Blogs from Greenland, North America

Advertisement

North America » Greenland September 21st 2023

Greenland It didn’t happen!! It was stormy before, but I had never experienced anything like this!! First they closed the observatory (later we learnt that part of the ceiling had fallen down and it wasn’t safe!!) then a large cabinet fell over in the dining room delaying our dinner. This was apart from the noisy, creaking ship, enormous bangs in the theatre where the waves were hitting, people falling over like packs of cards - one person we had breakfast with had her arm in a sling!!) rain pouring in underneath all the doors despite towels/blankets etc that had been put there!! (Humidifiers were going for about three days after!!) There were leaky cabins that we heard rumours that people had to change cabins and one couple on deck 10 had a metal ceiling tile fall ... read more
Rough Seas
Rainbows over the sea
One of the six courses we could have on an evening

North America » Greenland » East Greenland » Tasiilaq May 23rd 2023

Another flight gets us back to the west coast and Greenland’s second largest town Sisimiut, a small town centred around a harbour full of fishing boats. Behind the port are the old houses of the original colony, now a museum spread across seven buildings - only four seem to be open. The Colonial Manager's house is the largest, of course, and houses a museum on hunting and fishing, complete with a fearsome harpoon gun. A display also gives us instructions on the right way to attach dogs to your sled; it depends on the sled type apparently! It's minus 2 with light snow so we head out to sea in an open boat with Jan to look for whales. In the second fjord that we explore, we find four humpbacks feeding and diving; it's worth braving ... read more
Humpback whale tail
Floating tentsile tent
Across the fjord


The coastal ferry took us from Qaqortoq in Greenland to Aassiat in four days. Every day we stopped at small settlements of multu-coloured houses where the ferry's arrival once a week means children coming home from school, husbands returning from work, wives returning with new born babies. The ship has a canteen where, three times a day, most of us meet to eat, drink and chat. We meet a small group of tourists from Italy, a pair of German tourists complaining that their guidebook is ten years out-of-date and two Austrians who are worried about flight cancellations. Most of the people on board were Greenlanders, often just making short hops between one town and the next. There were groups of school children on their way home, all sleeping in dormitories low down in the ship. Children ... read more
Few roads so it's the only way
... or we could wake up the sled dogs
Me?. In my seal skin suit I'm ready for anything


Now we are here, it is hard to understand why Greenland is so unknown. Its a huge country with so much to see and do and undiscovered by most travellers. We started in Nuuk, the capital city (pop. 18,000), and, we're told, the least Greenlandic. It is certainly not all red houses and snowmobiles but, nevertheless, it is very Greenlandic to us. All around the city are snow capped mountains - we're in the last days of April - and the fjords are deep blue and the sun is shining. There is a new part to the city which has lots of cafes, good restaurants and an art gallery full of work by local artists. Indeed, we are discovering there is art everywhere in Greenland. Down by the old Colonial Harbour are many preserved building from ... read more
Nuuk Colonial harbour
ATV buggy to remote sheep farms
Narsarsuak to Qaqortoq flight

North America » Greenland » South Greenland » Narssarssuaq August 29th 2019

Het is nog geen jaar geleden dat Facebook mij de suggestie deed om lid te worden van de ‘Arctic Circle Trail-groep’. Mijn interesse was gewekt en ik kwam erachter dat deze trail zich in Groenland bevindt. Oké, bij Groenland denk ik aan dure georganiseerde reizen, maar je kunt er dus ook prima op eigen houtje naar toe. Als je van lopen houdt en het geen probleem vindt om in het wild te kamperen, hoeft zo’n reis niet eens zo heel veel meer te kosten dan je vliegticket en een enkele overnachting met bed en douche in de bewoonde wereld. Wel handig om voor het westen en zuiden van Groenland te kiezen, tenzij je graag op het menu van de ijsbeer wilt staan. Zo vertrok ik dus richting het sfeerloze, lelijke Kangerlussuaq, dat aan het begin van ... read more
P1090147
P1090155
P1090157

North America » Greenland » South Greenland » Nanortalik August 29th 2019

Caribbean Princess once again lay offshore, now in the Tasermiut Fjord, for the port call at Nanortalik. Nanortalik harbour is not deep enough for ocean-going vessels, so the ship anchored around a rocky peninsula, out of sight of the town. Tenders took some time to reach shore from Caribbean Princess. The port was again a reminder of how dependent Greenland's communities are upon ocean-borne cargo. A new ambulance had recently been unloaded and still stood on the pier atop its shipping container. Nanortalik is Greenand's tenth largest community with about 1,350 inhabitants. The name means "Place Where the Polar Bears Gather". It is the southernmost community in Greenland, not far from Cafe Farvel at the tip of the island. It is similar to, but much smaller than, the other towns we had visited. Blue and red ... read more
Tasermiut Fjord
Quassik (Ravnefjeldet)
Tasermiut Fjord

North America » Greenland » South Greenland » Qaqortoq August 28th 2019

Our second port of call in Greenland was Qaqortoq. It is a town of about 3,000 on the Julianehåbsfjord (Juliana Fijord). Formerly known as Julianehåb, it was founded by the Danes in 1774 as an outpost for the sealskin trade and is now the fifth largest town in Greenland. Qaqortoq is a town of blue and red buildings dotting a rocky landscape. The only access to Qaqortoq is by sea or helicopter. The are no cross-country roads in Greenland and Qaqortoq has a heliport, but no airport. As we were arriving, an Air Greenland helicopter took off. The port could not accommodate a ship the size of Caribbean Princess, so we tendered from the ship to the ferry dock. (The lifeboats were used as tenders.) Qaqortoq is small enough to be walkable. A visitor information centre ... read more
Qaqortoq Visitor Center
Caribbean Princess
View Across Qaqortoq Harbour

North America » Greenland » South Greenland August 27th 2019

August 26, 2019 – Scenic Cruising of Prince Christian Sound, Greenland – Weather: 39°F/3°C, sky clear and sunny, wind 5.8 mph inside the sound, humidity 55° This morning we cleared the storm that had buffeted us all day and night yesterday. As we approached the south-eastern entrance of the sound the sky was clear with the sun shining and warming us even though there was still a stiff cold (39°F/3°C) breeze flowing over the deck. The crew had opened the starboard hatchway leading to the viewing area on the bow and the breeze rushed into the ship refreshingly chilling everyone on the fourth deck. As with our passage through the sound back on August 8ththe Captain took a leisurely pace of 5 to 10 knots with several stops along the way to get in close to ... read more
2_Resident bergs
3_Ice and rock!
4_Ice meets the sea

North America » Greenland » South Greenland » Qaqortoq August 27th 2019

August 27, 2019 – Qaqortoq, Greenland– Weather: 39°F/3°C @ 7:00 am, 48°F/9°C 2 noon, partly cloudy, wind 5.8 mph, humidity 55° Today’s port of call is Qaqortoq, Greenland situated on an island along Greenland’s southern coast. Originally, we were to have stopped here on the outward journey back on August 7thbut the itinerary changed and the stop was moved twenty days on to today. The name Qaqortoq, which means “white”, aptly describes the landscape that is dotted with outcroppings of white granite. Originally settled by the Vikings the current settlement was founded by Danish and Norwegian colonists in 1775. Today approximately 3,000 inhabitants call Qaqortoq home. Situated along the shores of a natural harbour the town stretches up from the shore and into the surrounding mountains. Colorful houses and other buildings hug the ru... read more
2_Smaller ship at pier
3_About half our size
4_Colorful town

North America » Greenland » West Greenland » Nuuk August 26th 2019

Our first port call in Greenland was Nuuk, the capital. Formerly named Godthåb, the city is the largest town in Greenland with a population of about 18,000. Nuuk is also the world's northernmost capital city, just below the Arctic Circle. The city is spread out and the landscape quite austere looking. There is little vegetation, even in summer, and no trees or shrubs. Housing is primarily in the form of apartment blocks, most of new construction, although there are townhouses and scattered individual homes. The cityscape of Nuuk presents many contrasts. There is the older area, with its colonial era wooden buildings painted red in the Scandinavian style. Then, there is the newer construction downtown and towards the port and beyond. Caribbean Princess was able to dock at the Port of Nuuk. It is a busy ... read more
Inuit Mask
Statue of Hans Egede Overlooking Nuuk
Nuuk Harbor




Tot: 0.148s; Tpl: 0.007s; cc: 16; qc: 67; dbt: 0.071s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.2mb