Sparkling glacier ice

So we were on the way down south to Bellsund with high speed, doing 14.5 knots! The plan was to arrive about 15 o’clock in Recherchefjorden, but what to do until then? The team of MV Fram put up lectures, so first we could dive into the geology of Svalbard with Steffen – and yes, geology rocks! For the german speakers, Manuel together with Ralf told us the little secrets about the feathered creatures flying around on Svalbard. And from the birds it went straight on to Svalbards hunters – the trappers! 
But if you now think, that was all a looong time ago – compared with some age of the glaciers on Svalbard that’s nothing! Also this we learnt this morning.. So, but enough about lectures and learning, it was time to get off the ship! But… what was awaiting us when we were arriving at Recherchefjorden? A polar bear… The white fellow was luckily not very interested in us and still quite far away, so we could do the landing! And what a landing: right in front of the glacier on the terminal moraine we got dropped off by the polar circle boats! From far we could hear the glacier’s calving – and all the big pieces of glacier ice on the sandy moraine pit looked sparkled crystal clear and looked just beautiful! 
We were wandering around, of course watching the polar bear from a safe distance and we encountered its traces all over the place on the sand! How big they were, impressive! On the side of the mountains we could clearly see the lateral moraine of the glacier, so where we were actually standing it was all glacier – which was quite impressive to see as well! The time went quick and soon it was time to leave this marvelous place – not without 5 bags full of garbage we collected on the shoreline!

The Nature of Expedition

If it weren’t for the ice one would really have a doubt: Are we really in the highest Arctic??

The morning finds us with immaculate blue skies, mild temperatures above 5 degrees celsius and literally no wind at all. No need for the big sweater - “why did I bring all these warm clothes…?” 

But then again, just look ahead. We are using the morning hours to hover in front of one of the most majestic glaciers in Svalbard, the Monacobreen. Named after Prince Albert of Monaco (the older), who was an ardent fan of the Arctic and financed many costly enterprises to explore the beauty of this barren world. Well, we can only wish he had one single day like we are having today!

But that was only the beginning. High north as we are, we definitely like to have an audience with the King of this beautiful place. So all binoculars are propped to keen eyes, every bright rock, log, dirty snow patch is a suspect for a short moment.

But no, it seems like Master Bear doesn’t want to be seen today, not in the pretty labyrinth of Andøyane, neither on the expanses of ice that lie north of this.

Well, patience is a virtue…

After a while we see the flat silhouette of Moffen ahead of us, usually a reliable resting place for walrus, but of course we are a little skeptical now. However, on approach we see a medium-size group of the brown “monster sausages” on the beach, the tusks gleaming white in the sun.

But what is this? One of the big logs on the land spit is suddenly starting to move and raise its head. Round white ears, black nose big neck - a polar bear!

And indeed, the massive male gets to its feet and walks leisurely across the island, right past all the camera lenses that are pointed at it. We have our first bear…

And now it’s ice time. While a week ago we had to move another 25 miles north to find the ice edge, we see the white stripe on the horizon after only half an hours ride.

The pack ice stretches from horizon to horizon.

Now Expedition Leader Karin plays a trump ace: We launch the Polar Cirkel Boats and start a cruise into the pack ice with everybody. Sometimes it looks as if the boats are totally engulfed by the ice floes and will never make it out again. But that is of course an illusion, all drivers and staff are experienced and safely bring everyone back to FRAM. 

As the light of the evening imbues the whole world in soft colors we start heading for the Hinlopen Strait to continue the tour around Spitsbergen. But today we encounter a surprising obstacle - the ice itself. So much of it has accumulated at the entrance of the strait in the last to days that it is absolutely impossible to pass. Here goes the circumnavigation…

But it would be only half the fun if everything were foreseeable, wouldn’t it?

Immediately a plan B is forged, so we turn the ship around and start heading down the west coast to get to a place that we normally don’t have the time to visit, Bellsund.

That’s what we mean when we tell you at the beginning of our journey: You’re not on holiday - you’re on expedition…

First Cruise Day

First cruise day! And we woke up surrounded by beautiful blue bits and pieces of glacier ice from the Kongsvegen and Kongsglacier.  

14 lucky ones tied on their crampons and went for a fantastic glacier hike on the Conway-Glacier. 

All the others visited this morning Ny Ålesund, one of the world`s northernmost year-round communities, with about 150 mostly scientists, living there during the summer months (in the winter there are about 30 people). Since 1964, so 50 years already, Ny Ålesund is now a science “town”, but it`s full of mining history as well, as this was the start of the place, when Kings Bay Coal Company initiated mining in 1917.

Several mining accidents with a severe happening November 5, 1962 when 21 miners got killed lead to the closing of the place as a mining community. A white painting of a coffin on a harbor hall still marks that tragedy.. We were heading further into “town” and discovered the old school, the Nordpolhotel, the Svedrup Station and also the house of the famous polar expeditioner Roald Amundsen! He came there in 1925 to make an attempt to reach the Northpole by seaplane, but did not succeed, as they had to do an emergency landing about 136 nautical miles apart from the Pole. Nevertheless, Amundsen started a second attempt with the airship “Norge” and this time they succeeded! But as tragedy is tragedy, he died on the way to rescue his earlier fellow Nobile, who went to the Pole with the Airship “Italia” in 1928. How much history in this tiny town somewhere high up in the Arctic!

In the afternoon we dropped our anker in front of the majestic mountains in Magdalenefjorden, one of the most beautiful spots on Spitsbergen. Beside a just magnificent landscape with high mountains and tall glaciers, this place also tells a lot a bit of a story: one of the largest burial grounds for whalers on Spitsbergen can be found here, with at least 130 graves. But on Trinity harbor something really “alive” happened: Some of us went for a polar plunge! In 2°C “warm?” water the brave hearts went for a dive, neither afraid of the cold, nor the “Greenland Shark”! ;). 

A bit further away, we had a nice view on a bay on the westside of Gullybreen, where we`ve seen walruses lying on the shoreline, digesting and resting. Back on board we went for dinner and did as the walruses, while watching the beautiful scenery passing by as we went through Sørgattet. 

Would you wanna know...

What your Expedition Team is doing in the few hours that they have on Thursdays?Thursday is the day where we have to be quick in every respect - It’s changeover day for MS FRAM in Svalbard, starting with the farewell to the guests who have shared our adventures for one week. Then they are gone and we dig out the to-do-lists.

So many things, so little time…

But first things first: Training with the rifle is imperative in this line of work, so everybody has to go. Every week. Period.

But then again, rifle training is also fun.

Then there is the shopping, toothpaste, shaving foam, tea, coffee, maybe some crackers. Our hotel manager comes out of the shop with bags full of wool for the next knitting frenzy.

OK, our food on board is great, no doubt. But every once in a while you just crave for something different - a huge piece of crusty pizza for example.

At the same time it’s meeting friends. Feels a little odd, having to rush the conversation because we have to go back to the ship. But that’s thaw way things go in this business, it never sleeps, it never stops.

Just after lunchtime the luggage for the new guests arrives at the ship, has to be sorted labeled and brought to the cabins.

And not so long after the buses with the “future bluejackets” pull up on the pier.

After a few hours of civilization it is: Here we go again, ready for a new adventure!

And, friends of the Blog: We will be out of connection in a few hours, no chance to do anything about it.
See you on Monday night!

Was it All Just a Dream...?

Early this morning MS Fram sailed towards the distinct landmark Alkhornet which leads in to Isfjorden. We couldn't let a mountain like that go to waste so of course we had to go on shore. Alkhornet is a part of the long bay called Trygghamna. Trygghamna means «safe harbour» and indeed it is, with all its tall mountains surrounding it and keeping it sheltered from the weather. After several days of sun we are starting to get quite spoiled, but I won't forget to mention it in this post as well. We had amazing weather today as well, and that is something that you don't get served on a silver platter on Svalbard.

Some of the guests chose to experience Trygghamna by kayaking along the shore deeper in to the bay. Some tried kayaking for the first time and after an educational trip to the lunchspot the guide had a surprise that he had been talking about. Then he brings out some good norwegian chocolate, that is all good, but was that really the surprise?  Suddenly he takes up an accordion and starts playing songs from all the countries which were represented in the kayak group. What a guide!

The others enjoyed a nice walk under Alkhornet. With its steep mountainsides, it houses a massive amount of birds and when you are standing under it you see them all flying back and forth over your head. And where there are birds there is bird poop, and where there is bird poop there is fertile soil, and where there is fertile soil there is a lot of flowers and vegetation which attracts the reindeers. During the walk you could see several reindeers walking around and eating, totally unaffected by our presence.

This trip has gone by so quickly because suddenly we were in the lounge listening to the Captain and the crew saying good bye to us. Has this been a dream? Somebody pinch my arm because this feels so unreal. A part of going on an expediton cruise is the excitement.You don't know what kind of weather you will get or what you will see. Svalbard is not a zoo or a museum, and that's  the beauty of Svalbard. You can see the cultural remains in their original place and really get a feeling of how they lived up here in the earlier days.  Mother nature is the boss up here and seeing how she has shaped the landscape and how the nature with its animals and birds are in balance gives you a greater understanding and connection to nature and the Arctic that is difficult to explain. This has truly been the voyage of a lifetime and you don't know what you are missing out on unless you go there yourself!

The Sound of Magic - Horn Sound

Well, we must have done something right, very right…

The skies are bright blue and clear as we stop the ship deep inside the Austre (Eastern) Burgerbukta. It is one of the side fjords of Hornsund, the Horn Sound. Not a breeze, gentle 7 degrees - are we really in the Arctic…?

Whatever, the conditions are more than perfect for a hike. Well, not just a hike, but a real piece of expedition: With 24 bold people we set out in the eastern flank of the fjord to make our way across the difficult terrain and up the moraine slopes.

That means balancing on boulders, crawling up the loose material that is giving way under our feet, crossing snow fields and muddy areas.

Truly no walk in the park. But our efforts are rewarded by the most magnificent views you probably can get here, and that says a lot. The majesty of the surrounding mountains and glaciers is breathtaking (well, the hike is, too…).

And after a great many photo stops, after 3 hours of scrambling, we arrive back at the beach, where we are picked up by the boats.

What a morning! And, man, are we hungry!!! Fortunately, we are welcomed aboard with a delicious barbecue, so we eat a lot - outside, just in front of the glacier.

One thing the hikers didn’t see was polar bears. This is not a complaint, a glacier moraine is not the place where you want to meet them.

But this doesn’t meant there are not around: Only half an hour after FRAM moves deeper into Hornsund we see two of them, on the ice and swimming. And this time we got really close, as if the day wasn’t good enough already.

Time to leave the fjord, now we go out further at sea, to a special place: The continental drop-off. What sounds like an accident-prone place is rather our best shot to spot whales. It is the place where the continental plateau of Svalbard dives deep into the ocean. The resulting cold currents provide a lot of food for marine animals, so often they gather in these parts. The conditions again are perfect, all we can do is hope.

But alas, this evening we are not lucky, the gentle giants won’t show up. Maybe this is faith telling us “Hey folks, you had so many sensations on this trip, why not leave a few for the ones after you…?”

Never mind, everybody had a blast at the hilarious MV FRAM crew show the same night.

Sun and Clear Skies - another Day in Paradise...

Svalbard has truly shown it self from its best side today. We were sailing to the end of Freemandstredet – a narrow straight between Barentsøya and Edgeøya. Those who chose to sleep outside on deck  underneath the midnight sun woke up to clear skies, the sun warming in their faces and polar bear spotting before breakfast. 

We had a landing at Sundneset on Barentsøya. The grounds were covered with dark basaltic rocks with bright green vegetation in between. Flowers hasn't been a common sight this far on the trip but here the grounds were covered with yellow flowers – the Yellow Marsh Saxifrage. Sundneset had a lot to offer and we weren't the only ones that were out enjoying the sun. Both reindeers and a polar bear greeted us with their presence. On the top of the little mountain a svalbard rock ptarmigan had made a nest for her 5 chickens who were just learning how to walk. A polar fox was lurking under the mountain and  probably wondering if we were going to steal its food. The walk went around a small lake that housed a colony of barnacle geese and down to an old cabin. Sundneset showed us that it is more to the Arctic than just polar bears, glaciers and mighty mountains. It is also colorful flowers, rich birdlife, polar foxes and culture. 

In the evening lectures and realaxing in the sun on deck were on the menu. As a dessert the crew had prepared a fashion show. Some of the guides on the expedition team had clearly underestimated their modeling skills, but they still managed to make an impression as the crowd were cheering and laughing. After a long and exiting day bedtime arrived at Fram as well, even though you really couldn't tell because the sun, the midnight sun, was still shining. 

Huts and Birds and Walruses

A very calm morning in Murchinsonfjorden, perfect for our landing at Kinnvika, the ancient scientific station in the North of the Hinlopen Strait.

Considering that the large number of huts was already erected in 1957/58, the good shape of the buildings is surprising. With a bit of solid catering one could start a lengthy stay right away, which you really cannot say of all the places in these parts. Even a sauna building is there, and by the looks of it it might be well possible to get it running again. Now imagine that, polar bears scratching at your sauna door…!

The landscape is wide, seemingly endless, its beauty emphasized by the clear morning air and the soft light from the clouds.

After lunch we reach certainly one of the most spectacular spots of Svalbard: Alkefjellet, bird mountain. A steep basaltic cliff is not only home to about 60.000 breeding pairs of Brunich’s guillemots who perch and nest on the very narrow ledges in the rocks, but also to thousands of glaucous gulls and kitty wakes. 200.000 birds live here, so the air is filled with wings and screams, and from the distance you might rather think it’s mosquitoes flying - there’s just so many of them!

As we move closer they are all around us, in the water, in the cliffs, overhead, and it is clearly no good idea to gaze at them flying above you with your mouth wide open…

Three times we pass this ornithological world wonder before we change course to head further south to our afternoon destination, Torellneset.

This is a favorite haul-out for walruses, for the sake of the very flat beach, which the blubbery giants need to get their enormous masses ashore.

Knowing this, we were more than a bit disappointed when we couldn’t spot a single one on the beach. Where were they?? But then, steering around the horn of Torellneset, there was the relief: A group of about 20 animals of various age were stretched out in a relaxed fashion on the beach, not 200 meters away from their “standard” place. So we launched the boats, and the rest of the evening passed with carefully creeping up onto the huge, grunting, smelly, weird creatures, which they are.

Another successful day with loads of wildlife!

The Land of Contrasts

This morning we woke up in inner Liefdefjord looking outside on the mighty Monaco glacier. We had an amazing view to the 5 km wide glacier front which goes straight in to the ocean. We were met by a large iceberg finding its way out in the fjord after calving from the glacier. 

As we went out of the fjord and towards Andøyane and Reinsdyrflya  the landscape changed so dramatically that it was difficult to believe that it was the same island. It went from massive black pointy mountains separated by glaciers moving like white snakes in the terrain to a landscape as flat as a pancake covered in brown rocks and green vegetation. It didn't take long until the first message about a sighting of a polar bear came over the radio. People grabbed their warmest clothes and ran out on deck. The bear was relaxing on one of the small islands of Andøyane. Not

long after came the second message about another polar bear in the same area, just on a different island. Then suddenly we could spot a third one, swimming in the ocean. Polar bears are solitary animals and seeing so many in the same area is quite rare. We couldn't tell the reason why for certain, but a large gathering of seagulls in the air over one of the islands could indicate that there was an open buffet behind the hill – possibly a whale carcass that had floated on shore.

As we had just arrived inside and  were enjoying a warm lunch another polar bear had been spotted in Mushamna. The bear was strolling around on the shore before it laid down - yet another breath taking meeting with The King Of The Arctic. As we sailed further north, a peculiar small island came in sight. Shaped like a flat ring, the nature reserve of Moffen island houses a walrus colony. We could see these big blubbery creatures lying and enjoying the day piled up in a big group. Walruses love clams and that's why Moffen, with its shallow and sandy seabed full of clams, is perfect for the walruses. 

During the day different inspirational and interesting lectures about geology, birdlife and expeditions were given by the experienced expedition team. In the evening we reached the sea ice at 80 degrees north, where we all got to go out in the polar circle boats to cruise along the edge. The combination of the ice and the sea created an incredible spectrum of various shades of blue. When you looked in on the ice you couldn't see the end, maybe there was no end, maybe it stretched all the way to the North Pole? 

Being up here in the Arctic provides peace to the soul. Seeing how nature has its own ways without any human interference, everything is in balance. You get a new perspective and a deeper insight in to the nature and wildlife in the Arctic.  When you look outside the window after a day like this you feel humble towards the nature and grateful for all the impressions and experiences that you get to bring back home. 

First day out - and bears!

Svalbard has so much to offer - birds, rocks, reindeer, flowers, incredible landscapes embedded in vast amounts of ice. A chilly paradise.

But secretly - or not so secretly - everybody wishes for one thing: Seeing Polar Bear.

And of course we do everything in our powers to make exactly that happen (And, by the way, we like them, too…). But as it goes with wildlife, it’s alive and it’s wild, so you cannot expect the King of the Arctic to be waiting for us around each and every corner. 

So there is always quite a bit of pressure on the Expedition Team, and we watch out all the time to find among the many yellowish rocks ashore the one that moves.

In the meantime there is other things to do. Ny Ålesund awaits, the northernmost civilian settlement in the world, now dedicated to Arctic sciences carried out by more than 20 nations. It was also the location of Amundsen & Nobile’s famous first flight across the North Pole, undertaken by a huge airship that was launched from a big mast which is still standing upright next to the place.

For 14 lucky others the time has come for an exciting walk on the Conway glacier on the other side of Kongsfjorden. This in itself is already an adventure, but on the long boat ride to the opposite shore we spot a polar bear walking swiftly on the shore, close to some reindeer. Voilá! This already is proof that we are really in polar bear country. And it makes the glacier walk even more interesting, as the bear was heading our way…

Constant vigilance, that’s what it’s all about in Svalbard, the binoculars being the most powerful protective device.

In the afternoon everybody else was rewarded for not being too jealous - right on entry into Magdalenafjord there is another bear!

The decision is easy: Check out the bear with the Polar Cirkel boats, see if we can take everyone closer. And really, after a short observation we notice that the bear is actually feasting on a large prey, a reindeer. That is a very unusual thing, as normally they don’t hunt them. A great opportunity for everyone to get their first good shots of the bear, so the boat ride has the main attraction first.

A great day for wildlife! And ice! And - everything…!