As we arrived in Bonne Bay this morning, we found that
another (!!!) sunny day was waiting for us. However, the sea was choppy and it
was a quite wet crossing in the polar cirkle boats to the shoreline of Woody
Point.
The little village with around 600 inhabitants is
beautifully situated close to the famous tablelands of the Gros Morne National
Park. Many of us took the opportunity to explore the area on shorter and longer
hikes while enjoying the stunning autumn colours. A real highlight were
certainly the characteristic red leaves of the maple trees. Gros Morne National
Park was designated a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1987 for its
“exceptional natural beauty” and “outstanding examples representing major
stages of earth’s history”. One of these examples is represented by the
tablelands, which form one of the best and most accessible pieces of exposed
earth mantel material in the world. 
The park is also home for a variety of animals and at the
entrance we were advertised by a signpost that this is bear land. Very
exciting! - but the chances to see one…not very promising. Instead, some of us
were so lucky and caught the glimpse of a moose! Moose were introduced in 1904,
originally two females and males. Today, the population consists of the
considerable number of around 100,000 animals, which are causing quite a lot of
damage to the vegetation. 
A fascinating plant we find in the park is a carnivorous
plant. It belongs to the “pitcher plants” and its leaves form cups filled with
liquid. Insects are trapped and drown. However, the drowned insects are not
consumed by the plant directly, but by the larvae of a special fly, that live
inside the cups. The plant in turn lives on the excreta of the larvae – a real
symbiosis.
After a morning of exploration, MS Fram sailed along the
coastline in the afternoon and passengers could choose between lectures or just
relaxing on deck or in the Observation Lounge.
The day was concluded with the famous MS Fram Crew Show
presenting many hidden talents on board, including a group of Russian poll
dancers.
