came to this place some 4500 years ago.

Today the main industry here is fishing. The harbor improved recently to welcome bigger ships. What is always impressive when you first come to Greenland are the dogs. Sisimiut has hundreds of them.

 

In the morning we started with our information program about the destinations and excursions along Greenland's west coast. As we will use our polar circle boats for operations, all were instructed as how to be safe during tender operations.

Later in the morning our Captain Rune Andreassen welcomed our guests and presented his crew. Our expedition leader

After lunch Fram reached Sisimiut and we started our excursions. Some of us just waited to be in Sisimiut for their lunch, and with a good reason: they booked "a taste of Greenland", which meant a Greenlandic buffet at a local hotel/restaurant. Reindeer, Muskox, sheep, halibut, shrimps and more was offered.

Many took the city tour by bus to see the highlights of Sisimiut.

Others decided to explore the town on their own which gave them the opportunity to visit the local museum, which offers a very good display of artifacts.

By 19.30 we were all back on board, when a local kayaker came along and showed us his many skills.

The day was not over and after dinner our musician Michael entertained with Greenlandic songs in the observation lounge.

Thursday 26 June

Thursday 26 June

A long day of travelling came to an end when we arrived at the lush and green airport of Kangerlussuaq. Kangerlussuaq means the big and long fiord in Greenlandic. The fiord is some 170 kilometers so the coastline is quite far away, making the area around Kangerlussuaq sheltered and warm.

Fram was picturesquely waiting for us down by the fiord 17 kilometers away from the airport. The PolarCirkle boats which we will be using for coming ashore for most of our journey took us on a 5 minute drive to Fram. The boats go pretty fast, but are really sturdy so we will be looking forward to go ashore in them to the days coming.

After having check-in at the ship reception we did the mandatory drill though it was late and most of us had been travelling nearly all day. Safety goes before anything!

So finally at 00.20 we could all bunk up go to bed and be rested for the journey ahead of us.

 

 

 

 

 

Oqaasut

Last night we stayed at anchor just outside of the small Ilulissat harbour.  It is always a nice change to be at anchor overnight.  It is really peaceful and quiet.  Before our departure at 09:00 there was time for several people to take advantage of the last helicopter excursion to the Ice Fjord.

Once we heaved anchor, Fram cruised by all of the giant icebergs stranded at the head of the fjord. The monolithic icebergs created a massive and impenetrable ice wall.

Our destination was the nearby settlement of Oqaatsut.  En route to Oqaatsut there was time to fit in a couple of lectures in English and in German which were followed by a pre-landing briefing on how we were going to conduct our visit to this very pretty, small community.

At approximately 11:30 Fram dropped anchor just outside of Oqaatsut.  It was a short boat ride through a narrow channel to the protected harbour.  The pier was a floating pier that bucked, bounced and undulated with each passing wave.  Walking across the small dock was a fun experience in itself.

Once on shore local guides gave us presentations on Greenlandic dogs and Greenlandic dog sledding which is much different than Alaskan style dog sledding.  Greenlandic dogs are harnessed in a fan while the Alaskan dog sledding style has the dogs harnessed in a line of pairs. 

Another local guide gave us a presentation on whales and whaling. 

The settlement itself is rather small with only about fifty inhabitants.  Probably as a result of it’s close proximity to Ilulissat there is a small, excellent restaurant which features Greenlandic foods. There is also a small hotel.

A stiff breeze blew throughout the landing which was quite welcome as it kept the ravenous mosquitoes grounded. 

The last Polar Cirkel boat left shore at 17:00.

In the early evening Michael entertained everyone in the Observation Lounge which was followed by our always enjoyable Crew Show.

Polar Bear lookout

Today we visited two places where some from the Expedition Team were placed in different places with guns – rather be safe than sorry.

In the morning we made it to Qullissat which is an old Coal mining town. Qullissat was founded to exploit the resourses of Disko Island. It operated for 48 years before closing in 1972.

 In its heyday almost 1200 people lived in Qullissat. Two famous Greenlanders, Kuupik Kleist who is the former Premier of Greenland and Aka Høegh who is a famous artist in Greenland were both born in Qullissat.

We had arranged a hike in the morning for those who were up for it. Unfortunately we had to cancel the hike because of strong winds. We were however lucky to find a more calm place to land with the Polar Cirkel boats. That meant that those who wanted could visit Qullissat.

A Fox and two Snow Hares were seen inside the town.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the evening we reached Eqip Sermia which is a Glacier located about 80 km north of Ilulissat which is the third largest town in Greenland.

Eqip Sermia is about 3.5 km wide and the wall is about 150 m high. It is one of the only Glaciers in Greenland where you can actually sail over to the wall and touch it.

Passengers were sailed into land where they could walk around and look at the beautiful Glacier. Sounds sounding like thunder came from the Glacier with short intervals.

We also saw thousands of Capelin right by the landing site. Some of the crew caught some with fishing nets. A snack for later.

Leaving Eqip Sermia around midnight it was time for jacuzzi while enjoying the beautiful icebergs.

Takussaagut – See you… :o)

Snow! On The First Day Of Summer!!

Happy Greenland National Day everyone!  I’ve always liked that Greenland’s National Day falls on the first day of summer.  And I’ve always felt that the first day of summer is a great reason to celebrate.  In Greenland it’s a double celebratory whammy.  National Day and the first day of summer weren’t the only two things to fall on June 21 in Upernavik.  Snow fell.  Great fluffy snowflakes spiraled down from a partially overcast sky.  At times the sun was shining while snow clouds dumped their contents here and there on Upernavik. I’m Canadian.  I grew up in a heavy snow belt area.  I spend much of my life in Polar areas but this was the first time that I’ve experienced a snow fall on the first day of summer.  It was special.  It was grand!

Speaking of grand, it was grand to see the red and white flag of Greenland flying so proudly in front of many homes.  And it was grand to see the local people dressed up in their traditional formal clothing. 

To celebrate national day there were several activities organized.  There was a sermon in the church which was followed by the choir singing.  In the community hall, coffee, tea and cake were served.  A service at the cemetery followed the church service.

Later in the day at 13:00, the choir sang and there was traditional Greenlandic dancing at the King’s Square.

Blue jackets were seen spread throughout Upernavik, from the pier, all the way up to the airport.  Everyone had plenty of time to attend the various functions and to take a stroll about town.

The last Polar Cirkel boat left shore at 15:30. 

You know… normally I would say that June 21st is the longest day of the year, but that simply isn’t true when you are above the Arctic Circle (N 66º33’).  At this latitude there are many days that are the longest day of the year!

We’ve been enjoying the longest day of the year for several days now as the further north you go, the earlier the perpetual sun arrives.  For example: the sun has not gone below the horizon in Upernavik for several days now as Upernavik is at 72º47’.  We will have at least three more of those endless days.    But now, it’s south bound that we go.  

Uummannaq 'The Heart-shaped'

 

Clouds and fog were low but the closer we came more of the beautiful Mountain we could

see. A mountain shaped as a heart – hence the name.

When we landed in the town with the Polar Circle Boats it was if the 1300 inhabitants were still sleeping or maybe they were just working and the kids probably in school. After all we arrived on a Thursday.

Different kinds of tours, excursions etc. were arranged with the locals. First passengers that arrived were to listen to a local speaking about life in Uummannaq. About 29 joined so that was a great success. Jean Louis, our French staff member, was to translate from English to German. We were joking about how funny it would be if the local guide could speak French – of course the local guide said a couple of words in French – good start on the day. It made us all smile and laugh.

Museum and Church were open – the only Church made out of rocks still being used in Greenland is located in Uummannaq. It is very beautiful and a must see if you ever get that far North.

A boat tour to the place where the famous Qilakitsoq mummies were found was also offered to Fram’s passengers. Everyone who joined seemed happy – so another success.

As everyone in Greenland knows Santa’s summer base is located just behind the town of Uummannaq. A big group of passengers joined the hike to Santa’s hut to see if he was home. Every passenger made it ‘home’ safely but unfortunately no one saw Santa.

If he couldn’t be found in his hut he must have been out with his reindeer. Therefore 18 passengers were sent out to look for him in a helicopter. The low clouds almost cancelled the tours. But away they went and again no luck. Passenger did however get to see Uummannaq, the glacier on Nuussuaq, Fram and the surrounding mountains. Everyone exited the helicopter with a big smile. There was unfortunately one fatality on the first tour – the helicopter hit a seagull on the way back to the helistop. The pilot will not be receiving any gifts this Christmas.

Again it was time to leave a town with lots of smiling and friendly faces.

Takussaagut – see you.