Greenland from Above

Several years ago we went to East Greenland, which is probably the most sparsely populated place we've ever visited.

Flying from Iceland to the United States gave us an incredible view of Greenland and its icebergs down below. It also has one of the most stunning airport approaches and landings I've ever experienced. Although the water landings in the Maldives are right up there, too!

I've had a lot of the Singapore Airlines flight crew on my tours and I always love them. Some are from Singapore while others are actually from Malaysia. They have so much fun together and talking with the pilots is always so fascinating. They have funny quotes like, "if it ain't Boeing, I ain't going", because the planes are easier to handle.

According to the pilots one of the most difficult airports to land is in Kathmandu, Nepal. It makes sense since it is tucked into the Himalayan valley, but evidently the pilots have to corkscrew the plane both in and out, which is quite dangerous. Our experience at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu was intense, but only due to the most stringent search we've ever experienced.

Isn't it nice to see the world from above? It's quite beautiful and look at all of those icebergs!

Breiðafjörður Bay

During our visit Iceland was unseasonably cold. It was so cold in fact that we purchased an extra layer at Iceland's own 66˚N so we could withstand the coldness. Being on a boat only amplified that and we had to remember that this is summer.

Stykkishólmur is part of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, which happens to be one of three Earth Check areas in the world. They have a very high level of environmental awareness and do everything they can to maintain the health of their area.

Boats are taken out to sea to be cleaned and the water is some of the purest and most delicious there is. Greta said her son in law even brings jugs to fill up and take back home with him.

Out in the bay we were on the look out for a variety of birds. Some appeared to me to be the average seagull, but we also saw white tailed eagles, a seal, and puffins! The puffins were the highlight and before we saw them we kept joking with Greta telling her she had better have not eaten them all.

Evidently, at least according to the boat captain, it takes 2 years of the puffins to burrow out a little home. These holes have two rooms, one bathroom and one home where they have their babies.

There are thousands of islands in the bay and they are only considered islands if they have grass on them. Many share the same names, because there are so many. We were surprised to see several small islands with a couple sheep grazing. Greta later told us that they also taste incredible. I don't eat mutton, so I'll take her word for it.

We visited the small cove where Erik the Red is said to have hid out when he was a wanted man before heading to Greenland and trying to entice people to come there by saying it's green. Having been to Greenland myself I can vouch for it being a much rougher terrain.

One really fun aspect of the bay cruise is the chance to eat seafood straight from the ocean.

A net was cast and in just a few moments it was filled with the freshest scallops and sea urchins I've ever eaten. The other sea life including the crabs and star fish were put back into the water.

Tilt Shift

I'm so in love with this website that Rachel posted on her blog. It's called Tilt Shift Maker and it enables common folk like myself, that don't have a specially designed tilt shift camera to create beautiful photos that look like they are miniatures. After I spent way more time than I care to admit using the site, here are a few of my favorites...

Rome + Cairo

East Greenland

Reykjavik

The trick is to find photos where the focus is on the foreground with a large depth of field and it also helps if there is some height. I'd still like to try bokeh.

I really need to decide what kind of camera to get, which was my birthday gift way back in January. Any recommendations?

Kulusuk

After a quiet morning in Tasiilaq, Stefan and I prepared to head back to Kulusuk. I was happy that we chose a later helicopter because the time tables got changed and we ended up leaving earlier. It still worked out nicely.

There really wasn't too much time that we had to wait between getting to the airport and taking our helicopter back.

Once again, the views were stunning and something I will never forget.

It was nice to see Kulusuk from overhead again and all of the icebergs floating in the ocean. The bright colored homes really seemed to glow against their rigid little island.

And before we knew it we were back in Kulusuk at the tiny airport. New visitors were arriving from Iceland and I can't help but think about all of the great experiences they had ahead of them.

Once we arrived we decided not to spend any more time than we need to in the small waiting area. I saw some striking icebergs close to the mountains, when we first arrived in Greenland, and we decided to walk down to see them. It was slightly deceiving because they appeared to be much closer, but it proved to be very well worth it.

Again we were completely alone, with the occasional plane flying overhead. The ground covering was so interesting. It felt like spongy carpet underneath our feet.

The icebergs were very striking. There were a few pieces that had washed up and we admired the grooves and detail up close. I'm sure many people think ice is ice, but it was amazing to see the carving of nature up close.

The ice was so fascinating and I really wonder just how old it is. Many of the pieces that had washed ashore were melting, while the water had both very small and enormous chunks of ice floating around.

We even tasted this ancient frozen water, which was very pure and of course, very cold. It made me wonder what the man we met on the trip to Tasiilaq discovered with his glacier and iceberg measuring tool.

It's really quite amazing how powerful water can be, and how buoyant the icebergs are. Seeing the large chunks of ice that had washed up in combination with the ridges the ice had made into the rock is just amazing.

The walk up to the airport was sad. We continually stopped to take the surroundings in and admire the small details that we walked past. There was a heavy wind that made the water ripple, and there were beautiful little rocks. Some were covered in moss, while others had a slight sparkle to them.

Back at the airport we saw Michael, the guy that we met from Barcelona. He stayed with a family - the woman is a native performance dancer and her husband that is a Danish fisherman.

We later saw the woman on promotional material for Iceland Air. Michael had similar experiences with many people that were intoxicated on the streets, but he also really got to know most of Kulusuk. He knew all of the airport workers, which shows just how small the community is.

The two hour flight was short, but we had to go through an hour time change. I was generously fed because we were in the last row and I asked for a vegetarian meal.

The flight attendant didn't have any left so she brought me the captain's meal and one from an earlier flight. I didn't really want to take his food, but she said to. I had a lot of choice. Isn't it amazing European airlines give you food for a two hour flight?

Tasiilaq

Since we went on a boat trip right after we arrived we weren't able to experience Tasiilaq until the next morning. Morning came quite early. It probably didn't help too much that I woke up several times through the night hoping to catch the aurora borealis. Then came the early sunrise and the whine of the sledge dogs. I was happy to have brought a sleep mask.

The breakfast room of our hotel was filled with interesting characters. There was a loud know it all professor type, who of course came from America. It reminded me that off beat destinations do seem to attract pompous characters.

At breakfast we saw a man we met on our iceberg cruise named Ching. He was from Singapore, but now lives in Qatar. The night before, after our visit to Ikateq, he had a whale dinner at The Red House, another hotel in town. He was excited to sample whale because it would be illegal in his country, although he didn't sound so excited when he compared the look and taste to beef. Neither Stefan nor I had much of an interest in eating exotic animals, although we probably should have sampled the dried fish.

Ching invited us to visit in Qatar, where it sounds like they are trying to buy a culture. Now that they have made riches off of oil, it's the land of excessive wealth, but without much of a culture. (Coincidentally enough I am reading a book called the Geography of Bliss and it has chapters of Qatar and Iceland, which seemed so fitting.) It's nice that living there affords him to take vacations over a month long - his next stop was Europe.

After saying goodbye we set off to walk around town and through the Valley of Flowers. That's when the bugs started. We were swarmed with little gnats that were just annoying enough to distract us from the views. The bug spray we had brought along was jammed, so we decided to purchase some in town, which lead us to the new grocery.

Seeing the loads of shipping containers didn't prepare us for how modern this grocery is. It had conveyor belts, many products that we recognized, and a large hunting department. Upstairs was a department store that even sold things like flat screen televisions. We were quite surprised. We purchased bug repellant and went back to the Valley of Flowers.

At the laundry and bathing facilities, for those that do not have them in their home, there were two adorable little boys rolling down the hill and having a great time.

As we walked further we passed the sledge dogs that undoubtedly were the ones causing a ruckus in the morning. It looked as though the valley was filled with dogs. There were also a few puppies that I tried to beckon over. You have to look very close because they blend in with the rocks.

After walking past the dogs we came to the cemetery. It was slightly different than in Kulusuk, because people were buried in one area. There were several Danish names, typically with nicer headstones, and all of the graves were decorated with plastic flowers. There was one grave in particular that caught my attention because it had so many flowers that they had constructed a cage around them. The young girl was only 14. I was curious what happened to her, although I will never know.

We really weren't prepared for all of the beauty and mystery of the Valley of Flowers. The bright colors seemed to carpet the hills and I was fascinated to see small flowers growing out of dirt and rocks. We continued on the path, which followed the stream and then saw a larger lake and small waterfall. We stood in awe of everything around us and the fact that we were completely alone. There were no sounds made by people and everywhere we turned it was something new and beautiful.

It was a lot to take in. For lack of better explaining we really felt rejuvenated and just complete reverence for nature. It was truly unforgettable and very inspiring.

We spent the greater part of the day climbing the mountains and wandering around the area. It was quite devoid of life besides the occasional small bird or the plants that would soon vanish with the summer.

Along our walk we followed the stream and quickly learned why Tasiilaq means 'Like a Lake'. We spotted a small waterfall and stood in awe. After coming to another, even more beautiful waterfall we climbed to the top of the highest mountain that was near to us.

The views were spectacular. The trail seemed to be reclaimed by nature, so we decided to go back into town.

Unfortunately these images really don't do the area justice. Being enveloped in mountains with the sounds of blowing winds and trickling water really awakens your senses.

Tasiilaq sat in the background very quietly and was only visible from the very highest peaks. For typically taking city trips Stefan and I agreed that we should visit natural places more often as well. Both Greenland and Iceland have nature at it's finest.

Even remote little East Greenland wasn't remote enough not to have a bookstore.

From what I have read, Neriusaaq (Greenlandic name for 'rainbow') is the furthest North bookstore in the world. I was delighted to find a children's book for my ever expanding collection. It is even written in Tunumiit oraasiat - also called Tunu (the dialect of East Greenland). The bookstore was located inside a convenience store that sells ice cream and newspapers.

It is, like most other things in this area, very small. I learned from this article a bit more about the transgender Danish man that runs the shop.

Tasiilaq, which is the big city of the East, also has a hospital, public library, internet café, two kindergartens, a primary school, and Princess Margrethe orphanage.

It really kind of broke my heart that there was an orphanage there, considering the community is so small as it is and living in harsh conditions is already a struggle.

It appears that drinking is a serious issue. We were there on pay day when the streets were filled with people drinking. As we went to the combination bank post office, to mail postcards, I noticed a young mother drinking a beer while she gave her baby a bottle. I'm also not sure how much Westerners are really helping the culture. Many of the jobs seemed to be given to Danish people, including all of the police that we saw. One of their biggest employers is Filatelia, which produces stamps, but unemployment is high.

Close to the post office / bank is Skæen and the Tourist Information office. Here they rent equipment and sell seal skin clothing, which is traditional to the area. They had some beautiful jewelry, but since it was made of bones we were not able to bring it back.

Also near by is Brættet, where the sealers, whalers, and fishermen sell their catch of the day. There is an oily smell in the air in this area.

We roamed through town and past the school, which happened to be at recess. There were a couple children with blonde hair that stuck out and were undeniably Danish.

There were also some newer and very nice homes at the back of the bay, which we assumed belonged to the Danish police.

At night we were given a slight sunset, while the rest was blocked by the mountains. I found the pink glow on the mountain tops quite neat.

On our last day before our helicopter took us back to Kulusuk we decided to go down the harbor and say goodbye to the beautiful iceberg that we'll be dreaming about.

There was more whimpering from the dogs, who I imagine will have a long winter ahead of them.

We really had a hard time leaving. We had no idea what Tasiilaq and Greenland had in store for us, but it's definitely been a monumental experience thus far in my life. I realize there aren't very many places with such an abundance of untouched nature.

As always, I left with a lot of questions. I'm curious about the transition periods, when the people of these communities were first learning about the Western world. I really hope they are able to retain a lot of semblance to their past.

Then it's back to Kulusuk before we explore more of Iceland.