Eqip Sermia

On our way to beautiful Eqip Sermia Glaciar our morning was filled with fantastic scenic cruising and many informative and entertaining lectures.
We arrived at Eqip Sermia at 17:30 but before we went ashore the ship's crew ran a very important drill with the lifeboats. It was interesting to watch the crew run through their paces. It was obvious that they are a well rehearsed team.
At 6pm we loaded the Polar Cirkle boats and headed to shore. Many of us hiked up to a high vantage point where we not only had an excellent view of the glaciar but we could also see the icecap. Down below, Miki Jacobsen entertained us by singing and playing his guitar. Miki is one very talented guy. Not only is he a great musician but his beautiful art work graces many of the walls of the Fram and his bird calls will even fool the Snow Buntings.
By 21:00 hours we were all back on board the ship enjoying a delicious barbeque and an amazing view.

Uummannaq and Ukkusissat

Heart-shaped Uummannaq mountain looms above the town of Uummannaq. Indeed, the word uummannaq is Greenlandic for heart-shaped. Each week we hike right by that impressive piece of rock and head into the ruggged rocky wilderness behind the picturesque community. As we head out of town we pass by many Greenland dogs, one of the oldest and purest dog breeds in the world. And each week 5 or 6 young Greenland dogs choose to accompany us on our hike to Santa's Hut. Without fail they run ahead - showing us the way. If we lag behind, they patiently sit and wait for us to catch up. At Santa's turf hut they either seek shade under the hut or soak up attention from all of the hikers.
After a great day in Uummannaq we turned our bow north to Ukkusissat. One of the many great things about our voyage in Greenland is the unrelenting spectacular scenery. The many large windows on the Fram and especially the Fram's Panorama Lounge allow us to take full avantage of the great views throughout the trip.
Upon arrival in Ukkusissat more than 40 people from town joined us on the ship where they entertained us with folk dancing and singing. On the last dance we were invited to join them on the dance floor. We gamely tried to learn the dance steps without treading on our partner too many times! What fun!!
Afterwards we were invited into the village where we were offered coffee and cake in the community hall.
A perfect end to anothe perfect summer's day in Greenland.

Qeqertarsuaq

The towering cliffs of the Qeqertarsuaq landscape resemble a gigantic multi-layered chocolate cake. They are really impressive and provide a beautiful backdrop to this tiny but beautiful Greenland community.
Our hike in the Valley of the Winds was under clear blue skies. The same chocolate cake stratified cliffs rise high above the trail. Today there was a light wind that was perfect for keeping the mosquitoes at bay.

The scenic cruising after Qeqertarsuaq (on our way to Uummannaq) is always superb with hundreds of icebergs all around. In addition to the statuesque icebergs we had a really fantastic and almost completely unexpected treat. Two Sperm Whales!!! We knew Sperm Whales occured in this region but we certainly were not expecting to see one, nevermind two!!! The ship's officers turned the Fram around so we could get a closer look. We were able to appproach the smaller of the two whales within 100 metres. The behaviour we observed was very typical of Sperm Whales. They took at least 15 ventilations before raising their enormous flukes to start a dive that could easily last more than 30 minutes. Larger, older, male Sperm whales are capable of diving for 90 minutes and as deep as 3000 metres on a single breath of air.

What a stroke of luck for us to see these extraordinary animals!

Sisimiut

Our approach to Sisimiut was through a grey overcast morning but the weather gods continue to smile upon us. Just as we neared the harbour the sun broke through. For the rest of the day we had sunny blue skies. Perfect weather for a stroll in Sisimiut to visit the museum or for one of our excursions such as the historic hike to Tele Island or a short boat ride to visit the ghost town of Asaqutaq just outside of Sismiut.

As a point on interest, Sisimiut means "inhabitants by the fox burrows". One would have to assume that at one time there were plenty of Arctic Foxes near Sisimiut! It was founded in 1756 as a mission and trading post and was called Holsteinborg. Today Sismiut is the 2nd largest town in Greenland supported largely by hunting, fishing and tourism.

Our day in Sismiut ended with a terrific synchronized kayaking demonstration right beside the ship by two Greenlandic kayaking experts. Elias and Emaanooroq showed us many of the 36 different ways to roll a kayak.

Sisimiut in the sunshine puts a smile on everyone's face!!

Ilulissat

Living in Ilulissat means you live with ice. That's not surprising when you live right beside one of the most productive glaciars in the world. The Glaciar Sermeq Kujalleq produces 10% of all the calved glacial ice in Greenland and is the most productive glaciar in the world outside of Antarctica. Sermeq Kujalleq has been studied for over 250 years and has helped us understand climate change and glaciology.

Of course all of that ice effects our day on the Fram in several ways. It obviously poses navigational hazards. When navigating through heavy ice we must reduce our speed. The direct route no longer exists and we must weave our way in, around and through the ice. Heavy ice can cause delays in our scheduled landings and then have a ripple effect making us late for the next landing.

But we wouldn't want a trip to Greenland without ice. It is one of the main things we have come to see. Brash ice. Growlers. Ice floes. Icebergs. Glaciars. For us it is other worldly. Beautiful. For a Greenlander it is a backdrop to every day life.

Equip Sermia

This was the view from deck seven on the stern of the MS Fram where we had a truly amazing barbeque tonight. No wind. No clouds. This photo only shows you a small part of the scene. You are missing the other 245 degrees of an absolutely killer view and you're also missing the steaks and the chicken and the yummy fish burgers and the sausages and the salads and the cakes and...
It was really good. You should have been here.
Our day started out very cool and very overcast. Despite a day spent at sea there was plenty to do.
Our morning was filled with lectures. In the afternoon there were more stimulating talks and a visit from the King of the sea - Neptune. Perhaps it was Neptune that arranged a perfect end to our day.
Looking out the window right now the sun is just sinking behind some low hills. There are icebergs all around. The sea is like glass. Still no clouds in the sky.
Oh heck! It's easier for me to show you than it is to try to describe it in words. It's 23:48. I just ran outside and took the last two photographs.
I hope you make it to one of our barbeques at Eqip Sermia. Perhaps you will have a perfect day just like we did.

Uummannaq and Ukkusissat

Every week we hike into the rugged hills behind the town of Uummannaq. The destination is a modest turf hut where Greenland and Danish children believe Santa Claus lives. The hut was built for a television show that ran in the '80's and '90's. The ever present icebergs in the back ground provide a note of elegance to the austere but beautiful landscape.
In town, children never fail to greet us at the dock. They insist on helping us with our Polar Cirkle boat operations. They are always welcome and are a lot of fun to have around.

Later in the day, at 19:00 we stopped by Ukkusissat. It was a gorgeous summer night. About thirty people from town came to the Fram to entertain us and show us their traditional clothing. Again, lots of children are present and like always, they are pleasure to have around.
After the singing and dancing on board Fram we were invited to the village for coffee and cakes in the Community Hall.

Qeqertarsuaq

Qeqertarsuaq has a history of whaling. The first whalers arrived here in 1773. Last year the International Whaling Commission granted Greenland its first Bowhead Whale quota since 1937. They are allowed two Bowheads each year between 2008 and 2012.
In the spring Qeqertarsuaq whalers successfully landed a Bowhead. It was the 2nd of their alloted four for 2008-09. On National Day - June 21st, the meat was shared with everyone in the community and in many other towns in Greenland.

These days there are few people with the equipment to hunt such a large animal. Seemingly simple things such as turning the whale to get the meat from the entire whale become a big challenge. Bowheads are extremely large and can weigh more than 60 tons.
After the residents of Qeqertarsuaq got as much meat as they could, they decided to try to salvage the skeleton which would eventually be put on display in front of the museum.
The most efficient way of doing that is to let the sea and the denizens of the sea aid in the decomposition.

For the past few weeks the remains of that whale have been floating about 200 metres from where we drop our anchor beside the village. The whale is wrapped in nets and floats are attached to the nets.

Some of us took a trip out to the carcass in our Polar Cirkle boats. There is still one heck of a lot of whale to decompose.

Sisimiut

Today felt more like the Arctic than it has for the past two weeks. There was a real change in the weather with cloudy skies and a bit of a nip to the air. But isn't that part of what we are here for? To experience a bit of Arctic summer. To get an inkling of what it might be like to live here. To see Greenland in the present and try to gain some insight to its past.

Sisimiut is very much a modern day town. A lot of people from smaller villages moved to Sisimiut years ago because of the many benefits of living in a larger community - sometimes abandoning their old homes.
An excursion to the abandoned village of Asaqutaq (a short boat ride form Sisimiut) on a cloudy, chilly Arctic July day is an excursion into the past. It is a ghost town. In 1969 through 71 the 80 or so inhabitants of Asaqutaq moved to Sisimiut. Some of the houses are still in very good condition, obviously still under someone's care. Some of the houses are collapsing. Fishing nets adorn the old fish processing plant.
Today was certainly a day of contrasts. Modern Sisimiut and the ghosts of Asaqutaq.

Itilleq

There was a gentle roll to the sea today. It was the first time we had actually felt the graceful Fram moving when she was underway. There was just enough of a breeze to keep the Northern Fulmars and Glaucous Gulls soaring effortlessly. It was a beautiful morning to be cruising on our way to Itilleq.
We filled the morning by attending lectures and strolling about on deck.
At 13:30 we dropped the anchor. It was a short two minute ride in the Polar Cirkle boats to shore.
Today we met David, a very warm and friendly man that was born and raised in Itilleq. He makes a living and supports his wife and three children mostly by hunting and fishing. There is plenty of game to hunt: caribou, muskox, narwhal, beluga whale and seals. His freezer was full of Arctic Char. He and his family eat what they need but he sells most of what he hunts to markets in nearby Sisimiut and Uummannaq. In the spring he hunts seals using his dogs and dog sled on the ice. We were invited to his home where he served coffee and showed us photos of his family and some of the game he had hunted.
A nice diesel furnace in therliving room supplied heat in the cold weather but he explained that many of the homes used water radiators. For electricity, the town has large diesel powered generators.
Of course, our weekly soccer match of Team Fram vs Itilleq took place today:
Itilleq 4
Team Fram 2

Ilulissat

There are plenty of things to do in the third largest town in Greenland. There are helicopter excursions to one of the world's most productive glaciars - Sermeq Kujalleq. Flying over miles of icebergs and then over the glaciar itself is an experience you will not soon forget.

A short hike through town along a very nicely kept boardwalk will also bring you to the icebergs of Sermeq Kujalleq. The terminus of the glaciar is about 4okm from Ilulissat and Icefjord is just a short 30 minute hike outside of town. The hike takes you to several extraordinary views of the icebergs.
A boat excursion from the Fram will take you to the entrance of Icefjord. Cruising around gigantic icebergs in a small boat is really, really great! From July through September, Humpback whales are frequently seen in Icefjord.

It is not for nothing that Ilulissat is an Unesco world Hertitage Site!

Eqip Sermia

Sometimes travelling to and from a destination is just as interesting, just as much fun, as the destination itself. Such is the case when travelling by ship. Today our destination was the Glaciar Eqip Sermia. It took most of the day to reach the glaciar but our day was filled with fun, interesting lectures and really outstanding scenery. We cruised by a seemingly endless parade of icebergs.
In the middle of the afternoon we were visited by King Neptune himself. It was his royal obligation to baptise (with ice cold Arctic water) all of those that had crossed the Arctic Circle for the first time. A lot of that c-c-cold water went right down the necks of the poor victims, er,... baptismal candidates?
On shore everyone spread out to different scenic views of the glaciar. 23 of the hardiest people climbed the mountain to get a peek of the icecap from an elevation of 400 metres. The climb and the battle with the mosquitoes on the way up was worth it. It was a truly stunning view.
By 21:00 we were all back on the ship enjoying a delicious barbeque. But that was not the end of the day. At 22:00 three of our crew from the galley showed us their impressive skills at ice carving and food sculpting.
Now it's midnight and as we look out the window the sun is just above the horizon. It is a clear sky with no wind. Simply beautiful.

Uummannaq and Ukkusissat

Uummannaq lies 570 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. Our time in Uummannaq is filled with options like hiking to Santa Claus's House, boat excursions to the desert and walking around the very picturesque town. Many of us chose the challenging hike to Santa's hut on Spraglebugten Bay. Children in Greenland and Denmark grow up believing that Santa lives in the small turf hut which was built for a Danish television show.

When we arrived to Santa's house we were surprised to have coffee and hot chocolate delivered by sea! Those of us that did not have the energy for the return hike, rode back in the comfort of the Polar Cirkle boats.

At about 17:00 we lifted anchor and departed for Ukkusissat, our second landing of the day. We welcomed the people from the tiny town on board the Fram where we were treated to folk dancing, singing and a showing of their traditional clothing. At about 21:00 we went on shore to visit the small community. In the town hall we were treated by the local people to coffee and cake.

The people of Ukkusissat are always warm, friendly and very welcoming. The children are always evident and interact with us with ease. It really is a great cultural experience.

Uummannaq and Ukkusissat make for a very full day and a very rewarding day!

Qeqertarsuaq

Qeqertarsuaq means "the large island" which is both the name of the island and the name of the town on the island. Qeqertarsuaq Island is more commonly known as Disko Island.

Nearly everyone went on the hike to "The Valley of the Wind". It is a beautiful region. It takes about five minutes to walk through town. En route we pass a few bicycles. At home they would be under lock and key but here, the very thought seems ridiculous.

On the edge of town there is a gorgeous dark sandy beach. Many grounded icebergs lie just off shore. Sometimes Humpback Whales can be seen amongst the icebergs. The whole area is irresistible to anyone with a camera.
A large number of Greenland's plants can be found on Disko Island. Several of us crawled on hands and knees, field guide in hand, to photograph the many flowers. Just this afternoon we saw: Snow Buttercups, Pygmy Buttercups, Alpine Barstia, Matted Cassiope, Cassiope, Alpine Speedwell, Arctic Poppy, Arctic Cotton, Labrador Tea, Blue Heath, Moss Campion, Alpine Lousewort, Flaming Lousewort, Large-flowered Wintergreen, Alpine Catchfly and Arctic Harebell.