Blogs from Greenland, North America - page 12

Hey everyone! Now, here is a bit about our trip to Greenland. We flew from Iceland's capital city, Reykjavik, to Greenland's capital city of Nuuk. The difference was striking. From Iceland's newly formed landscapes with young rock, to the Canadian shield, a mere 3.8 billion year old rock. There were no trees but mountainous fjords created a beautiful back drop. A mixture of Danish and Greenlandic people, most Greenlandic people (Inuit heritage) speak Greenlandic, Danish and English. Greenland had just received more autonomy from the Danish government and celebrations were being planned in the city of Nuuk about 2 days after we were due to leave. Even the Danish Royal Family were to attend. Then we flew to Sisimiut where we were greeted by some local people that we stayed with for 2 nights. Mads (pronounced ... read more

The guide book said “this is why you have spent all that money to come to Greenland” and they were right. Ilulissat was magnificent. We arrived in Ilulissat (300 kms north of the Arctic Circle) on Monday 25th (Michelle's Birthday.) We celebrated with some Musk-ox for dinner followed by a “Greenlandic Coffee” - coffee with whiskey, Kahlua & Grand Marnier, topped with cream and set alight. Very Nice. Our first day we opted for the boat tour to the icefjord, the sky was grey , the wind was cold but the sights were amazing. Icebergs towering 50-100 metres out of the water. That afternoon the boys were desperate to collect some pieces of icebergs so we wandered to the shore where small pieces had drifted in close enough for them to pick up. Jake put a ... read more

We have survived our first 2 weeks in Greenland. The weather has been spectacular with blue skies and warm weather ( most days b/w 10-15 deg), we have had a couple of foggy mornings but these tend to clear by lunchtime leaving behind blue sky and sunshine. We have managed a fishing trip on the fjord where we caught Greenlandic Cod. Jake and Harrison both catching 14 fish each. Fishing here is much easier than at home, lower the line down, no bait required just a lure and multiple hooks and reel in 7 fish at a time. Brad and the boys did a hike up Lille Malene last weekend. They took the track that follows the winter ski lift up behind the airport. They were able to get a great view of the town. Whilst ... read more

I just heard the terrible news about the rioting in Lhasa. I have no idea if things will have settled by the time I am supposed to fly into Tibet. Time will tell and there is nothing I can do except hope that peace prevails. The Tibetans have kept their cool (pretty much) for 50 years; can't blame them for "being done" with the whole thing. Watch; wait: pray if you do so. Peace. Cindy... read more

Greenland - anything but green, but a land of extremes to say the least. Word has it that back in the day when Denmark was trying to populate its new territory, they tried to convince settlers that this was a good place to settle, hence the lush sounding name. And as for Iceland, the inhabitants there already had the population they needed and so as to try and keep it for themselves, they chose a name that sounded harsh and uninviting. Apparently, it didn’t work out all that well for Denmark, today Greenland is home to only about 50000 inhabitants, with the majority widely spread out among small communities along the west coast. Greenland is a self governing territory of Denmark, which relies almost solely on an annual lump sum contribution from the Danish Government of ... read more