Skomer Island/ Fishguard, Wales, 5/6/2017, National Geographic Explorer
Aboard the
National Geographic Explorer
Baltics
Skomer Island enticed us this morning with jaunty swells and plentiful groups of seabirds scattered around its rocky banks. Puffins, guillemots, razorbills, and some especially dashing oystercatchers caught our eye as we cruised in our Zodiacs around the island. Many got a chance to lock eyes with the ponderous, yet playful, gray seals as they inspected our crafts. The heather and mountain thyme in bloom added shocks of color to the cliffs and a cheerful background to our many images.
After a smooth lunchtime repositioning we were welcomed to the small port of Fishguard by a whole troop of locals who were eager to promote their village. Dividing into groups we enjoyed hikes along the coast, both rigorous and leisurely, and explored some of the striking architecture displayed in structures such as Saint David’s Cathedral.
Robert Alexander has quenched his thirst for exploring the world’s flora and fauna by captaining, interpreting natural history, and conducting research aboard ships. He particularly developed a passion for the marine life below the water’s surface w...
Enter travel details to receive reports from a single expedition
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Send Daily Expedition Reports to friends and family
*By clicking the submit button, I authorize Lindblad Expeditions to email me; however, I am able to unsubscribe at any time. For more details, see our Privacy Policy.
Please note: All Daily Expedition Reports (DERs) are posted Monday-Friday,
during normal business hours. DERs are written onboard the ship only and do
not apply to land-based portions of expeditions.
Our final day on this circumnavigation of the Baltic Sea was a mostly relaxed day to reflect on our many adventures. Starting two weeks ago in Amsterdam and visiting an incredible number of beautiful destinations, this truly has been a wonderful trip of discovery of this historic region. Today, we had a few presentations to bring it all together, but we did have one final trick up our sleeves. An afternoon landing at a small port in southern Sweden gave us access to an incredible spot called Als Stene , or Ale’s Stones. Ale’s Stones is an early Viking-era monument built of standing stones in the shape of a stone ship. There is a lot of debate on the age of a location such as this, but it was probably constructed between 500-1000 AD. Consisting of approximately 60 standing stones, with the tallest about ten feet in height, it really is an impressive site. Add to this the location, on a promontory looking out over the Baltic Sea, and it was a glorious afternoon. But this is not the end of the story for this spot. The alignment is perfect for sunrise and sunset on the solstices, showing an incredible connection to the natural world. Some of these stones show earlier working as well, probably transported to the site in the late Stone Age, maybe as far back as 4000 BC! For most of us, coming from North America, ages such as this our nearly unfathomable. It was magical to spend time in such ancient and powerful site. Late afternoon found us underway and heading towards our final stop at Copenhagen. We gathered in the lounge with our group slideshow, reflecting on our incredible journey through the Baltic.
We arrived early this morning, after a pleasant night’s sailing, on the outskirts of water-girded Stockholm. Many guests boarded Zodiacs for a slow cruise through Djurgarden Canal and on into the main harbor where National Geographic Explorer awaited us. On the way, we stopped for cinnamon buns and hot chocolate organised by a group of “Viking” hotel staff who were waiting to “ambush” us in a Zodiac. The land lying to the left side of the waterway was originally established as a hunting park and abounds in woodland made up of native trees, including birch and cherry. The verdant foliage was reflected in the pond-still water. Kingfishers, herons and finches were spotted and bird calls resonated as we made our way along the canal. At every turn there was something to engage us. A city renowned for its built heritage and rich culture, we cruised past the Nordic, Maritime and Vasa museums. Sited on a commanding hill is a reconstruction of one type of traditional vernacular farm dwelling for which the folk park, Skansen, is internationally famous. It was founded in 1891 by Arthur Hazelius and was the first of this type of open-air themed park in Europe. Many others have been established around the world since. Once back on board we had a well - earned breakfast. The remainder of the morning in this northern city of fourteen islands was spent on a coach-based tour whose main focus was visiting the museum which houses the Vasa , a seventeenth-century war ship. Once inside we saw the newly upgraded short film detailing the historical background to the catastrophic maiden voyage and recovery of this remarkable vessel. The Vasa was built between 1626-1628 under the orders of the then king of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus, at the height of his country’s maritime power. The ship was unfortunately massively top heavy and was carrying insufficient ballast. With dignitaries and a full crew on board for the official launch of the vessel on August 10, 1628, the Vasa listed badly as she moved out into the open waters of Stockholm Harbour. Water poured in through the open gun ports and she quickly sank, having sailed less than a nautical mile. Incredibly, there were only a small number of fatalities. In 1956 the location of the wreck was discovered by an amateur archaeologist, Anders Franzen, and plans were put in place to recover it. Using naval and commercial recovery equipment, the hull was brought back to the surface after 333 years. Excavation of the interior of the vessel and the sea bed recovered over 26,000 artefacts. A representative selection of these are sensitively displayed as are a number of human skeletons, victims of the ill-fated voyage. The ship itself was painstakingly conserved and reconstructed and forms the centre piece of the museum. Afternoon activities included exploratory walking tours with local guides around the area of the city known as Gamla Stan, which was the core of the original medieval trading town, as well as visiting the Art and Sculpture Museum and the extensive open-air folk park of Skansen. An array of native mammals including wolverine, lynx, brown bear and moose are kept at the latter and offered guests the chance of engaging with these remarkable creatures who have lived in Scandinavia since post-glacial times.
