To Göreme

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We had a long driving day ahead of us – all the way from Beypazari to Göreme – more than 400km.

A few stops on the way did help to keep the day interesting and us somewhat awake. We made a first stop at a salt lake – including the opportunity to walk on the lake and to try the salty health products (actually – there was no option to not try the salt peeling before getting out to the lake).

Another stop was at the Agzikarahan Caravanserai, which dates back to the 13th century.

We made it into Göreme just around sunset – and in time for some first nice view over the Cappadocian landscape.

Beypazari

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Originally the tour had included a night stop in Ankara – however due to the recent bombing Ankara was replaced by the small town of Beypazari.

Beypazari is a good 1.5 hours (driving) West of Ankara; its historic is nicely renovated in Ottoman style – and is also home to a small museum, that provides a great introduction into the life and customs during the Ottoman time.

According to Lonely Planet the area around Beypazari produces more than half of the carrots consumed in all Turkey – easily recognizable by the carrot monument. Carrots are also part of the local specialty baklava.

Back to Istanbul

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It was at the end of my Eastern Europe trip – a good year back – that I had gotten a quick first taste of Istanbul and Turkey – though for a couple of hours only. This time I wanted to get a bit further, stay longer and cover more ground.

The trip started in Istanbul with a quick tour to the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya and the Basilica Cistern – plus some good walking around Sultanahmet.

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.