Exploring the Shetland Islands

We said goodbye to Norway and headed for open sea towards the Shetland Islands. Our crossing happened during the night and in the morning, we woke up to the sight of dozens of green islands passing by the ship. Soon after, we were already in Lerwick, the main port here in the Shetlands. With a population of 7500, the town has a cozy atmosphere and is easily explored by foot. This is also the best way to see all the little streets that are too narrow for big vehicles like buses. Our guests were free to roam around and visit the museum, tourist office, shops and notable buildings like the Town hall, Fort Charlotte and the Clickimin Broch.

Many of us also hiked around the town along the coast where many grey seals were lying on the rocks and where tiny Shetland ponies were grazing the fields. The morning was also the departure time for two of our excursions that many of the guests joined. The scenic mainland drive took us to Jarlshof, which is the best known prehistoric archaeological site in the Shetlands. It contains remains dating from 2500 BC up to the 17th century AD. The name Jarlshof meaning "Earl's Mansion" is a coinage of Walter Scott, who visited the site in 1814 and based it on the Scottish period name of "the laird's house". It was more than a century later before excavations proved that there had actually been Viking Age settlements on the site. Walking through the remains of this settlement really allowed us to get a feeling of how these buildings were put together and what their layout was.

The tour also took our guests to Hoswick, where they could get an understanding of the history and culture of the Shetland Islands from the very informative displays. They also sell typical knitwear here and several of the guests grabbed the opportunity to get some locally made souvenirs for home!
Our second excursion took us to the settlement of Scalloway, where we were able to visit the museum and the Scalloway Castle which was built in 1600.

By this time, the sun had come out and the weather got very comfortable. On the way we stopped at a viewpoint, which we also did on the way back where we got to have an idea of how many islands the Shetlands are composed of. Views wear clear and winds were low. Very pleasant conditions to take in the surrounding landscape. Our guide was kind enough to answer all sorts of questions and taught us a lot when it comes to economy and culture of the Shetland Islands. 
Our hotel manager accompanied some of the guests to a place called Jamieson´s of Shetland. It is a local wool shop that has specialised in the wool from the native Shetland sheep for already 5 generations! Again, a good occasion to get some locally made souvenirs. Once everybody was back on-board, it was time again for the embroidery group to meet up to practice their Hardanger embroidery skills. Shortly after, Fram departed Lerwick sailing through the islands with a mesmerizing sunset on our starboard side. It was the perfect ending to our day in the Shetland Islands and a moment to remember how lucky we have been with the weather during the trip.

To celebrate and finish the evening in (Fram) style, we hosted a crew show in the Observation Lounge so our crew could show of their skills and talents for us to enjoy and admire. It was a very cheerful evening and we are very much looking forward to the next days of our trip. 

Land's End

This voyage offers the unique opportunity to experience Norway “from within”: After having had all these comprehensive insights from our Man of Fjærland, Olav, we are entirely in Expedition Leader Karins backyard today.

This is to be taken literally, as the landing site on the island of Atløy is in fact the yard next to her boat house. She even had an impeccable stairwell built for people to get off the boats, just before we arrived.

What a change of landscape we are experiencing! No longer are we surrounded by looming fjord walls, gushing waterfalls and the debris fans of the numerous avalanches that are a hallmark of the inner fjord land, an open sky is above us, unhindered and blue. The grey hills are round and gentle, peacefully sticking their heads out of lush pastures, populated by sheep of several generations. The mood is pastoral, serene, and it affects everybody who goes ashore immediately.

Not only we can visit the ancient fishing gear of Karin’s family in the boat house and take a sunny stroll to the old community church where guided tours are given and a little concert is played. For those who want to combine the feast for the eyes with a little amuse-gueule, our chef Eirik comes ashore with no less than 10 kilo of scallops, caught and bought only last night from a local fisherman.

Eirik is also an expert outdoor cook, and in no time he has a fireplace built with the local rocks. Five minutes later the scallops are sizzling in the pan, and we have the most precious, delicious seafood on an all-you-can-eat base!

And Karin’s smile reaches from ear to ear, because all her family is around, parents, brother, aunts. A full family gathering, all of them helping, explaining, showing, smiling.

What a start for the day, especially for the kayakers, who could explore this wonderland from sea level.

When glaciers reach the sea, they turn their erosional power from a narrow blade into a wide grater, serrating the coastline into many low, rounded individuals - islands.

Norway has an incredible number of them, and just after lunch we visit the absolute westernmost of those, Værlandet and Bulandet.

Værlandet has only 9 square kilometers but a striking geology. A deep green metamorphic rock crops out next to “Black Beauty”, a dark breccia that only occurs on this small island. Worldwide. And that’s not the end of it: On a very small area, the breccia is overlain by “Picasso”, a very, very colorful conglomerate. May these names not be overly scientific, they describe well what you see. 

Together they tell a fascinating story of supercontinents, ruptures and erosion, a wild chapter of Earth’s history. And as they are exceptionally pretty, they get fashioned into table tops and exported around the world.

Knowing this, our guests are very pleased as owner Hjerman presents them with a little piece of the rock.

Now we enter a strange world, the westernmost outpost of Norway - Bulandet. It is not an island, but an archipelago, consisting of 365 islands and islets (So you have one for every day of the year). Some of them are so low that they are under the water line at hight tide.

Our guide Ruth tells us interesting stories from the times when there was no bridge, no connection but the boat. Many of the islands accommodate a single house, because there is simply not more room for more.

Marrying into this place sometimes occasionally entailed a nasty surprise when the bride saw the smallness of it for the very first time.

But it is beautiful, no doubt, in a romantic, wild way. The thought that this is indeed the absolute end of the country adds to it, especially when you stand on the hill and face West.

Back in Værlandet we get more information/demonstration from Ruth, who is a walking encyclopedia of the island’s history, shown at its best in the small Peter Hansen Museum, next to the harbour.

Speaking of which: As we return from our fine excursion, we find Ralf there, playing his accordion together with a local musician. A wonderful atmosphere rounds up the day.

And now it’s time to weigh the anchor and go even further west.

Beyond Land’s End.

Our Nasjonaldagen in Norway!

Our day in Olden was one of celebration. Locally known as Syttende Mai, the 17th of May marks the Norwegian Constitution Day and is the official national holiday. Fram arrived in the village of Olden in the morning to spend this special day with the locals. Before going ashore, our captain gathered us outside on the deck for a speech + toast and to sing the anthem.

We all made an effort to wear a nice outfit and some of us even wore the traditional Bunad like almost all of the inhabitants of Olden did. It was then time for a service in the old church of the village which many of our guests joined. The big happening of the morning was of course the parade. This is a tradition for the National Day and we were all invited to join the walk for which we had given everyone a little flag to wave with. It was a perfect way to mingle with the locals and get a taste of how this day is celebrated. Our walk was one to remember.

Smiling faces, cheering children, music and the perfect weather made for a celebration we will not forget. The parade came by the ship that by that time was proudly blowing its horn, which would resonate in the surrounding valleys for almost a minute. We ended the parade at the music pavilion in the "centre" of the village, where we had a few more speeches and took the time to sing more songs.

Most of us took the opportunity to visit the village and the area before going back on the ship. Our Expedition Team members Steffen and Tessa organised a breathtaking excursion entitled: Via Ferrata Loen. The excursion was more of a climb than a walk and offered participants views to remember for a lifetime. The somewhat challenging ascent to the 1010 meter top was described in our excursion Handbook as an "airy" experience. And airy it was.

The steep terrain and the 4 hours of climbing definitely put the fitness of our guests and staff to the test. Judging by their faces and stories once back, the effort was more than worth it. Their pictures speak for themselves. 

Our afternoon consisted of a series of lectures about glaciers, Vikings, and practical information regarding the next day(s). We also served traditional Norwegian dishes in the Observation Lounge for people to enjoy while admiring the scenery we were sailing through.

Karin (our Expedition Leader)´s Hardanger Embroidery group met again to make some progress on their project. They already started cutting out the blank spaces between the stitches, which is definitely one of the most concentration demanding parts of the class. However, this was not a problem as participants were very motivated by the embroidery art they got to see all day on the traditional outfits from the locals. 
To end this day filled with tradition, we organized a Norwegian Folkdance on deck 7 and many of the guests were happy to join. We all had a great time dancing together which was a perfect ending to our National Day in Norway. 

Blue Skies, Grey Skies - who cares, we are sailing again!

Before midnight the sound of the announcement bell goes into every cabin - this must be something BIG.

It is the captain’s voice, clearly with a timbre of ease. And indeed, he is the bringer of good news: The damage is fully repaired, testing successful, FRAM is ready to leave. And a short while after we feel the familiar vibration going through the vessel. Our stay in Eidfjord is over, we will be in Balestrand as planned.

All in all, not much damage. What a relief!!!

In the morning we pass the important landmark  - Sognesjøn, the gate to the second largest fjord in the world, only beaten by the unreal Scoresby Sound in East Greenland.

As if the weather is not approving of us leaving the Hardangerfjord, the skies are grey and cloud-laden. But the atmosphere could not be more serene, everybody is so happy to be sailing again. The morning lectures are very well attended, and there is quite a bunch of them.

And then we have a extra excited Olav today, as we are visiting his roots, which lie in the scenic Fjærlandsfjord. His family has been there since the 16th century, and today we get a first-hand account of everything that has happened ever since.

The afternoon finds us arriving in Balestrand, basically just around the corner from Fjærlandsfjorden.

This is the center of art, youth education, and cider. There is statues and monuments galore, and Ralf has a handsomely sized group for his cultural walk through the town.

Balestrand is also the departure point for a lovely hike into the adjacent mountains, a pretty steep thing to do. Quite many of our hikers had given up in the past, long before we reached our goal, Orrabenken, nearly 400m above the fjord and with a breathtaking view.

Not so today: Everybody not only makes it, but also continues further up towards Balastøylen, until the deep wet snow of springtime forces us to return.

By the way, the senior member of our hiking group is 87 years old… what an inspiration!

A day in and out of Eidfjord!

Our extra day in Eidfjord turned out to be a great success. Our “Plan B” managed to turn (what seemed to be at first) an inconvenience into a day filled with excitement. Due to the technical challenges we encountered the day before; Fram was forced to stay in Eidfjord one more day, so the Expedition Team (and everyone else on board) worked late hours to come up with an alternative program for our guests. And so we did. Everyone was invited to join us on the famous Flåm Train for which we managed to organize four buses to the terminal.

The ride to the train station was of course a lot longer than the ride we had originally planned, but to make even this part of the excursion worthwhile, the Expedition team came up with interesting guiding information about the area we were driving through. One of the interesting things we saw on this (longer) bus ride is an underground roundabout in the tunnel(s) that go through the mountains. We also crossed the Hardangerbrua, a 1369 meter long suspension bridge over the Hardangerfjord. The bridge opened in 2013 and is longer than the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco! We also drove through a series of tunnels and one of them was more than 11 km long! Norway´s second longest tunnel. On top of all of this, we managed to surprise everyone with two extra stops on the way: The Tvindefossen waterfall and the Stalheim hotel.

The waterfall is said to be 115 meters tall but is likely “only” 110 meters and is famous for its beauty and reputation for rejuvenation and revival of sexual potency! As many as 200,000 tourists from all over the world come here to fill up their water bottles and enjoy the scenery. The Stalheim Hotel is famous for its history and offers spectacular views that are famous from several paintings like “Fra Stalheim” from Johan Christian Dahl.

We also offered our guests a lunch at the reputed Hotel in Flåm which allowed them to get a taste of the local salmon that is of high quality. Like always, the ride to the Myrdal with Flåm was fantastic. 

Down at the start, spring is booming and at the top in Myrdal there is still two meters of snow! At one of the stops on the way up at the waterfall, we were surprised to see Huldra, an astonishingly beautiful woman with raw natural elegance and a seductive figure. Catching a glimpse of this creature of tale was like the cherry on top of our (Flåm) cake, as the French would say. Our other excursion to the Vørings waterfall and Nature center was also a great success. Guests had the chance to go to the Sysendammen Viewpoint for a bird´s eye view over the area. This was a perfect day to do this because of the great weather, making the views crystal clear. As soon as we were all back from the excursions, we invited everyone to the Observation Lounge as we had news to share regarding our technical issues with the propeller. Unfortunately, while looking for a solution, we encountered more issues and it looked like we were not going to be able to leave Eidfjord that evening. On top of that, we were waiting for spare parts and more specialists to come to the ship. Of course we had already worked on another alternative plan which we were roughly able to present our guests at the same time.

Everyone was very understanding and we truly appreciate all the positive feedback we have had. In the evening we held a barbecue in the sun outside on the deck for guests to enjoy. Our Expedition Team member Ralf played accordion and everyone had a really good time. We also entertained guests in the observation Lounge on deck 7 with a Fashion Show! Many of the staff was there to show (off) the quality clothes we have in the shop and that we also wear ourselves.

At the end of the evening, we had very good news to share with everyone. Many of our guests were already sleeping, but as we promised clarity and honesty in this situation, we decided to make an announcement on the PA system in the cabins so everyone would hear. In fact, the technician that got on board just a few hours before, managed to find a solution which allowed us to depart Eidfjord that same night! And so we were on our way to Balestrand to resume our normal program the next day.

A Grieg-ish Day

The Fjord of Hardanger is enormous, nearly 180 kilometers long, a maze of dramatically steep valleys, reaching deep into the landscape of western Norway.

Literally at its very end, at the finest tip of this wonder world we awake with the golden light of the morning sun, as it starts to caress the snow-capped mountains.

This morning mood is so beautiful, so romantic - so Grieg! How can it be easier to get out of bed…?

The day’s activities start with the Eidfjord community walk, guided by Katja, Arne and Olav, a powerful trio if it comes to history, culture, and everyday’s life in Norway.

However, last time I gave here to the esteemed follower a short account on the presence of the Vikings and their graves, a mean wife being punished to donate a church and the blessings of owning a waterfall.

So, in order not to be too repetitive let me please focus on a different subject, evidently tightly connected to Norway’s past. Let’s talk about a few traditions.

As we are standing next to the church, I discover an open door to a tiny workshop. Inside I am confronted with the most beautiful violins - excuse me, fiddles - I have seen, carefully kept in a glass shrine.

The owner is not overly keen at first to have pictures taken, but after a brief explanation of our motives he happily agrees.

A very special instrument it is, first mentioned in the middle of the 17th century. And take a closer look: Contrarily to the normal violin there are two sets of strings: the normal ones and very thin ones who serve only the purpose of resonance, giving the instrument an unmistakable, pastoral sound.

There is a old connection between wedding ceremonies, a rowing boat and a man with the salute rifle, preserved for all times in the famous painting “brureferde” by Tidemand and Gude. A wedding only was worthwhile when the fiddle was played…

We are approaching a very important day in the Norwegian calendar - the 17th of May, National Day, commemorating the independence of the country.

Whereas the national day in many countries is merely a welcome occasion to have a day off, it is a milestone in Norway’s identity, and literally every countryman and countrywoman partakes in the many festivities. The dress code is very specific - whoever owns a “Bunad” will have to wear it.

The Bunad is a very conservative garment, often handed down by the elder to the later generations. (Which is fortunate for the younger people, as a traditional Bunad is hellishly expensive.)

Every region in Norway has specific cuts and tissues and bangles and brooches, and they recognize each other right away. A women’s dress is by far more precious than a man’s Bunad - the bride  had to be pretty for the groom and the man had to do more practical things, so the garment wore off more easily.

We have four Norwegians on the expedition team, and of course! They all have their Bunad on the ship, so they can celebrate the 17th of May in style.

These precious things have to be straightened out, aired, and checked, which gives us the fine opportunity to take a closer look. Beau-ti-ful!

If you go really close you discover the finely woven decoration, and the embroidery. And here’s the next topic.

The handling of needle and yarn has a very long history in Norway, as the dresses and garments also were meant to send a cultural (and economical) message to the beholder.

Especially the Hardanger Embroidery developed into an art form that became famous also beyond the borders of Norway.

And no-one else but our expedition leader Karin is a skilled instructor for this craft. So she gathers ten keen students around her and shows them the first steps - it is trickier as it looks.

Everybody is utterly pleased with the first half of the day, so now it is time to head for the mouth of Hardanger Fjord.

The surprise is not little when suddenly there is an announcement over the PA system that our departure is delayed due to a glitch in the portside engine electronic. We have to stay, for the time being.

But what nicer place to be delayed than this one? We are at pier, we can go out for a walk, to one of Eidfjord’s charming cafés, or just stand on deck and look into the evening sun.

The evening comes with no news, still the problem could not be solved. But fortunately the expedition team came up with a wonderful Plan B for tomorrow: Instead of having paid excursions, everybody will be invited to go on the famous ride with the Flåmbana, only we go there by bus and not by ship. Theme with variation, and there is a big round of applause as the new plan is presented.

A day amongst the fruit orchards

Our first stop in Norway was in Ulvik yesterday morning. Fram arrived in the Ulvikafjorden at 8 AM and we soon started our tender operation with our polar circle boats to bring guests ashore. At the same time, the first rays of sun also made their way over the high mountains next to the fjord, down to this beautiful little village that has just over 1000 inhabitants.

We then began our excursions that started at the hotel where we shuttled the guests to. First to depart was the Farm visit. This tour allowed our guests to learn about (Norwegian) agricultural traditions in the 21st century. After a quick slide-show presentation about (amongst others) the history of farming and a tour around the property our hostess offered us Home-made apple cake with whip-cream and apple juice! Along with the sunny weather, this made for a perfect excursion.

 
Then, a small group of 11 joined us on a walk around Ulvik and a visit to the museum to learn about the life and poetry of Olav H. Hauge, one of the most important Norwegian poets. To give an idea of his influence, his works have been translated into 25 languages! During the walk we also visited the church of Ulvik and a few other places of interest like the Skeiemylna mill situated near the old stone bridge from 1896. Our guide was very kind and knowledgeable and spoke many languages. We had a very interesting tour and learned a lot about Ulvik and its history.  

At noon it was time for us to head to a different location to explore and enjoy the amazing weather even more. Our Agatunet excursion on the western side of the Sørfjorden allowed guests to get a first glimpse of Norwegian spring in all its glory. The soil around the fjords in this area are extremely fertile and therefore perfect for fruit trees. Many orchards can be found here and it turns out we are here at the perfect time as all the apple, cherry and prune trees are blossoming now. Many types of bees are flying around here and the aromas of the awakening nature really add to the experience. Our walk along the fruit trail in Ullensvang was a perfect way to witness the Norwegian Spring as well. We were all overdressed and ended up carrying our jackets and fleeces around our waists. 
In the early evening we set sail for Eidfjord where we arrived earlier than expected. Guests were able to go ashore and a few of them did. Most enjoyed an evening in the Observation Lounge while listening to music from our musician Bjørn as we will be able to spend the next day in Eidfjord as well. The weather forecast for the trip looks rather good and we hope we get to enjoy more sun on our spring adventure here in the Norwegian fjords.