Category Archives: 2015:Far North

Leaving Greenland

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Our journey home did prove more difficult than expected. Originally we were scheduled to fly out of Kangerlussuaq at around 10:00 in the morning; so everyone was ready for an early and good to go after a quick breakfast.

At 5:00 in the morning however it was announced on the ship, that the plane did have a technical issue and had not even left Hamburg for the outbound journey. Breakfast got rescheduled to later and most people just turned around in bed and went for some more sleep.

Ultimately our plane made it into Kangerlussuaq only at around 18:30, with our departure delayed to close to 20:00. Also – we were not going to Hamburg direct. The plane was due in Copenhagen the next morning for its normal rotation, so we were now heading to Copenhagen as well. We arrived there at around 4:00 the next morning. Here we now had to wait for a connecting flight to Hamburg. That flight was bound to leave at around 05:15. I think, it was past 7:00, when I got out of baggage claim … I finally was home around 15:00 and completely exhausted.

Way Home ...

Sisimiut

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I had a very late start today … my body was just screaming after sleep, so only got up in the early afternoon. This way I kind of missed the normal program, however had the advantage of going after the masses and essentially had all the attractions in town for myself.

We were sitting at the pier in Sisimut. Sisimut is the second biggest city of Greenland with about 5600 inhabitants. I made my way from the pier into town, with a first stop at the excellent museum. The museum is spread over an ensemble of old houses and covers all aspects … it reminded me of the the Den Gamle By museum in Aarhus, Denmark … certainly similar in style. From here I continued into town with its supermarkets, shops and residential areas – before making it back to the ship and getting ready for a last evening aboard.

Uummannaq

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It took us two nights and a day to make the distance from Cape York to Uummannaq; obviously that time was spent at sea. Further lectures were on offer with our biologists in the lead (a lecture on whales and whaling, plus one on Arctic bird life); our ethnologist was providing more insights into Inuit culture. In the evening we had yet another recap / precap session … looking back to Northern Greenland and preparing us for the shore landings now further South. The hotel department did throw in a classic Bavarian Frühschoppen (check here for footage from my last trip); there was also a classical piano concert in the evening. When we got outside after the concert for a quick breath of fresh air, we suddenly realized slight, fading lines in the sky – Northern Lights. So overall a busy day full of activities – and surprises.

We turned into the iceberg-littered fjord of Uummannaq in the morning and got ready for the shore landing. Once ashore there was time to explore the little picturesque town with its little colorful houses, check out the supermarket, the church and the museum.

Around Cape York

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We were now leaving Northern Greenland and on our 800km journey South to Uummannaq. Before proceeding into the open sea and shortly after dinner, we did pass by Cape York – had a glimpse of the Peary Monument on top of Cape York and of course the icebergs around.

Parker Snow Bay

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We had another shore landing in the afternoon. Parker Snow Bay was inviting us for a visit to its glacier and a hop up onto the inland ice.

After our arrival at the beach, we had a walk of about 2.5km through the outwash plain ahead of us, before we made it to the glacier tongue. Our resident geologist was already in her element and providing explanations and background.
With glacier being in retreat, it was relatively safe to walk on it (at least in the lower areas and close to the sides); some of us used that opportunity and made it up the glacier – until we technically stood on the Greenland inland ice.

On the way back I could not stop myself and had to (purposely) do a bit of glacier sliding … and guess what … those waterproof trousers are not only handy for zodiac drives – but also when sliding down a glacier.

The way back also served as another hands-on lesson in geology with good permafrost examples and an introduction to the processes happening, when permafrost collapses.