Bergen

Today is our second day in Bergen with lots of preparations for the upcoming Antarctic season.
The ship was again turned around, this time with the starboardside to the pier.
Also inside a lot work had to be done. New equipment had to be placed.
The weather is still nice and so are the temperatures. For the crew and staff onboard there was still a little bit of time to discover the wonderful second biggest city of Norway.

Bergen

Bergen in Norway, the second biggest town and former capital was reached early in the morning.
Our pier is just beneath the famous fortress Bergenhus. Its origin goes back to the 13th century.
Around the MS Fram a lot of big supply and maintenance vessels for the oil platforms in the North Sea are moored.
The weather is like the inhabitants would like to see it a lot more often in Bergen...sunny and warm.
At 9 am a sad moment.... we had to say goodbye to all our guests. It was an absolut nice company and wonderful trip with all of them from Reykjavik to Bergen.
The MS Fram started to be prepared for the long Antarctic season. A lot of gear is transported inside the ship and the ship's outside got a new appearance. Have a look at the picture!!!! 

Edinburgh

At 7 am the MS Fram reached the lock in the harbour of Leith. Leith is the docks area of the Scotish capital of Edinburgh. Here the famous Royal Yacht Britannia has its home. The ship is open for visitors. The ouside temperature in the morning was already up to 14 degrees...very typical sunshine weather for our trip so far. A free shuttle bus was arranged to bring the guests every hour from the Cruise Liner Berth to Waterloo Place in Edinburgh. Others participated in the excursions to the city of Edinburgh and the Castle or the Historic Royal Scotland excursion. Time was enough to explore the region and specially Edinburgh with his famous castle which is Scotland´s most visited tourist attraction. The ancient Honours of Scotland - the crown, sceptre and sword of state and also the Stone of Destiny which returned in 1996 north over the border- are on view in the Crown Room. It was a wonderful day on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth.

Happy Birthday Norway!!!!

It is the 17^th of May, a very special day for our Norwegians aboard. They really like their National Day and they celebrate it with a great enthusiasm.  At 8am we had the first ceremony – flying the flags! After this the master of the vessel gave a speech over the PA system for all people aboard, in Norwegian, English and German.  Soon after breakfast we had the important, wonderful and very special Parade over the ship. Nearly everybody participated. Crew, staff and passengers followed the captain with Norwegian flags, whistles and rattles. Many created their own banners, to greet Norway in their personal way. It was an unforgettable experience for all of us to join our Norwegian friends on their National Day Party. Thanks for inviting us!!!

 

After lunch we started with our excursions in Visby, which we reached around 2pm.Visby is an outstanding example of a former hanseatic town. We offered a tour over the Island (Gotland) and a more or less walking tour through the city with their old town wall, dated back to the 13^th century, the narrow alleys, the church and all the ruins out of the historical time. With a common merganter, all the flowering trees and springtime flowers, even the naturalist found their special places of interest.  One highlight of the countryside tour was the imposing burial place “Gannarve Skeppssättning”, a stone-setting from the Bronze Age (about 600 BC).

After a nice BBQ we met in the Panorama Lounge to listen and watch the very well-known MV FRAM crew show.  That was a great end for a wonderful and impressive day.

And a last time -  for this year: Happy birthday Norway!!!