Bjørnøya- the Bear Island

A question for you: Is Bjørnøya in Svalbard or Spitsbergen? The use of names is always a bit confusing. In 1194, the Vikings came to a place they called „the cold edge“- or Svalbard in their language. The official name distinction is: Spitsbergen is the main island- while Svalbard is the name for the entire archipelago- including Bjørnøya!

The origin of the name Bjørnøya itself is also quite interesting! In 1596, Willem Barents reached the island and his men killed a polar bear- hence the naming Bjørnøya, the Bear Island.Bjørnøya is a place rarely visited due to it`s remoteness- most tourists in our days fly to Longyearbyen and only a few arrive by vessel and maybe then pass by the island.  Bjørnøya has the reputation of often begin a bit foggy- but what a day today! Calm weather, sun, beautiful reflections! We were able to do both a cruising in front of the magnificent bird cliffs as well as a landing. Being in a Polar Cirkle boat in front of a 400m high bird cliff with thousands of birds above you truly gives you a perspective of one’s own „importance“. Suddenly you feel very small and just in awe with nature! Keep in mind that Bjørnøya is the only piece of land within a long range so many sea birds come here for nesting- or resting. The most abundant species are the Brünich`s guillemot and the Common guillemot, but in the cliffs one also sees Kittiwakes (ca 100.000 breeding pairs), Fulmars, a few Glaucous gulls and Little auk colonies. So our time in the Polar Cirkle boats was just flying by! As the weather was extremely calm, our expedition leader Karin Strand decided to also go ashore- a really rare occasion! The walk up to a cliff offered fantastic views into the bay and „our“ MV Fram.

Hornsund: flowers, Belugas and a Polar Bear- June 17

Glacier front, high mountain tops, Belugas in the fjord swimming among the ice and a polar bear waiting patiently for a catch at a hole- enough hints about our day?

The scenery alone is impressive enough in Spitsbergen’s southernmost fjord- eight large glaciers are calving into the Sund while in the background you see Hornsundtind, the third- highest mountain of Svalbard. We landed at Gnålodden- a nice place and good for a short walk. There is a large sea bird colony, and due to the rich fertilization you find some moss and lots of saxifraga. Trappers have been in the area for a long time due to the earlier hunting of polar bears and the hut you can see was in use until 1971.

Bears and foxes.... Today, we did not see a trapper hunting in Burgerbukta, but a polar bear! And we did see a pot of Belugas (White Whales) swimming in the brush ice! The Beluga belongs to the toothed-whales and is up to 1.500kg heavy. The name is a bit misleading as they only turn to a creamy color at the age of approximately 7 years while the younger once have a rather grayish color. And one tip: if you ever come on board, bring your binoculars!

Now we are on the way to Bjørnøya- time for lectures, information briefings and the curious feeling what tomorrow will bring!

Welcome to Longyearbyen- June 16, 2010

Most passengers arrived today rather early with a direct charter flight from Germany. And even though it meant not much sleep along the way- it was so much worth it! Imagine flying over Svalbard at 1am- you can see the mountain tops, all is snow covered, the light is very soft and the clouds prevent the view into the fjords. And suddenly you are there- Longyearbyen appears in the Midnight sun.

During the day we had a chance to learn more about this small, but very active community! Longyearbyen- the unofficial capital of Svalbard- offers an interesting local history as traces from mining are visible at many places. In the late afternoon we boarded MV Fram but the day was not over! Barentsburg, situated in Groenfjord, the „green harbor“ was our destination for the evening where we went to pier. The mining town is somehow very different from what you were expecting- the most heard comment in the beginning of the landing was that it really needs a clean-up. There is still mining going on with Russian and Ukrainian workers. And one finds a small school for 11 children. But when you have talked to the locals, listened to the enthusiastic guiding and have been to the folkoreshow that was presented in the evening- only then you truly understand the beauty of Barentsburg.

It was a day full of impressions- but it is hard to go to bed! Let me tell you- the midnight sun is best around 2am- and that is something you do not want to miss. What you are going to miss is a daily report of this voyage- this is a true expedition without internet connection.

Square Dancing Penguins

We had a mixture of sun and clouds today and relatively calm seas.  As we approach Buenos Aires, the temperature continues to climb and is now a downright balmy 70 degrees F. The humidity is noticeably higher. We will be pulling out the shorts and short sleeved shirts and packing away all of the cold weather gear!
In the afternoon we had the results of our creativity contest.  There were lots of entrants and a surprising diversity of material.  There was everything from a penguin square dance, to lots of stimulating poetry, drawings, paintings and puzzles!  Congratulations to all of the entrants.  Picking one winner was impossible.  In fact it was not about winning. It was about the spirit of participating.
In the evening we held a multiple choice quiz.
Camille stalked our crew members with her camera again today.  Here are a few more members of our  hard working crew.
Tomorrow we say goodbye. Usually new passengers arrive on our port days but not tomorrow.  Many crew members will be leaving and new crew arriving but Fram will sail to europe without passengers.
 We would like to thank you for travelling with us and we very much hope to see you again, whether it is in Europe, the Arctic, Antarctica, Greenland, Spitsbergen or the beautiful coast of Norway.  For those of you reading the blog  at home we hope that our adventures in Antarctica will inspire you to travel to the Great White Continent one day.

It's Getting Warmer!

First there was fog and rain.  Then the sun came out.  Nice!  Then more fog.  There is a new dampness to the air.  You can feel the humidity and temperature increasing as we steam towards Buenos Aires.  Even though we are several hundred miles from land we have been seeing lots of butterflies.  The seas have been calm throughout the day.  When not attending lectures most of us have been busy packing and sorting through our travel arrangements for once we leave Fram.  In the evening the Captain gave a nice farewell speech before dinner. For desert the crew marched out the baked Alaska replete with sparklers and real uptempo music.  The MV Fram choir showed their singing talents once again by singing several farewell songs.  It created a really fun atmosphere.

After dinner we met in the Observation Lounge for the charity auction.  This time the money was being raised to support Shackleton's cabin from his ship the Quest.  Fram will be bringing the cabin to the museum at Grytiviken next year. A well run ship only runs well if it functions as a team.  All of the departments on Fram work very well together.  It makes it a real pleasure to work and live here.   Here is a random sampling of some of our stellar crew members and officers as our photographer Camille Seaman roamed the ship today with her camera.

The Adventure Begins

For Fram it is the last time in Ushuaia for this Antarctic season but we will be ending our Austral summer with a bang!  The South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula! Elephant Island and South Georgia!  The Falkland/Malvinas Islands (or is it Las Malvinas/Falkland Islands)!  Regardless, yippie! This is going to be one fantastic trip.  I can't wait.   Whales, seals, fur seals, penguins, albatrosses. Blubber, fur and feathers.  Two different oceans.  Ice everywhere - glaciers, icebergs.  It will be non-stop adventure.  It will be incredible scenery and amazing wild life encounters.  And tonight our grand adventure begins.

We boarded Fram at 17:00 and were quickly and efficiently checked in.  We received our room keys/picture IDs and were escorted to our cabins where our luggage was already waiting for us.  The staff and crew were very friendly and we were certainly impressed with the excellent buffet at dinner.
At 20:00 we had a mandatory safety drill which was immediately followed by the Captain's welcome speech and cocktail.

Now we are in the sheltered waters of the beautiful Beagle Channel on our way to the open sea. Soon enough we will be plying the waters of the notorious Drake Passage.  The Captain cautioned us that there may be some motion to the ocean tonight and tomorrow.  We shall see.

Half a seaday

It is time to head south, everybody knows. So we are diving back again into learning: The lecture halls are not being half emptied when the next crowd is already lining up, eager to hear about Greenlandic culture, Passions for Ice, Earth History and more. Just as we are running in full university mode, there is news: As we are getting close to the village of Krauthavn and since the weather is just fine, tide included, we can as well do a landing there, right? Once proposed, everybody goes for warm clothes and life jacket and off we are.
Since 140 of the 200 inhabitants are on a school trip, the welcome comittee is rather small, although very friendly. The stroll through the place reveals a different side of modern Greenland. Situated in the most remarkable spot between two lagoons and the open sea, we encounter a vast amount of neglected houses, waste and miserable dogs. The friendly smiles of those we meet here are a stark contrast to this place where many people apparantly have lost their hope for a better life. This is what happened often in the 1970s when many villages where closed and the old way of living was lost.
But then again, the other side of the village is sporting newly built houses with nice verandas towards the sea. Perhaps life just starts to come back here. Thoughtful we return to FRAM, but when the villagers gave us a frantic farewell escort with no less than six fishing boats full of women, men and children it is really a touching sight, leaving - in a bizarre way - a good memory to this place.

Siorapaluk

We're back online!
Sorry Folks, but the delay is built-in if you travel this far up north: The satellite coverage is poor and in many parts simply non-existent. But here we are again, full of things tell you and show you. Just scroll down and see what happend, of course we did not skip a single day!
The only reason that the cosy little village of Siorapaluk is not overrun by tourism is its position: It is the northernmost settlement in the world and really, really far out, a good deal higher up than even Thule and Qaanaaq. And we do have the privilege to land there, more than warmly welcomed by the people who seem to celebrate our arrival like a public holiday. It is an unbelievable atmosphere, a mild late-summer sun hanging over the glistening Siorapaluk Fjord, the glacier looming in the background, filling the bay with the most beautiful icebergs. And the beaches! They are pretty, the sand is juuuuust fine, they are empty - if it weren't for the large icecubes everywhere you would feel like in Portugal or somewhere else warm and pretty. Well, the ice did not keep everyone away from the water, three of us went swimming, under the amused looks of the villagers who even took pictures for their families to tell.
The day ended as spectacular as it begun, under a bright full moon we continued our journey back south, back to the realms of modern communication. And that's why you can read this little account...

High North

For many of us this is the day that was supposed to make it all worthwhile. To be sure, we had Neptune baptize us beforehand.
Canada and Greenland at equal distance, this is how we traveled to get up here, feeling very much in the footsteps of the ancient and famous expeditions. The weather decided not to spoil our adventure, an amazing sunset made Canadas mountains gleam bright orange and covered Greenlands coast with a magical blueish sheen. You could literally feel the atmosphere on board, everybody was so exited!
And then the shout from the bridge - polar bear! There he was, quite in a distance but certainly visible, prowling the drift ice, stopping here and there to sniff. Of course everybody hoped that the galley boys on FRAM were coincidentally preparing fish for dinner… And he came closer, and closer yet, and - then he lay down and decided not to move anymore. Well, that's how they hunt, isn't it? However, we had it, our eyes had seen! So we push the throttle again and keep going north, aiming for high.
Only one hour later: This is it. Finally we have to stop. The GPS shows 79°40,9' North when we encounter the Big Ice, impenetrable for us. This is the highest latitude FRAM has ever reached! It means that we are now just a little more than 1150 km away from the pole. It may sound a lot, but it isn't: Except military personnel and a few handful of scientists, we are probably the northernmost people upon this planet. What a thought…
Of cause this calls for a celebration, and so the Captain proposes a toast on deck seven, ships horn is sounding - Whew!