We enjoyed afternoon tea each day after returning from our adventures on shore or on the zodiac. The warm beverages after our refreshingly cold excursions were always a welcome treat. On one of our at sea days the chefs served Crepes Susette a la mode.
We also enjoyed the omelet chef each morning. He cheerfully made our eggs just how we liked them.
Robin got a kick out of learning new ways to abuse napkins. The waiters would come by each morning at breakfast to teach her a new folding technique or to quiz her on the old ones that she had learned. It's the little pleasures...
While at sea, we ran into a flock of northern fulmar. This bird has some interesting behaviors. They produce a stomach oil that they spray out of their mouth to defend against predators. This oil will mat the feathers of the predator and cause them to lose their waterproofing.
The fulmar also has a special gland right above their nostrils that allows them to secrete excess salt from their bodies. This is an important adaptation for an animal that takes in a great deal of ocean water as part of their feeding process.
Our first views of Greenland after two days at sea were in the Kejser Franz-Joseph Fjord. There were beautiful mountains with colorful layers and striations, but we couldn't help but notice that Greenland wasn't very green.
The first thing we noticed when we stepped ashore was all of the slate rock on the ground. It came in many colors and sizes and looked like someone had built a giant mosaic floor.
There was a musk ox trail leading up the Margerie Dal gorge. Up we went. Up and up and up. Not much farther to get to the top.
Hiking to the top of the gorge we noticed a few interesting treasures. There were some cool lichens that made unique and colorful patterns on the rock. These were organisms that are only found in arctic tundra environments, so it was definitely a noteworthy find.
As we continued to follow the musk ox trail, we searched for evidence that musk ox had actually been there. Soon enough we came across two pieces of incontestable evidence: a musk ox carcass and a large pile of items that had passed through the ox's digestive tract.
There was also a small, but lovely waterfall along one part of the trail.
After all that hiking, we made it to the top of the gorge. The whole reason anyone goes to the top of anything is simply for the view. Beautiful. Now to hike back down...
We continued to sail down the Kejser Franz-Joseph Fjord and then turned southeast in the Kong Oscar Fjord. The scenery was amazing.
There were some interesting rock formations along the shore so we stopped to take some photos before hiking up the hill. Once again, the views from the top were breathtaking.
