Ice, ice, ice…

Yes, sometimes you get what you want and then a little bit more!

The day started beautifully with the sun shining all over the gentle waves. A nice change from some of the more cloudy and rainy days we had had in the North Atlantic.

It was another sea day, so our lectures were once again busy explaining the history of Greenland and the introductions to our first visit in Greenland in the town of Qaqortoq.

We also learned of the many various forms of ice we could encounter here in the Greenlandic waters and Janus told about his experiences during a 10 month stay in a very small North Greenlandic settlement.

Late in the afternoon we saw the first ice and shortly after entering the ice we were greeted by the first seal lying on the ice barely noticing us. It lifted its head, looked at us and then went back to sleep. Probably it was the seals first encounter with humans!

Late in the evening it started getting a bit more intensive with the ice. Around 10 pm Fram bumped into the first piece of ice in order for it to move, so we could pass through. Some 20 minutes later we bumped into the next ice flow and looking out from the windows we were more or less surrounded by ice.

It was a thrilling experience to stand out side on the deck and look at the ship muscle its way through the ice with its searchlights scanning to find a way through the immense masses of ice.

The ice was thick and combined with the fog it was hard to believe that Eric the Red had gone through the same conditions with just a small wooden ship in his endeavor to reach Greenland more than a thousand years ago.

Around 1 a.m. most of us went to bed to the sound and movements of Fram banging fairy gently into the ice flows.

Lost in Iceland…

…is the official motto of Iceland. And a very suiting motto as the landscapes of Iceland can make you lose your way but also because the beauty and wildness and the tenderness of the green moss reflecting in the sunbeams can hypnotize you and make one completely lost in Iceland.

We did not visit Iceland underneath a clear blue sky. Which was actually quite lucky as cloudy weather, mixed with occasional showers and sunlight gives you one of best experiences Iceland can give you. The changing colors of the vegetation in the mountains go from dark to green to silvery dark and then once in a while bright sunbeams sweep over the lava fields. That is simply magnificent.

Having arrived in Reykjavik most of us went on various excursions around the complex and fascinating areas of the southwestern region of Iceland. One cannot mention Reykjavik or Iceland without thinking of the Golden Circle, a tour which takes you to three of the most spectacular and historic places in Iceland. One of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland is Gullfoss, the golden waterfall, with its two cascades at right angles. The famous geyser Stori Geysir in Haukadalaur is quiet today, but his little brother Strokkur erupts every 10 minutes starting with a huge blue bubble. The third stop was at Thingvellir the former place of the ancient parliament. Since 2004 belongs Thingvellir to the world heritage of the UNESCO.

Another group travelled along the Ring of Fire in the mountains of Hengill. In this area you find huge geothermic fields, full of steam, heat and a horrible smell of sulfur. One of the highlights was the visit of the new geothermic power plant Hellisheidarvirkjun where we learned about the production of energy and the geology of the area.

Some of us took the more adventures 4*4 big wheel drive into the mountains and across small rivers. It was amazing how steep slopes the cars would be able to climb and the drivers told us that it was not even close to what the cars really was capable of. Luckily we were also driving on ordinary and gravel roads as the physical strain was surprisingly hard when we were jumping all over our seats.

Having finished our tours the cosmopolitan and vibrant capitol of Reykjavik tempted us with its cool and trendy but laidback cafés and restaurants. It is hard to believe that Reykjavik lays just a few hundred kilometers below the Arctic Circle and is in fact the most northern capitol in the World.

Now two sea days await us before arriving to the land of icebergs, sled dogs, lush fiords, the Greenlandic people and hopefully a whale or two…

A pearl hidden underneath a silver blanket of fog

The Faroese Islands had their beautiful green mountainsides, picturesque fishing villages and fluffy sheep hidden under layer of fog and clouds.

Luckily for us it cleared a little as we went ashore and started the visit on the islands by exploring the capitol Torshavn.

The size of Torshavn was surprising. It is stretched over a large area along the mountainsides of the sheltered bay. One could nearly get lost in the jumble of short streets dotted with grass covered roofs, which is one of the characteristics of the Faroese Islands.

After a short tour around the town center most of us went on our excursions to discover some of the many sights of the islands.

The trip to the island of Vagar gave a good impression of how varied the Faroese Islands are and how easily one can get around due to the extended road connexions and the many tunnels securing the contact between neighboring villages.

Some settlements are only 4 to 5 kilometers away from each other but separated by steep mountainsides that meant it could stop contact for months.

Despite of the windy weather and occasional showers the boat trip near the village of Vestmanna was carried through and some of us had the most spectacular close encounter with the steep cliffs and flying birds.

We left the beautiful islands in the late afternoon and Captain Rune Andreassen made the announcement that we will have some stormy weather. After taking the pills against sea sickness everybody was in a good mood ready for a full day at sea on our way to Iceland.

Water, wind and whisky

Wild, warm and wonderful could also be some of the many words to describe the Orkney and Shetland Islands and their very hospitable and friendly people. The towns are cozy, laidback and have a particular provincial and seaside charm to them.

In Kirkwall at the Orkney Islands we were greeted by what most of us would consider windy weather, but what the locals referred to as a calm day, practically without any wind. It was clearly that most of us come from a gentler climate on mainland Europe. None the less the sun was shining and our visit to the excavations of the Stone Age settlement of Skara Brae was most fascinating. To imagine that people had lived here more than 5000 years ago was hard until seeing the incredible shape the dwellings and other of buildings of the Stone Age people that lived here just by the side of the ocean.

A place of mystery and magic is the Ring of Brodgar, a stone circle of original 60 stones between 2 m and 4 m in height, today 27 stones have remained. It was a place for rituals to celebrate life and therefore several couples love to get married in this magic circle.

One cannot mentions Scotland without thinking of whisky. The visit to the northernmost whisky distillery in Scotland was great. Being explained the process of how to make a single malt whisky and actually seeing the peat burning to give the smoky flavor to the whisky was fascinating. From now on I cannot imagine myself drinking a class of scotch without letting my thoughts go back to the Highland Park distillery in Kirkwall.

Most of us strolled through the small capital with its round about 7000 inhabitants, and right in the centre is one of the most impressive churches of the north ─ St. Magnus Cathedral, which is nearly 1000 years old. It is more than a church, through the centuries it was a community hall, a market place and also a prison, still nowadays it functions as a perfect concert hall.

This morning we woke up in the harbor of the picturesque town of Lerwick, the capitol of the Shetland Islands. In many ways the Shetland Islands resemble the islands of the Orkneys. But each archipelago do have their own very distinct self-awareness and not to forget their own flags. Their flags show the Scandinavian connexion and heritage by the characteristic cross.

Instead of having the whisky as a trademark like the Orkneys and the rest of Scotland the Shetland Islands can boast of their very small but very quite Shetland pony, which is known and loved all over most of the World.

The beautiful weather, we were told, it is very seldom on the Shetlands, invited us for our trips to Jarlshof, a former resident of a Norse Jarl. The eldest buildings at this place dated back to the Stone Age, other are from the bronze and Iron Age. It was fascinating walking around looking at the different buildings, it was like being a time traveler.