Where are all the angels now...

... could have been the question coming up in the morning? We all were introduced to the ice chart yesterday which already showed an ice coverage in front of Ilulissat of approximately 8/10 to 9/10- which means that most of the survace is covered with ice. But to hear it- and then to see it is a different story.
It became evident that this time the ice chart was correct and that nature will show us the boundaries. Even though we have made our plans, excursions were booked- now we are in the Arctic and nature rules. The ice belt in front of Ilulissat was 7.5nautical miles wide. Just before 8am, Anja came over the loud speaker to give the news of the cancellation- and introduced at the same time the new morning activity. The vessel moved to a location for good navigation- and everyone had the chance in the morning to go via the small Polar Cirkle boats sailing among the ice! It was in itself an incredible, mind blowing experience in not only seeing the majesty of the ice, but also hearing the sounds of it. If you ever though that ice is silent- think again!
The great surrounding was used as well and during lunch time we welcomed a royal visitor on board: Not an angel, but King Neptun in person had made it to deck 5 to welcome the "new comers" to his kingdom as we crossed the Polar Cirkle yesterday!

But that was not it! Calls were made, plans scheduled, piers booked- and we found ourselves wandering around the town of Qasiannguit in the afternoon. This picturesque town of 1.300 inhabitants is situated in the southern area of Diskobay and carries the name "Pearl of the Disko Bay" with pride- and with justice.
As soon as we were docked, the expedition team took us in teams through the place and we ended up in the museum area. Since the morning, the town has been busy in preparing for our arrival and that was clearly visible now. We had locals telling about the museum area, showing old Inuit games that we could also try out, an older gentleman had brought his sledge down and his lead dog. Others were taken to an old Turf hut - and all of us enjoyed the friendliness of Qasiannguit!
The highlight was definately the choir who had invited us to come into the local church! The candles were lit in the church, the choir sang, some members wore the National Costumes and it was a great ending of a nice surprise stay.

Now we are sailing out Diskobay. The midnight sun shines, there are icebergs around and the sea is calm. Maybe the day did not turn out how it was planned- but we all agree that our day has been extraordinary...The word we always heard on this voyage was "Immaqa"- which means in Greenlandic "maybe- or maybe not". And today we understood the real meaning of it.

Nuuk or not Nuuk? – Nuuk!

After days of sunshine and blue sky this morning looks a little bite grey. The clouds are deep we can’t see much of the shore, so it’s a good time for lectures, f. ex. about the development in Greenland. What will be in future? Sabine doesn’t give answers to us but some information of the present Greenlandic society. Before lunch we all know that we’ll come to Nuuk. FRAM is at full speed, we see icebergs only from time to time and everything seems fine. Some seals are quite curious and also two humpback whales are close to FRAM.



We arrive in Nuuk with a little delay, but everybody is ready to leave the FRAM. Nuuk is the capital of Greenland around 16.000 inhabitants which is more than 25% of all Greenlanders. It is a real capital with everything you expect like the university, the government, shopping street, and in the end of July the first Greenlandic shopping mall will be opened. Most of us are more interested in nature and culture. One group is hiking the mountain Little Marlene one of the close by mountains in Nuuk. It is really amazing to experience the nature of the capital.

Nuuk is fast growing town and there are changes and new buildings every year. During our city-tour we see the new suburb and the beautiful swimming hall. The tour ends up in the old colonial part with the cathedral, the oldest and smallest church in town.
Most visit the National museum where the famous mummies from Qilakitsoq are presented, strolled around in the lovely old colonial part. In Katuaq, the cultural center, open the summer exhibition about three Swiss expeditions in Greenland which will be shown until the end of July.

The third group goes out by boat to the Nuuk Fjord to the beautiful waterfall. The fjord is also well known as a good place for whale-watching, but unfortunately – the whales are out of town today.

In the end of the day all of us are totally tired after a very exciting day in Greenland’s capital.

ICE IS NICE!

Since we left Reykjavik, FRAM cruised by Cape Farewell, the southernmost point of Greenland. Then we were heading due north on Greenland’s west coast.

In the morning around 4.30 FRAM reached the first ice belt. Some of us were woken up by the noise of the sea ice scratching the ships’ hull.

After breakfast, many were on the outside decks and were really exited by the beauty of the sea ice under a blue sky.

By 14.00 we reached Qaqortoq, a 3700 community in southwest Greenland. FRAM was at the pier so we all went for a walk through the town, checking out every corner, from the supermarket to the museum. What a lovely place, nestled between mountains and a nice lake, which is also the freshwater reservoir for the town. Later in the afternoon some of us went for a walk along the lakeshore, while others visited the local tannery.

Qaqortoq is a booming town, expecting more development from a new airport project and mining activities that should start in a short future.

Later in the evening, FRAM left Qaqortoq for Hvalsey, a former Viking settlement, where we had a late evening landing with our very special Polarcircle boats.

This was another great experience for our passengers, as they had never used the boats before on this trip. On the spot we saw the remains of an old Viking church, with a stunning vista over the fjord. Finally we were all back on board by 23.00, tired but happy.

No ice today!

It’s the second sea day on our way from Iceland to Greenland and we are still waiting for the first ice. Around 8.40pm we passed Greenland’s southernmost tip. We could see Cape Farewell only far in the distance as there has been a dense ice belt next to the coast line and the captain made the decision to stay away from this belt. We didn’t want to be stocked in the ice and loose too much time. But late during the night, latest tomorrow morning we will be in the ice. That's for sure. Let’s see how much ice is waiting for us!

The last two sea days we used again for lecturing and some other activities. So we had a nice quiz yesterday evening, where the passengers could attest their knowledge they got during the first part of our cruise. We had a lot of fun and we have to say: Congratulation to all participants, everybody was wonderful.

Instead of waffles we had yesterday we had Stockfish this afternoon. This sounds perhaps a little bit strange, but it was nice to see how our chef Eric prepared the dry fish for us. It was great to taste the fish but many passengers preferred the Aquavit later on. Even we had the tasting on the open deck in the aft on deck 7 you could smell the fish at least for a while on the whole ship. But we had fun!

The sunny island!

What an amazing day in Iceland. The island is not well known for a stable climate but during this week was sunshine every day.

Some of us waked up quite early and enjoyed the blue sky and the blue ocean. In the morning there were some information given about Reykjavík and the excursions. But most of the time the passengers loved to be on deck and look to the coastline. First we saw Reykjanes and later the capital Reykjavík with its landmark, the church Hallgrímskirkja. Our position at the peer was close to downtown and some of us used the time to hurry to the church and the conference- and concert hall Harpa. Harpa was opened last year and is an impressive building with its walls of glass designed by the international well known Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson.

A group of 20 joined Sabine for a city-trip through the old part of Reykjavík, passing the oldest Grammar school in Iceland, the Parliament and some excavations. But the best of all was the sunshine!

 

In the afternoon most of the passengers started for a trip like the “Golden Circle”, which includes three of the best highlights in Iceland quite close to Reykjavík. First is the old place Thingvellir, historical very important and also from the geological point of view. The next stop is Geysir were they saw the famous Strokur which erupts nearly every eight minutes and in the end the beautiful waterfall Gullfoss which means the Golden Waterfall. Another group of the passengers joined the trip “Ring of Fire” going to a new geothermic power station, to the garden-town Hveragerdi and later also to Thingvellir. And the last trip was an exciting ride in 4x4 Super jeeps, a special car in Iceland with huge tires. It is surprising to see where they can still drive.

Unfortunately we had to leave Iceland quite early at 9 pm, but perhaps some of us will come back to Iceland one day.

Morning Has Broken On Sea

What a nice day we had yesterday on the Faroes. All passengers loved the stay and the activities, specially those who had the wonderful boat trip to the Vestmanna Bird Cliffs.

After leaving the port of Torshavn, the captain brought the ship to the narrow magnificent sunds with high and step mountains in the northern part of the Faroes. Around 7.30 p.m we reached the Cape Enniberg, which is the second highest sea-cliff in Europe after Hornelen, in Norway. During the famous fashion show in the observation lounge we could see the beautiful high cliffs of the Faroe Islands for hours on our way to Iceland .

A day at sea, good time to relax after powerful days. But also good time for the multiple activities aboard.

Our lectures are busy preparing and doing their lessons. So we learned from Friederike about the

Atlantic-History. Or one could attend a humorous lecture by Klaus, about Iceland and the Islanders.

And the third lecture was about Iceland today after the crisis 2008 by Sabine. Last not least Anja

was given interesting informations to the excursions in Greenland. In the afternoon our bartenders in the

panorama lounge lured us with freshly waffles added with music in the air from our famous pianoman

Antonio. But not enough, after Dinner there was movie-time with a documentary about the poles.

The wonderful seaday ended with a radio-feature on the icelandic novel "Bankster"enjoying the

view of the lovely waves.

Welcome to the Faroe Islands

Early in the morning the MS Fram passed the most southerly islands of the Faroes. A lot of passengers were on the outer decks or viewing the islands out of observations lounge. The sea was calm and the visibility was good. The MS Fram docked at the piet in Torshavn, the main city of the Faroes at 11 a.m..

Gaelic monks from Irland settled the Faroes in the 6th century. According to the Færyinga Saga norwegian vikings settled on the Faroes in the 9th century and they are still there! Very friendly inhabitants. Today the Faroe Islands with a population of about 50.000 people are a self-governing over seas adiministrative division of Denmark with a strong impetus towards independence.

Torshavn is by far the largest town in the Faroe Islands and it is also the capital. The cute and smal houses of the old town is a cosy place where people want to live. Close to the harbour is the Løgtingid, the Faroese parliament. The Nordic House on the top of the city was visited of some of us. It is the most important cultural institution in the Faroes.

Some of the guests visited the smal village of Kirkjubour a former episcopal residence for the Diocese of the Faroe Islands and as such the spiritual centre of the society until reformation. Others were on the western island of Vagar on a round trip and many of our guests took a boat trip to the magnificent Vestmanna bird cliffs.

Bye bye Faroe Islands, my home for nearly 30 years.

KIRKWALL, ORKNEY ISLANDS

Last night we left Aberdeen and this morning FRAM reached the port of Kirkwall, Orkney Islands at 7.30. The outside temperature was already 9°C and the weather improved during the day.

With a population of 8500, Kirkwall is the main town and capital of the Orkneys. St Magnus cathedral –owned by the people- and the Bishop Palace, rise over a town surrounded by rolling hills.

Nature and the elements dictate the place of life here. Spring and summer bring a flush of green and agriculture is still the main activity, while the fishing industry comes second.

First mentioned in the Saga in 1046, Kirkwall and the Orkneys are a place of history. Here you will find some of the most famous archaeological sites in Europe like the Skara Brae, the Standing Stones of Stennes or the newly discovered Neolithic Temple at Ness of Brodgar. Many of us enjoyed a guided visit to some of those historical sites.

Others went for bird watching to a place called Marwik Head, a nature reserve managed by the RSPB (Royal Society for Protection of Birds), Europe’s biggest society dedicated to the protection of seabirds. This is the place where the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea meet: here thousands of guillemots, kittiwakes, fulmars and puffins raise their chicks on the cliffs.

On their way they all enjoyed a stop at the “Loons”, a wetland with a very good viewing platform: swans, geese, ducks, curlew and other waders were spotted. Before returning back to town a stop allowed them to see the peat bogs, peat being still a mean of heating the homes on the island.

While visiting Kirkwall, we all agreed on the special atmosphere that comes with this place, a mix of history and modern life, with good shopping opportunities. FRAM left the port of Kirkwall at 21.00, heading for the Shetlands, some 100 nautical miles north of here, and were we will spend another day of discovery.

Whit Sunday and Footdee

Another wonderful sunny day in Scotland! We arrived in Aberdeen early at 8 o’clock, but we are all early birds and most of us stood on the deck, when Benno described the harbour and the first views on Aberdeen. Aberdeen was founded in 1179. Today the town is named “Silver City by The Sea” because of the grey houses built of granite. It was impressive on the city tour to see the different grey buildings and architectural styles. We saw f. ex. St. Marchar’s Cathedral and the old, venerable university. After enjoying driving on a Sunday-morning – less traffic – we drove to the small castles on the country-side. And as always we recognized that the very nice houses are outside center.

Crathes Castle is not only one of the most beautiful and best preserved castles in Scotland, belonging to one family for over 350 years. Today it belongs to the National Trust of Scotland. Besides the nicely decorated rooms we really loved the gardens, which are divided into eight themed areas by Irish yew hedges which date from 1702. The landscape close to Aberdeen is amazing. Soft hills coloured by different greens and formed by the river Dee.

Some of us walked to the nearby beach close to the harbour, but the real highlight wasn’t the sun or the gardens, it is the tiny little old fishing village Footdee (pronounced “Fittie”). The puzzling cottages have small gardens and are colourful decorated. Outside the houses the people enjoyed obviously the life sitting in the sun, playing with their children and having a cup of tea.

Historic Scotland!

Some people say in German that "the angel is travelling with us" when you have sunshine on a trip! If the weather stays how it was yesterday and today- please all angels on board report to the bridge! To make a long story short: The sun is setting right now here in Edinburgh- and it has been a beautiful, sunny, warm and fantastic day...And we were welcomed by a young lady playing the pipes for us.

We arrived the lock at 09:00hours at Leith harbor and enjoyed Bennos commentaries. Most impressive is definately the "Royal Yacht Britannia" that is just berthed next to us. The representative vessel of the monarchy went out of service in 1997- and today you are welcome to sit in the tea room where the queen has been a few years ago and enjoy a high tea.

Organized tours brought us to the town and we had time to explored the town on a city tour, visited the castle or the Queens Gallery. Jean Louis escorted a tour through "Royal Scotland" and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. .
It was time enough to see many sights, even though traffic was a bit crazy due to two demonstrations and the preparation of the Marathon that takes place tomorrow. High Street, the old main street in Edinburgh, was full of street artists, people selling souvenirs while others enjoyed a coffee in the sunshine- or a great pint! It is definately worth to come back here again
 

We will leave at midnight today and many enjoyed a long Saturday night out. Aberdeen- here we come!

A perfect start

Our first day aboard MV FRAM on our way to Leith in Scotland was a sea day. But it was not a normal  day for this region. The North Sea can be so unbelievable rough but we had  nice and calm water under a blue and sunny sky. What a first day for our trip to the high Arctic! We can be sure, that the temperature will change soon; but hopefully the sun will stay with us for a long time!

For those of you, reading the blog anywhere in the world, please do not believe that a sea day like today is a relaxing day. No, no and another time no. Our lecturers used the opportunity to have us all aboard for teaching us in different lessons. So we became nearly perfect Biologists for fish, marine mammals and seabirds. In the evening we had a briefing for tomorrow and so we feel very well prepared for our landing in Leith/Edinburgh.

But to say the truth – we had of course free time too. It was wonderful to rest in the sun, to read a book, have a drink in the bar or talk to other guest. There was also time for little nap after lunch. Let´s say it in a short way: we had a perfect day!

THE END OF A BEAUTIFUL VOYAGE

Today we reached Hamburg, the end of our fantastic trip through the Baltic Sea. There is no words to describe the beauty of all the towns we visited under a warm sun. Last night we passed the Kiel Channel connecting the Baltic Sea to the North Sea, and in the early morning sunshine we sailed on the Elbe.
We had three different pilots on board, the first one for the Channel, the second one for the Elbe and finally a third one for the harbour, those guys know how to share a business.

All of us enjoyed the scenery: lots of trees, yacht clubs, nice mansions, the five stars hotel « Louis Jacob » on one side, and the industrial zone with shipyards and among other companies the aircraft builder Airbus on the other side. Benno felt really at home here and gave us lots of insider information about Hamburg and the life in town: art, culture, architecture, business, sports, transportation and more.

Later in the morning our passengers left the ship, and they told us that they were ready to come back again. For the crew, this was a day of hard work as the new passengers arrived in the afternoon.

After check in and a short discovery tour of the ship, our guests were invited to the mandatory safety drill on deck 5.

Fram left the harbour of Hamburg at 18.15, still under a beautiful sun. Hamburg gave us great impressions of modern architecture. After dinner, we all went to the observation lounge for the captains’ welcome cocktail. Captain Rune Andreasen introduced some of the officers and kept us updated about the weather forecast. Our expedition leader Anja Erdmann introduced her team of lecturers and all agreed that we are en route for a great sailing experience, en route to Greenland.