Just catching up with family and friends, so nothing to update for the rest of the trip.
Had an amazing time, Greenland was incredible.
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Day 21 - Paris
Up a bit late, down to breakfast.
Headed out to the Eiffel Tower to have a look, metro wasn't too busy because of a public holiday. 2 young guys got on and turned on some music and started busking. That was bad enough but then they started to rap which was our signal to get off and wait for the next train. Wandered around a bit taking photos of the Eiffel Tower, it never fails to impress. It was originally supposed to be a temporary structure, but it's pretty elaborate for something that was going to be knocked down again.
Crowds of people all taking photos, one guy had a tripod for his iPhone which I thought was a bit much.
Tons of the electric scooters everywhere, lots being used and lots just left once finished with, including some in the river. I'm in two minds about them - they are getting used, and I could see myself using them in Melbourne instead of waiting for a crowded tram. But they also look untidy.
Carried on up the Champs-Élysées, weather was changing between chilly and cloudy and sunny and warm. Stopped off at a Paul for a nibble and coffee. Despite all the yellow vest protests recently there was no evidence apart from a cracked window and some boards on some windows.
Got on another metro to Notre Dame. It was blocked off after the fire in April, lots of people taking photos - probably more since it had the fire, we probably wouldn't have gone again otherwise.
Back on the metro to the hotel to wait until dinner.
Went to the same restaurant as our first night, I asked the waiter if he had frog's legs but he said no which put an end to that. I had the same starter as last time, Song had a chicken liver pate but we went half - half. Both were nice. For main Song had chicken kidney, I had chicken in cheese sauce. I also had a wine. Both meals were very good.
Remembering how full we were the other night we decided to skip dessert and just went back to the hotel.
We headed out again at 21:30 to take some photos of the Louvre at night. Thought about going to the Eiffel Tower again but it was a bit late so called it a day.
Tomorrow is the Eurostar to London then on to Ipswich to see my family so probably no updates.
Headed out to the Eiffel Tower to have a look, metro wasn't too busy because of a public holiday. 2 young guys got on and turned on some music and started busking. That was bad enough but then they started to rap which was our signal to get off and wait for the next train. Wandered around a bit taking photos of the Eiffel Tower, it never fails to impress. It was originally supposed to be a temporary structure, but it's pretty elaborate for something that was going to be knocked down again.
Crowds of people all taking photos, one guy had a tripod for his iPhone which I thought was a bit much.
Tons of the electric scooters everywhere, lots being used and lots just left once finished with, including some in the river. I'm in two minds about them - they are getting used, and I could see myself using them in Melbourne instead of waiting for a crowded tram. But they also look untidy.
Carried on up the Champs-Élysées, weather was changing between chilly and cloudy and sunny and warm. Stopped off at a Paul for a nibble and coffee. Despite all the yellow vest protests recently there was no evidence apart from a cracked window and some boards on some windows.
Got on another metro to Notre Dame. It was blocked off after the fire in April, lots of people taking photos - probably more since it had the fire, we probably wouldn't have gone again otherwise.
Back on the metro to the hotel to wait until dinner.
Went to the same restaurant as our first night, I asked the waiter if he had frog's legs but he said no which put an end to that. I had the same starter as last time, Song had a chicken liver pate but we went half - half. Both were nice. For main Song had chicken kidney, I had chicken in cheese sauce. I also had a wine. Both meals were very good.
Remembering how full we were the other night we decided to skip dessert and just went back to the hotel.
We headed out again at 21:30 to take some photos of the Louvre at night. Thought about going to the Eiffel Tower again but it was a bit late so called it a day.
Tomorrow is the Eurostar to London then on to Ipswich to see my family so probably no updates.
Monday, June 10, 2019
Day 20 - Paris
Just about to go to sleep at midnight last night (still on Greenland time) and the fire alarm went off. I stuck my head out of the room but couldn't smell anything so called reception and asked, he said a guest set it off and we could come downstairs if we wanted to. Since it didn't seem to be a big deal I thought about it, then decided to pack up all the valuables into the backpack just in case. By the time I had done it, the alarm stopped. Just as well it wasn't real, we'd probably have burnt to death.
Had a light breakfast, still full from last night (and we've booked the same place again for Monday night) then left the hotel to go to the Monet museum (Musée Marmottan Monet).
Got on the crowded metro and within 5 minutes some guy stuck his hand in my pocket. Unbelievable! He plead ignorance but at the next stop a guy got on and they spoke to each other, I suspect they were operating together, seemed too much of a coincidence.
Anyway, the museum holds the largest collection of Monets, bequeathed by one of his descendants and some other benefactors. There were also some other artists including Julie Manet, the daughter of Eduard Manet. Very interesting and some wonderful paintings, the museum was pretty busy.
Spent a couple of hours there, then got a metro to the Rodin museum. Spent another couple of hours there, including looking around the garden where there were 3 famous works - The Thinker, The Gates of Hell and The Bourgeois of Calais.
Walked back to the metro and walked past so many cafes and restaurants, people sitting outside. Paris really is unique.
We were feeling a bit hungry as it was now about 16:00 so headed for a Seafood restaurant so Song could get her fix.
I had a Cod fillet in a herb crust with baked cauliflower, Song had the seafood platter. Mine was good, not fantastic, but Song's was spectacular - 2 half crabs (I don't know why they don't say a whole crab), prawns, oysters, whelks, scallops, crayfish, and several other shellfish varieties. I had a few prawns and a crab claw and that was enough for me, I don't like shellfish. I also had a wine.
Song said hers was very good. Cost about 219 AUD all in. Eeek.
Went back to the hotel and watched a movie.
Tomorrow is a public holiday here, but I think most things aren't open, and we haven't any plans. We might do as the locals do and set a couple of cars on fire.
Had a light breakfast, still full from last night (and we've booked the same place again for Monday night) then left the hotel to go to the Monet museum (Musée Marmottan Monet).
Got on the crowded metro and within 5 minutes some guy stuck his hand in my pocket. Unbelievable! He plead ignorance but at the next stop a guy got on and they spoke to each other, I suspect they were operating together, seemed too much of a coincidence.
Anyway, the museum holds the largest collection of Monets, bequeathed by one of his descendants and some other benefactors. There were also some other artists including Julie Manet, the daughter of Eduard Manet. Very interesting and some wonderful paintings, the museum was pretty busy.
Spent a couple of hours there, then got a metro to the Rodin museum. Spent another couple of hours there, including looking around the garden where there were 3 famous works - The Thinker, The Gates of Hell and The Bourgeois of Calais.
Walked back to the metro and walked past so many cafes and restaurants, people sitting outside. Paris really is unique.
We were feeling a bit hungry as it was now about 16:00 so headed for a Seafood restaurant so Song could get her fix.
I had a Cod fillet in a herb crust with baked cauliflower, Song had the seafood platter. Mine was good, not fantastic, but Song's was spectacular - 2 half crabs (I don't know why they don't say a whole crab), prawns, oysters, whelks, scallops, crayfish, and several other shellfish varieties. I had a few prawns and a crab claw and that was enough for me, I don't like shellfish. I also had a wine.
Song said hers was very good. Cost about 219 AUD all in. Eeek.
Went back to the hotel and watched a movie.
Tomorrow is a public holiday here, but I think most things aren't open, and we haven't any plans. We might do as the locals do and set a couple of cars on fire.
Sunday, June 9, 2019
Day 19 - Copenhagen to Paris
Up at a reasonable time despite going to sleep at 01:00, which was 21:00 Greenland time.
Had breakfast then walked to the airport and had to rearrange all our liquids into just 2 small zip lock bags, whereas everywhere else didn't care how many you had or provided bigger bags. It seems that every airport has different rules - some need belts and shoes off, some only belts etc. Very annoying.
Landed in Paris (saw a Concorde), about to buy the train tickets but told to evacuate so had to stand on a train platform while something was investigated - I suspected an unattended bag but didn't know for sure.
We had to wait for about an hour. Annoying but nothing could be done about it, lucky we were arriving and not leaving.
As soon as we were allowed back in, I rushed to the ticket machine and bought 4 tickets to Paris. I bought 2 extra by mistake so had to queue up at the ticket office for another 10 minutes to ask for a refund for 2, but she said no. Bugger. Since it was 20 Euro down the drain I did something extremely uncharacteristic and tried to sell them to someone in the now massive queue for the ticket machine and was pleasantly surprised that someone snapped them up.
Hopped on the crowded train into Paris, keeping a wary eye on the bags - one time in Paris some guy tried to pick my pocket on the metro - we stopped at a station and he asked me to move my bag, I took my hand out of my pocket whereupon he stuck his in. Luckily he didn't get anything and I was about to fight him but he was very big and I'm a coward.
Got the metro to our hotel, one we've used before just down the road from the Moulin Rouge. The room was very small, but that's normal here, and the location is very good - walking distance from Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur.
Watched the last set of the women's French Open final to see Ashleigh Barty win, then went out for dinner to a restaurant down the road that we'd been to last time we were here. It took a bit of finding, it wasn't where I thought it was but Song remembered.
I asked the waiter if he had frog's legs, he said yes so I told him to hop to the kitchen and get me a burger. Ah, the old ones are the best.
Song had snails to start, I had fois gras. For main we had the same as 3 years ago - I had beef bourgignon, Song had sausage.
We also had a dessert, I had pear Helene, Song had the souffle. I also had a wine (it's France after all).
I thought the food in Greenland was decent, but after eating the fois gras realised the food there was only adequate - this was a different level, so good. The beef Bourgignon superb, the poached pear in a chocolate sauce with vanilla ice cream fantastic.
Sitting in a good restaurant in Paris eating amazing food with a glass of wine, I can't think of any thing better.
Went for a quick walk in a vain attempt to dispose of some calories, then back to the hotel.
Had breakfast then walked to the airport and had to rearrange all our liquids into just 2 small zip lock bags, whereas everywhere else didn't care how many you had or provided bigger bags. It seems that every airport has different rules - some need belts and shoes off, some only belts etc. Very annoying.
Landed in Paris (saw a Concorde), about to buy the train tickets but told to evacuate so had to stand on a train platform while something was investigated - I suspected an unattended bag but didn't know for sure.
We had to wait for about an hour. Annoying but nothing could be done about it, lucky we were arriving and not leaving.
As soon as we were allowed back in, I rushed to the ticket machine and bought 4 tickets to Paris. I bought 2 extra by mistake so had to queue up at the ticket office for another 10 minutes to ask for a refund for 2, but she said no. Bugger. Since it was 20 Euro down the drain I did something extremely uncharacteristic and tried to sell them to someone in the now massive queue for the ticket machine and was pleasantly surprised that someone snapped them up.
Hopped on the crowded train into Paris, keeping a wary eye on the bags - one time in Paris some guy tried to pick my pocket on the metro - we stopped at a station and he asked me to move my bag, I took my hand out of my pocket whereupon he stuck his in. Luckily he didn't get anything and I was about to fight him but he was very big and I'm a coward.
Got the metro to our hotel, one we've used before just down the road from the Moulin Rouge. The room was very small, but that's normal here, and the location is very good - walking distance from Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur.
Watched the last set of the women's French Open final to see Ashleigh Barty win, then went out for dinner to a restaurant down the road that we'd been to last time we were here. It took a bit of finding, it wasn't where I thought it was but Song remembered.
I asked the waiter if he had frog's legs, he said yes so I told him to hop to the kitchen and get me a burger. Ah, the old ones are the best.
Song had snails to start, I had fois gras. For main we had the same as 3 years ago - I had beef bourgignon, Song had sausage.
We also had a dessert, I had pear Helene, Song had the souffle. I also had a wine (it's France after all).
I thought the food in Greenland was decent, but after eating the fois gras realised the food there was only adequate - this was a different level, so good. The beef Bourgignon superb, the poached pear in a chocolate sauce with vanilla ice cream fantastic.
Sitting in a good restaurant in Paris eating amazing food with a glass of wine, I can't think of any thing better.
Went for a quick walk in a vain attempt to dispose of some calories, then back to the hotel.
Saturday, June 8, 2019
Friday, June 7, 2019
Day 17 - Ilulissat
Woke up at 06:00, breakfast at 07:00 then walk to the tour place at 08:00. It was a bit cloudy but around 12C.
Guy drove us to the harbour where we stood with a few people waiting to get on the boat, constantly swatting mosquitoes. Bastards.
Only 6 people on the boat, an American woman and her granddaughter, and a Danish couple.
The boat was small but comfortable - the seats were like aircraft seats but larger. I've been on a few similar boat trips and this was the most comfortable by far, the cabin was heated as well.
We headed out of the harbour into the sea filled with icebergs.
There weren't many icebergs close to the shore where the captain took us, so we picked up speed and were zipping along. Standing in the shelter of the cabin at the back was fine, but if I stepped to the side I was hit with a blast of icy air.
After a couple of minutes we came to a huge number of icebergs, ranging in size from tiny chunks to some the size of several houses, some the size of several football fields.
The boat slowed and we passed by dozens of them, zig-zagging between them - an amazing experience to be so close to them, all different shapes, and some pure white, some with pale blue ice and some with dirty brown areas. Occasionally there would be a thump as the boat hit a small one.
Truly beautiful and amazing.
We picked up speed again as the ice cleared and turned into a bay where there was a small settlement of 25 - 30 people, called Oqaatsut.
I can't comprehend why someone would choose to live in such an isolated place.
Headed back out, past a massive iceberg, then carried on up the coast, fewer icebergs around. I'm saying icebergs a lot.
Turned into another bay and stopped the boat for a cup of tea. There was a small house on a hill, apparently a holiday home. Talk about getting away from it all.
Back out into the sea, more you-know-whats, slowed down again to navigate around them. Saw a couple of small waterfalls, and a seal that quickly submerged as we approached.
At a couple of spots the guide pointed out the ice cap in the distance, about 20km from where we were.
Pretty soon we were approaching the glacier and encountered more thingys, slowed down to dodge them, then slowed to a crawl as the captain got closer, crunching over the ice and pushing some of the smaller ibs out of the way. He killed the engine and we sat there for about an hour, watching as chunks of ice occasionally fell off the glacier followed by the sound, like thunder.
The guide gave everyone a big roll each and we sat and ate in silence, the sun had come out and it was quite warm.
Easily the best lunch venue I've ever been to.
Another small boat arrived but stayed behind us so we had an uninterrupted view of the glacier.
We would drift around and the captain would swing us round so that we were always looking at the glacier.
There is actually a lodge there where you can stay, 15 rooms, some even have a flushing toilet (the standard ones have a bucket). I don't know the cost of these though.
Turned around and went back to the town, passing the icebergs, just marveling at the views.
The boat stopped near one of the waterfalls, which was also where a lot of sea birds were nesting.
Carried on a bit further to another waterfall, the guide said the water is special and gives you longer life. I believed her.
The captain took the boat right up to the waterfall and the guide leaned dangerously over the front and filled some cups with the water cascading down the rock, and we all drank some. If I die within the next few years I'll sue.
It was pretty good though, both the water and the waterfall.
Kept going, back to the harbour, then the captain said something in Danish and up ahead were 2 whales, I just caught a glimpse before they disappeared under the water.
About 5 minutes later we saw the most amazing iceberg - a huge one with a hole through it, shaped like a cathedral. The captain took us close to it and went around so we could take photos. Even the guide was taking photos so it must have been good.
Back to the harbour, an unforgettable day.
Got dropped off at the tour place and walked back to the hotel.
Later on went to a new restaurant, I had salmon, Song had a musk ox pattie, like a burger. They didn't have local beer so I didn't bother.
My salmon was OK, Song said her musk ox was OK. I tried some, it was a lot stronger and more gamey than the one I had the other day.
Back to the hotel for the last night.
So, what did I think of Greenland?
It really is an amazing place, I never tired of looking at the icebergs out of the hotel room. The Icefjiord was magnificent, a white alien landscape that was simply stunning. The highlight was the trip to the glacier today, moving through the water surrounded by the icebergs, every minute or so we'd say "look at that one!".
If you look at Ilulissat on a map, it looks extremely isolated and you'd think there was nothing here, and that it's not worth going. The reality is that while you'd struggle to find 5 star accommodation, it's not rough here. There are several hotels and restaurants that are very good, wifi in most of them, supermarkets, bars and cafes. The hikes were relatively easy, and there are plenty of tours that are worth taking. The weather was great, we had a few sunny days and even though the temperature was around 4-8C there were some days I was just wearing a t shirt.
The downside is that everything is very expensive. From the flight from Denmark (or Iceland), the accommodation, for which you have to pay extra on top of the room rate if there's more than one person, the food, and the tours. But I think if you're prepared for the cost, it's a once in a lifetime experience.
Back to civilisation tomorrow, 0700 flight to Copenhagen, stay in the airport hotel again for one night, then on to Paris.
Guy drove us to the harbour where we stood with a few people waiting to get on the boat, constantly swatting mosquitoes. Bastards.
Only 6 people on the boat, an American woman and her granddaughter, and a Danish couple.
The boat was small but comfortable - the seats were like aircraft seats but larger. I've been on a few similar boat trips and this was the most comfortable by far, the cabin was heated as well.
We headed out of the harbour into the sea filled with icebergs.
There weren't many icebergs close to the shore where the captain took us, so we picked up speed and were zipping along. Standing in the shelter of the cabin at the back was fine, but if I stepped to the side I was hit with a blast of icy air.
After a couple of minutes we came to a huge number of icebergs, ranging in size from tiny chunks to some the size of several houses, some the size of several football fields.
The boat slowed and we passed by dozens of them, zig-zagging between them - an amazing experience to be so close to them, all different shapes, and some pure white, some with pale blue ice and some with dirty brown areas. Occasionally there would be a thump as the boat hit a small one.
Truly beautiful and amazing.
We picked up speed again as the ice cleared and turned into a bay where there was a small settlement of 25 - 30 people, called Oqaatsut.
I can't comprehend why someone would choose to live in such an isolated place.
Headed back out, past a massive iceberg, then carried on up the coast, fewer icebergs around. I'm saying icebergs a lot.
Turned into another bay and stopped the boat for a cup of tea. There was a small house on a hill, apparently a holiday home. Talk about getting away from it all.
Back out into the sea, more you-know-whats, slowed down again to navigate around them. Saw a couple of small waterfalls, and a seal that quickly submerged as we approached.
At a couple of spots the guide pointed out the ice cap in the distance, about 20km from where we were.
Pretty soon we were approaching the glacier and encountered more thingys, slowed down to dodge them, then slowed to a crawl as the captain got closer, crunching over the ice and pushing some of the smaller ibs out of the way. He killed the engine and we sat there for about an hour, watching as chunks of ice occasionally fell off the glacier followed by the sound, like thunder.
The guide gave everyone a big roll each and we sat and ate in silence, the sun had come out and it was quite warm.
Easily the best lunch venue I've ever been to.
Another small boat arrived but stayed behind us so we had an uninterrupted view of the glacier.
We would drift around and the captain would swing us round so that we were always looking at the glacier.
There is actually a lodge there where you can stay, 15 rooms, some even have a flushing toilet (the standard ones have a bucket). I don't know the cost of these though.
Turned around and went back to the town, passing the icebergs, just marveling at the views.
The boat stopped near one of the waterfalls, which was also where a lot of sea birds were nesting.
Carried on a bit further to another waterfall, the guide said the water is special and gives you longer life. I believed her.
The captain took the boat right up to the waterfall and the guide leaned dangerously over the front and filled some cups with the water cascading down the rock, and we all drank some. If I die within the next few years I'll sue.
It was pretty good though, both the water and the waterfall.
Kept going, back to the harbour, then the captain said something in Danish and up ahead were 2 whales, I just caught a glimpse before they disappeared under the water.
About 5 minutes later we saw the most amazing iceberg - a huge one with a hole through it, shaped like a cathedral. The captain took us close to it and went around so we could take photos. Even the guide was taking photos so it must have been good.
Back to the harbour, an unforgettable day.
Got dropped off at the tour place and walked back to the hotel.
Later on went to a new restaurant, I had salmon, Song had a musk ox pattie, like a burger. They didn't have local beer so I didn't bother.
My salmon was OK, Song said her musk ox was OK. I tried some, it was a lot stronger and more gamey than the one I had the other day.
Back to the hotel for the last night.
So, what did I think of Greenland?
It really is an amazing place, I never tired of looking at the icebergs out of the hotel room. The Icefjiord was magnificent, a white alien landscape that was simply stunning. The highlight was the trip to the glacier today, moving through the water surrounded by the icebergs, every minute or so we'd say "look at that one!".
If you look at Ilulissat on a map, it looks extremely isolated and you'd think there was nothing here, and that it's not worth going. The reality is that while you'd struggle to find 5 star accommodation, it's not rough here. There are several hotels and restaurants that are very good, wifi in most of them, supermarkets, bars and cafes. The hikes were relatively easy, and there are plenty of tours that are worth taking. The weather was great, we had a few sunny days and even though the temperature was around 4-8C there were some days I was just wearing a t shirt.
The downside is that everything is very expensive. From the flight from Denmark (or Iceland), the accommodation, for which you have to pay extra on top of the room rate if there's more than one person, the food, and the tours. But I think if you're prepared for the cost, it's a once in a lifetime experience.
Back to civilisation tomorrow, 0700 flight to Copenhagen, stay in the airport hotel again for one night, then on to Paris.
Thursday, June 6, 2019
Day 16 - Ilulissat
Woke up to a perfect day, sunny and not a cloud in the sky, usual view of icebergs out of the window. I forgot to mention that the water is very calm, no waves at all, and the icebergs move very slowly.
Decided to go for the walk after breakfast, it was 10:00 but hardly anyone around on the streets. I didn't bother with a jacket, just a t shirt and jumper. Got to the track and took the red route to where the blue track intersected. The track started down a pretty steep incline down with lots of loose gravel and looked a bit dodgy, so we took a bit of a diversion to join it at another point.
After a while we noticed there were no blue markers, but it was a well worn path so just thought they were a bit slack. Nope, as we discovered later, we weren't on the blue track, but an unofficial one. It was well defined, and easy to follow, but there were a couple of spots that were pretty hairy, we had to scramble across some steep slopes and make some decisions about which way to go. We didn't see any other people so we were on our own, we had the views and the hills to ourselves. I don't think I've ever been anywhere as quiet, just the occasional bird song and the buzzing of insects.
We sat down every so often to take in the view and rest, sat on a rock, the Icefjiord in front of us, the hills around, with no sound or people.
We followed the path down to a beach, which was just rocks and boulders, and managed to get right up to the water - had a taste (as you do), it was slightly salty and cold, obviously. We'd seen a sign at another beach warning to stay away because ice breaking off the large icebergs can cause tsunamis, and I had visions of the news headlines - "dumb Australian couple killed while taking selfies in Greenland". There weren't any large ones close in though, and we survived.
We'd been walking for about 3 hours so decided to head back to the town, but now we could see the blue markers and chose to head back to the red track, because I thought to go forward along the blue would be longer and harder. Plus it came out at the other side of town, a long way from a restaurant where we wanted to go for lunch.
Still hadn't seen anyone else, which made me think that if you injured yourself it would be a while for help to get to you.
Followed the blue markers and soon found that the path we took by mistake was actually easier - this blue one had some pretty steep slopes where we had to use our hands, plus a couple of places where we had to jump between boulders with big gaps between them, a broken ankle or leg just waiting to happen.
We climbed about 3 steep hills and finally saw 2 more people coming towards us, and then saw the red paint that marked the path back to the town.
It was a nice feeling of achievement - it was hard work and pretty physical, considering I'm not fit and spend most of my day sitting on my backside watching cat videos and checking Facebook. I mean doing database stuff. If anyone from work is reading this, definitely database stuff.
I usually walk about 4000 steps a day, the last 4 days I've averaged 18200 a day.
Went to the restaurant and the guy said they were closed, despite it being 14:09 and they said they close at 14:30.
Anyway, there was plenty of choice so we went to another place and Song had Snow crab - the third one in 3 days, I think she's personally trying to make them extinct. I had halibut because I realised I'd had meat for every meal except fish and chips the other day.
The crab was more expensive but smaller than the one Song had the previous night, my fish was OK, not brilliant. I also had an ice cream (they didn't have beer). Cost 108 AUD - steep, but we're not shocked any more.
Popped into the tour operator to check if they had the numbers for the cruise to the glacier tomorrow, they said yes.
Walked back up yet another frigging hill back to the hotel and decided not to move for the rest of the night. Up early to get the boat, but at least it's a day we're not walking.
Decided to go for the walk after breakfast, it was 10:00 but hardly anyone around on the streets. I didn't bother with a jacket, just a t shirt and jumper. Got to the track and took the red route to where the blue track intersected. The track started down a pretty steep incline down with lots of loose gravel and looked a bit dodgy, so we took a bit of a diversion to join it at another point.
After a while we noticed there were no blue markers, but it was a well worn path so just thought they were a bit slack. Nope, as we discovered later, we weren't on the blue track, but an unofficial one. It was well defined, and easy to follow, but there were a couple of spots that were pretty hairy, we had to scramble across some steep slopes and make some decisions about which way to go. We didn't see any other people so we were on our own, we had the views and the hills to ourselves. I don't think I've ever been anywhere as quiet, just the occasional bird song and the buzzing of insects.
We sat down every so often to take in the view and rest, sat on a rock, the Icefjiord in front of us, the hills around, with no sound or people.
We followed the path down to a beach, which was just rocks and boulders, and managed to get right up to the water - had a taste (as you do), it was slightly salty and cold, obviously. We'd seen a sign at another beach warning to stay away because ice breaking off the large icebergs can cause tsunamis, and I had visions of the news headlines - "dumb Australian couple killed while taking selfies in Greenland". There weren't any large ones close in though, and we survived.
We'd been walking for about 3 hours so decided to head back to the town, but now we could see the blue markers and chose to head back to the red track, because I thought to go forward along the blue would be longer and harder. Plus it came out at the other side of town, a long way from a restaurant where we wanted to go for lunch.
Still hadn't seen anyone else, which made me think that if you injured yourself it would be a while for help to get to you.
Followed the blue markers and soon found that the path we took by mistake was actually easier - this blue one had some pretty steep slopes where we had to use our hands, plus a couple of places where we had to jump between boulders with big gaps between them, a broken ankle or leg just waiting to happen.
We climbed about 3 steep hills and finally saw 2 more people coming towards us, and then saw the red paint that marked the path back to the town.
It was a nice feeling of achievement - it was hard work and pretty physical, considering I'm not fit and spend most of my day sitting on my backside watching cat videos and checking Facebook. I mean doing database stuff. If anyone from work is reading this, definitely database stuff.
I usually walk about 4000 steps a day, the last 4 days I've averaged 18200 a day.
Went to the restaurant and the guy said they were closed, despite it being 14:09 and they said they close at 14:30.
Anyway, there was plenty of choice so we went to another place and Song had Snow crab - the third one in 3 days, I think she's personally trying to make them extinct. I had halibut because I realised I'd had meat for every meal except fish and chips the other day.
The crab was more expensive but smaller than the one Song had the previous night, my fish was OK, not brilliant. I also had an ice cream (they didn't have beer). Cost 108 AUD - steep, but we're not shocked any more.
Popped into the tour operator to check if they had the numbers for the cruise to the glacier tomorrow, they said yes.
Walked back up yet another frigging hill back to the hotel and decided not to move for the rest of the night. Up early to get the boat, but at least it's a day we're not walking.
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Day 15 - Ilulissat
Still here, 2 more days after today.
Inside breakfast again, still cloudy.
Out in the bay the scenery had changed. The last 2 days we saw mostly sea and a few dozen icebergs, today it was mostly ice - literally thousands of small icebergs everywhere, with about a dozen small fishing boats bobbing about.
Walked towards the hiking tracks, up and down the hilly streets of the town, today decided to follow the blue markers - this track went close to the Icefjiord and was longer than the yellow one we did the other day.
The track was pretty much level, but it went past some boggy areas and tons of mosquitoes. Bastards. There were a couple of other people around, but they soon disappeared from view. Got some photos of a small inlet.
We climbed some steps, then went up a small incline and saw almost the entire Icefjiord in front of us. Incredible view. Took lots of photos. It was like an alien landscape.
There were a few people around, but surprisingly few, we only saw about 10 in all.
Sat on a rock just looking at the view, had a cup of tea. It wasn't cold, a fair bit warmer than the other day, and at one stage I took my jacket off and just had my T shirt. It was mostly cloudy but the sun came out intermittently, highlighting some of the ice. We were about 50M from the ice, on a hill. Some of the icebergs looked to be around 20 storeys tall. You could hear the ice groaning and cracking now and then, and occasionally there would be a loud thump as something big fell off, but we didn't see any.
After a while we moved along the track, still with stunning views, and were the only people there. It was very quiet, the occasional bird and buzzing of mosquitoes.
Came across a junction with another track (red), and asked an old German lady sat there if the blue track went back to the town. She said yes, but it was very long, so we took the red one which took us back to the town in about 15 minutes. We looked at the map and saw the blue track would have taken a few hours, so just as well we decided against it.
Staggered back to the hotel through the town and fell onto the bed.
Had a snack because we're back to the same hotel restaurant as last night.
Walked the 10 minutes to the other hotel, up more bloody hills.
Song checked that they would do the steamed crab, they said OK. I asked what the fish of the day was, the waitress said Whale. I didn't think I could eat a whole one so ordered the lamb. I also had a beer.
Song's crab looked like the monster from the deep, but she said it was very good.
I asked for my lamb to be cooked medium, but when it came out it was verging on well done again like yesterday. Mind you, the potatoes were under cooked to make up for it.
The lamb was OK though, and it came with a nice berry sauce, so not a total loss but not good value.
After Song had demolished the crab we went back to the hotel, didn't fancy dessert. Cost 110 AUD for 2 mains and a small beer.
Just about managed to get back to the hotel, collapsed on the bed again. This holiday business is hard work.
We are thinking of doing another walk tomorrow, part of the blue track we skipped, but I don't know if my legs will let me so we may end up taking it easy. I'd be quite happy sitting on the terrace with a beer or 2.
Inside breakfast again, still cloudy.
Out in the bay the scenery had changed. The last 2 days we saw mostly sea and a few dozen icebergs, today it was mostly ice - literally thousands of small icebergs everywhere, with about a dozen small fishing boats bobbing about.
Walked towards the hiking tracks, up and down the hilly streets of the town, today decided to follow the blue markers - this track went close to the Icefjiord and was longer than the yellow one we did the other day.
The track was pretty much level, but it went past some boggy areas and tons of mosquitoes. Bastards. There were a couple of other people around, but they soon disappeared from view. Got some photos of a small inlet.
We climbed some steps, then went up a small incline and saw almost the entire Icefjiord in front of us. Incredible view. Took lots of photos. It was like an alien landscape.
There were a few people around, but surprisingly few, we only saw about 10 in all.
Sat on a rock just looking at the view, had a cup of tea. It wasn't cold, a fair bit warmer than the other day, and at one stage I took my jacket off and just had my T shirt. It was mostly cloudy but the sun came out intermittently, highlighting some of the ice. We were about 50M from the ice, on a hill. Some of the icebergs looked to be around 20 storeys tall. You could hear the ice groaning and cracking now and then, and occasionally there would be a loud thump as something big fell off, but we didn't see any.
After a while we moved along the track, still with stunning views, and were the only people there. It was very quiet, the occasional bird and buzzing of mosquitoes.
Came across a junction with another track (red), and asked an old German lady sat there if the blue track went back to the town. She said yes, but it was very long, so we took the red one which took us back to the town in about 15 minutes. We looked at the map and saw the blue track would have taken a few hours, so just as well we decided against it.
Staggered back to the hotel through the town and fell onto the bed.
Had a snack because we're back to the same hotel restaurant as last night.
Walked the 10 minutes to the other hotel, up more bloody hills.
Song checked that they would do the steamed crab, they said OK. I asked what the fish of the day was, the waitress said Whale. I didn't think I could eat a whole one so ordered the lamb. I also had a beer.
Song's crab looked like the monster from the deep, but she said it was very good.
I asked for my lamb to be cooked medium, but when it came out it was verging on well done again like yesterday. Mind you, the potatoes were under cooked to make up for it.
The lamb was OK though, and it came with a nice berry sauce, so not a total loss but not good value.
After Song had demolished the crab we went back to the hotel, didn't fancy dessert. Cost 110 AUD for 2 mains and a small beer.
Just about managed to get back to the hotel, collapsed on the bed again. This holiday business is hard work.
We are thinking of doing another walk tomorrow, part of the blue track we skipped, but I don't know if my legs will let me so we may end up taking it easy. I'd be quite happy sitting on the terrace with a beer or 2.
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Day 14 - Ilulissat
Down to breakfast, sat inside because it was cloudy so not as nice as yesterday.
The icebergs had changed - one brochure called them ever changing ice sculptures. We noticed that some seemed to resemble things (animals mostly). We saw one that looked like a swan, one a whale and one the head of a snake.
Decided not to go on the walk to the Icefjiord today, instead walked to the bank to change some money, then to a tour operator to book a cruise.
We'd noticed that there were hardly any mosquitoes here compared to Kangerlussuaq, but it seemed like they all woke up today and there were loads.
We'd decided against the midnight cruise because we were consistently going to bed at 21:00 so would struggle to stay awake, plus the cloud cover meant it might not be that good.
Instead we asked about a day cruise up to the Eqi glacier. Unfortunately they only had one seat left, but I said I'd take it and Song could swim behind, but they didn't go with that idea.
There aren't that many different excursions - whale watching, midnight cruise to the icebergs, fishing, flights and hikes. Flights are too expensive, the hikes we can do ourselves, the icebergs is only a couple of hours, we've seen whales. All the tour operators do the same things. Only a couple do the day trip to the glacier.
Went over the road to another tour operator and they said they didn't have any scheduled but would ask one of their contacts - if they got 8 people then they'd organise it. So we put our names down.
Popped into the Knud Rasmussen museum, dedicated to, well, Knud Rasmussen funnily enough. He was a famous Danish explorer who was actually born in the house and lived here growing up before moving to Denmark to study, then came back and did a lot of expeditions around Greenland, Canada and Siberia. He was basically the person responsible for claiming Greenland for Denmark and for proving the connection between the indigenous people of the North.
The museum also had information about the area in general - very interesting.
Walked back to the hotel and relaxed for a couple of hours, saw an iceberg outside the window collapse and flip over, which was cool (literally and figuratively), then went out again to check out the menu at another hotel. I forgot to mention that Ilulissat is hilly, so every walk was reasonably strenuous. Song fancied Snow crab which she'd read the hotel had, and luckily it was available. Before we left we got a call from the travel people who said they were sure they'd get the numbers for the cruise, on our last full day, Thursday. Called in on the way, paid the very expensive price (1100 AUD for 2). The lady said if the cruise was cancelled we'd get the money back, it was company policy. Um, yes - a bit rough to charge us for a trip you cancelled.
Walked back to the hotel a different way, lots of people about compared to the last couple of days, not sure why, maybe because it was Monday and they stay inside at the weekend.
Popped into the main supermarket, prices were pretty steep but we didn't need anything so back to the hotel to chill until time to go to eat.
Got a great table next to the window overlooking the bay, with views of - yes, you guessed - icebergs.
Song ordered the Snow crab, I went for the reindeer steak. I also had a beer.
Song's was cooked Thai style (lots of Thai food here for some reason) in a curry sauce and she said she would have preferred it just steamed.
Mine was good, although I asked for medium and it was more well done (I can't win - the steak I ordered medium in Oslo was rare), but the meat was very tender. There was also a small round red glowing thing, but I decided not to eat it.
It was gamey, with a definite hint of liver. I wouldn't rule out ordering it again one day.
We also ordered dessert - I had a chocolate brownie with chocolate mousse, fruit and ice cream, Song ordered vanilla panacotta, which also came with the same stuff. All the food photos are on Instagram if you're interested (probably not). Interestingly, the ice in the water is from icebergs. Not surprising really. Cost about 163 AUD. Phew.
Song decided she wanted the crab again tomorrow, and asked if the chef could just steam it, they said yes, so we booked again.
Walked back to the hotel (up and down hills again) and only saw one person, a kid on a bike.
Got back into the room and collapsed on the bed.
Tomorrow we'll probably do the walk to the Icefjord
The icebergs had changed - one brochure called them ever changing ice sculptures. We noticed that some seemed to resemble things (animals mostly). We saw one that looked like a swan, one a whale and one the head of a snake.
Decided not to go on the walk to the Icefjiord today, instead walked to the bank to change some money, then to a tour operator to book a cruise.
We'd noticed that there were hardly any mosquitoes here compared to Kangerlussuaq, but it seemed like they all woke up today and there were loads.
We'd decided against the midnight cruise because we were consistently going to bed at 21:00 so would struggle to stay awake, plus the cloud cover meant it might not be that good.
Instead we asked about a day cruise up to the Eqi glacier. Unfortunately they only had one seat left, but I said I'd take it and Song could swim behind, but they didn't go with that idea.
There aren't that many different excursions - whale watching, midnight cruise to the icebergs, fishing, flights and hikes. Flights are too expensive, the hikes we can do ourselves, the icebergs is only a couple of hours, we've seen whales. All the tour operators do the same things. Only a couple do the day trip to the glacier.
Went over the road to another tour operator and they said they didn't have any scheduled but would ask one of their contacts - if they got 8 people then they'd organise it. So we put our names down.
Popped into the Knud Rasmussen museum, dedicated to, well, Knud Rasmussen funnily enough. He was a famous Danish explorer who was actually born in the house and lived here growing up before moving to Denmark to study, then came back and did a lot of expeditions around Greenland, Canada and Siberia. He was basically the person responsible for claiming Greenland for Denmark and for proving the connection between the indigenous people of the North.
The museum also had information about the area in general - very interesting.
Walked back to the hotel and relaxed for a couple of hours, saw an iceberg outside the window collapse and flip over, which was cool (literally and figuratively), then went out again to check out the menu at another hotel. I forgot to mention that Ilulissat is hilly, so every walk was reasonably strenuous. Song fancied Snow crab which she'd read the hotel had, and luckily it was available. Before we left we got a call from the travel people who said they were sure they'd get the numbers for the cruise, on our last full day, Thursday. Called in on the way, paid the very expensive price (1100 AUD for 2). The lady said if the cruise was cancelled we'd get the money back, it was company policy. Um, yes - a bit rough to charge us for a trip you cancelled.
Walked back to the hotel a different way, lots of people about compared to the last couple of days, not sure why, maybe because it was Monday and they stay inside at the weekend.
Popped into the main supermarket, prices were pretty steep but we didn't need anything so back to the hotel to chill until time to go to eat.
Got a great table next to the window overlooking the bay, with views of - yes, you guessed - icebergs.
Song ordered the Snow crab, I went for the reindeer steak. I also had a beer.
Song's was cooked Thai style (lots of Thai food here for some reason) in a curry sauce and she said she would have preferred it just steamed.
Mine was good, although I asked for medium and it was more well done (I can't win - the steak I ordered medium in Oslo was rare), but the meat was very tender. There was also a small round red glowing thing, but I decided not to eat it.
It was gamey, with a definite hint of liver. I wouldn't rule out ordering it again one day.
We also ordered dessert - I had a chocolate brownie with chocolate mousse, fruit and ice cream, Song ordered vanilla panacotta, which also came with the same stuff. All the food photos are on Instagram if you're interested (probably not). Interestingly, the ice in the water is from icebergs. Not surprising really. Cost about 163 AUD. Phew.
Song decided she wanted the crab again tomorrow, and asked if the chef could just steam it, they said yes, so we booked again.
Walked back to the hotel (up and down hills again) and only saw one person, a kid on a bike.
Got back into the room and collapsed on the bed.
Tomorrow we'll probably do the walk to the Icefjord
Monday, June 3, 2019
Day 13 - Ilulissat
What a day.
Down to breakfast at around 0800, sat outside in the sun, 4C. Icebergs floating by. No-one else was game enough to sit outside, but it wasn't that cold with the jacket on, so I had the terrace to myself after Song went inside. Put on some earphones and listened to some music while looking out over the bay, blue water, white icebergs, blue sky with the occasional boat zipping by. Magical.
Headed out, decided to try a different way and saw an old couple walking in the same direction who looked as if they had a plan so thought we'd follow them for a while.
Walked around the outskirts of the town, past some unsightly rubbish that was just dumped in a pond, very disappointing. I think most tourists who come here would be environmentally conscious and not drop rubbish, so I suspect it's the locals. That and the fact that not many tourists will carry car tires or old boat motors with them.
There were hundreds of dogs chained up in the fields and on the hills surrounding the town. These are the sled dogs used in the winter, and apparently there are the same number of dogs as people here. They looked healthy, if a bit grubby, and most had kennels although I don't know how much protection they get in Winter when it gets down to -12C or colder.
Carried on following the old couple, who then veered off along a dodgy looking path, so we carried on and ended up at the start of the walking tracks.
I had intended to investigate these on another day, but since we were here we picked one, following the yellow markers, climbing slightly, across rocks covered in lichen with the odd pool here and there. It was still cold, but we were wrapped up so it was fine, and it was an easy walk with just a couple of places where a bit of a leap was required.
After about 15 minutes we could see some peaks of the Icefjord - the icebergs that break off the main icecap and form an ice sea. Looking back, we could see the town. Photos were taken.
We carried on along the path, went over a rise, and saw the entire Icefjord - unbelievably spectacular. It's basically a river of ice, made up of some massive chunks and lots of small ones. The fjord was in a valley, with the ice feeding into the sea to the right. Just an incredible view. We took tons of photos, then just sat on a rock taking it all in.
When Song said we should go to Greenland I wondered what there was to do. The answer is not much, except see something like this. Amazing.
There were some clouds, and it was a bit windy so it felt a bit cold now. We took more pictures then headed back to the hotel. There was another path that went closer to the Icefjord, we'll do that another day.
After some time in the hotel decided to venture out again, back to the bay where I fell in yesterday. Took more photos and managed not to fall in, then back again to the hotel to eat in the restaurant there - the No. 1 restaurant in all of Ilulissat.
I had the Musk Ox pot, a stew with mash and a bit of onion and capsicum. Song had a Thai fish dish.
Mine was OK - hard to describe. If you had it you'd know it wasn't beef, and it wasn't really gamey. I wouldn't rush to order it again to be honest.
Song said hers was a bit bland. I also had a beer. It cost about 100 AUD, a bit steep for 2 mains and a beer but things cost a bit more here.
Had difficulty climbing the stairs back to the room, a combination of the food and the walking, so will probably take it easy tomorrow, plus we've booked a midnight cruise to the icebergs.
Down to breakfast at around 0800, sat outside in the sun, 4C. Icebergs floating by. No-one else was game enough to sit outside, but it wasn't that cold with the jacket on, so I had the terrace to myself after Song went inside. Put on some earphones and listened to some music while looking out over the bay, blue water, white icebergs, blue sky with the occasional boat zipping by. Magical.
Headed out, decided to try a different way and saw an old couple walking in the same direction who looked as if they had a plan so thought we'd follow them for a while.
Walked around the outskirts of the town, past some unsightly rubbish that was just dumped in a pond, very disappointing. I think most tourists who come here would be environmentally conscious and not drop rubbish, so I suspect it's the locals. That and the fact that not many tourists will carry car tires or old boat motors with them.
There were hundreds of dogs chained up in the fields and on the hills surrounding the town. These are the sled dogs used in the winter, and apparently there are the same number of dogs as people here. They looked healthy, if a bit grubby, and most had kennels although I don't know how much protection they get in Winter when it gets down to -12C or colder.
Carried on following the old couple, who then veered off along a dodgy looking path, so we carried on and ended up at the start of the walking tracks.
I had intended to investigate these on another day, but since we were here we picked one, following the yellow markers, climbing slightly, across rocks covered in lichen with the odd pool here and there. It was still cold, but we were wrapped up so it was fine, and it was an easy walk with just a couple of places where a bit of a leap was required.
After about 15 minutes we could see some peaks of the Icefjord - the icebergs that break off the main icecap and form an ice sea. Looking back, we could see the town. Photos were taken.
We carried on along the path, went over a rise, and saw the entire Icefjord - unbelievably spectacular. It's basically a river of ice, made up of some massive chunks and lots of small ones. The fjord was in a valley, with the ice feeding into the sea to the right. Just an incredible view. We took tons of photos, then just sat on a rock taking it all in.
When Song said we should go to Greenland I wondered what there was to do. The answer is not much, except see something like this. Amazing.
There were some clouds, and it was a bit windy so it felt a bit cold now. We took more pictures then headed back to the hotel. There was another path that went closer to the Icefjord, we'll do that another day.
After some time in the hotel decided to venture out again, back to the bay where I fell in yesterday. Took more photos and managed not to fall in, then back again to the hotel to eat in the restaurant there - the No. 1 restaurant in all of Ilulissat.
I had the Musk Ox pot, a stew with mash and a bit of onion and capsicum. Song had a Thai fish dish.
Mine was OK - hard to describe. If you had it you'd know it wasn't beef, and it wasn't really gamey. I wouldn't rush to order it again to be honest.
Song said hers was a bit bland. I also had a beer. It cost about 100 AUD, a bit steep for 2 mains and a beer but things cost a bit more here.
Had difficulty climbing the stairs back to the room, a combination of the food and the walking, so will probably take it easy tomorrow, plus we've booked a midnight cruise to the icebergs.
Sunday, June 2, 2019
Day 12 - Kangerlussuaq to Ilulissat
Halfway through the trip now - Tbilisi seems a long time ago.
The plane was a small turbo prop (Dash 8) with about 20 people on board.
Flying north, there were some amazing views over the island. The landscape was hilly, brown with hundreds, if not thousands, of lakes, mostly small, some huge. Most were a dark blue but some of the larger ones were a very pale blue, I think they may be glacial water. There were no trees to be seen, just the grass and rocks.
The flight took 40 minutes and after about 25 we saw the first glacier, the ice feeding into one of the pale blue lakes, so I was right.
A few minutes later we saw icebergs, a few small ones at first, then dozens, then hundreds going off into the distance.
Quite suddenly we flew over a glacier and some large icebergs - the snow really white, the sun reflecting off.
Landed (I thought we were now inside the Arctic Circle, but Kangerlussuaq is actually inside it as well) and got a taxi to the hotel (about 30 AUD), which drove around the bay, full of icebergs. When we got there they said there was a courtesy bus, but Song didn't see it mentioned on their website. What also wasn't mentioned was that you had to pay per person - and they only had one person booked. We dug out the confirmation and it said per room. We pointed out that we'd hardly travel from Australia and only book for one person, and if it was an option on the website we would have picked it - we wouldn't risk not having somewhere to stay for 6 nights. The manager came over (he looked about 12) and we showed the print out that had no mention of the per person charge (an extra 500 AUD surcharge on top of the 2350 AUD for 6 nights), only the room. To be honest I was prepared to pay, because what was the alternative? But he said that he wouldn't charge us which made us happy.
The room wasn't ready so he made me a cup of coffee and we sat on the terrace overlooking the bay with icebergs everywhere. It turned out his brother studied in Melbourne. Small world.
The weather was fabulous - about 7C but sunny, clear skies.
We haven't booked any excursions, we're here for 6 days so will do a couple of things but also just have some downtime and go for a few walks - the weather looks pretty good, cold (2C - 6C) but clear. I don't mind that temperature, as long as it's not grey and wet, but we can't control the weather. So there may not be any interesting updates.
The room was small and basic - clean and comfortable but 2.5 star and not very flash. There was a 4 star nearby but that was fully booked, but was also a fair way out of town. The rooms there looked better, but not many of them had views over the bay.
The view out of our room was spectacular, looking over the bay full of icebergs with a snow capped mountain range in the distance.
Left the hotel to walk into the main part of town (population around 5000), weather perfect. Great views over the bay everywhere, more icebergs.
Before we decided to come we worried about the quality of the food, thought it might be very expensive and basically whale and Musk ox. Didn't need to worry regarding the variety , the first place we stopped had a menu that included Pad Thai, burgers, pizza, burritos and plenty of choice. Song had halibut and rice in an Asian sauce, I had fish and chips. Song's was nice, my fish was a bit bland to be honest, but there were heaps of chips. I also had a local beer - yes, Greenland has a brewery. Cost about 50 AUD. A bit overpriced but not extortionate.
We were talking about how it's a bit surreal - it's very isolated in that there was nothing for hundreds of miles as we flew in - no tracks or settlements, just wilderness. Yet here we were sitting in a cafe that served Pad Thai and burritos with chips, and wifi.
Decided to go back to the hotel, spotted a bay with more icebergs so went down to take more photos.
I thought it would be a good idea to take one next to a big chunk of ice that had washed up. Turned out to be a bad idea because I slipped and put my left foot completely in a pool. Luckily I didn't drop the camera or Song's iPhone, that would have been a bit of a disaster.
Finished taking photos and squelched back to the hotel.
Hopefully the boot will dry by tomorrow - travelling with just hand luggage means we don't carry luxuries like spare shoes.
Sat in the hotel room looking out of the window watching the icebergs - over time different ones floated into view, there were a couple outside our room that broke up and drifted off, it was ever-changing.
Luckily this room has better curtains than the last one so it won't be as light.
Nothing planned tomorrow, we'll just go for a wander. An amazing place.
The plane was a small turbo prop (Dash 8) with about 20 people on board.
Flying north, there were some amazing views over the island. The landscape was hilly, brown with hundreds, if not thousands, of lakes, mostly small, some huge. Most were a dark blue but some of the larger ones were a very pale blue, I think they may be glacial water. There were no trees to be seen, just the grass and rocks.
The flight took 40 minutes and after about 25 we saw the first glacier, the ice feeding into one of the pale blue lakes, so I was right.
A few minutes later we saw icebergs, a few small ones at first, then dozens, then hundreds going off into the distance.
Quite suddenly we flew over a glacier and some large icebergs - the snow really white, the sun reflecting off.
Landed (I thought we were now inside the Arctic Circle, but Kangerlussuaq is actually inside it as well) and got a taxi to the hotel (about 30 AUD), which drove around the bay, full of icebergs. When we got there they said there was a courtesy bus, but Song didn't see it mentioned on their website. What also wasn't mentioned was that you had to pay per person - and they only had one person booked. We dug out the confirmation and it said per room. We pointed out that we'd hardly travel from Australia and only book for one person, and if it was an option on the website we would have picked it - we wouldn't risk not having somewhere to stay for 6 nights. The manager came over (he looked about 12) and we showed the print out that had no mention of the per person charge (an extra 500 AUD surcharge on top of the 2350 AUD for 6 nights), only the room. To be honest I was prepared to pay, because what was the alternative? But he said that he wouldn't charge us which made us happy.
The room wasn't ready so he made me a cup of coffee and we sat on the terrace overlooking the bay with icebergs everywhere. It turned out his brother studied in Melbourne. Small world.
The weather was fabulous - about 7C but sunny, clear skies.
We haven't booked any excursions, we're here for 6 days so will do a couple of things but also just have some downtime and go for a few walks - the weather looks pretty good, cold (2C - 6C) but clear. I don't mind that temperature, as long as it's not grey and wet, but we can't control the weather. So there may not be any interesting updates.
The room was small and basic - clean and comfortable but 2.5 star and not very flash. There was a 4 star nearby but that was fully booked, but was also a fair way out of town. The rooms there looked better, but not many of them had views over the bay.
The view out of our room was spectacular, looking over the bay full of icebergs with a snow capped mountain range in the distance.
Left the hotel to walk into the main part of town (population around 5000), weather perfect. Great views over the bay everywhere, more icebergs.
Before we decided to come we worried about the quality of the food, thought it might be very expensive and basically whale and Musk ox. Didn't need to worry regarding the variety , the first place we stopped had a menu that included Pad Thai, burgers, pizza, burritos and plenty of choice. Song had halibut and rice in an Asian sauce, I had fish and chips. Song's was nice, my fish was a bit bland to be honest, but there were heaps of chips. I also had a local beer - yes, Greenland has a brewery. Cost about 50 AUD. A bit overpriced but not extortionate.
We were talking about how it's a bit surreal - it's very isolated in that there was nothing for hundreds of miles as we flew in - no tracks or settlements, just wilderness. Yet here we were sitting in a cafe that served Pad Thai and burritos with chips, and wifi.
Decided to go back to the hotel, spotted a bay with more icebergs so went down to take more photos.
I thought it would be a good idea to take one next to a big chunk of ice that had washed up. Turned out to be a bad idea because I slipped and put my left foot completely in a pool. Luckily I didn't drop the camera or Song's iPhone, that would have been a bit of a disaster.
Finished taking photos and squelched back to the hotel.
Hopefully the boot will dry by tomorrow - travelling with just hand luggage means we don't carry luxuries like spare shoes.
Sat in the hotel room looking out of the window watching the icebergs - over time different ones floated into view, there were a couple outside our room that broke up and drifted off, it was ever-changing.
Luckily this room has better curtains than the last one so it won't be as light.
Nothing planned tomorrow, we'll just go for a wander. An amazing place.
Saturday, June 1, 2019
Day 11 - Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq
Up at 0600, down to the best breakfast so far, lots of good stuff.
Walked 5 minutes to the airport, checked in then joined the longest security queue I've ever seen - they must schedule all the flights to leave at the same time. Luckily it was pretty efficient and we were through reasonably quickly.
Got to the gate early, and gradually more and more people arrived - I thought there would be about 5 people and some chickens flying to Greenland, but the plane was a 737 and was nearly full. The population of Kangerlussuaq is about 499, so every flight increases that by a fair amount. There is only one flight a day, but no flights out of Kangerlussuaq to Illulusat till the following day, so you have to stay overnight. It's a bit of a racket because everything is very expensive - the return flight from Copenhagen to the final destination of Illulusat (about 5. 5 hours total) cost as much as the return from Melbourne to Europe.
The flight to Kangerlussuaq was about 5 hours; 5 hours of hell.
Screaming kid to my right, screaming kid behind and a woman in front doing horrendous farts. We had to keep getting up and walking to the back of the plane to get some peace and be able to breath.
Looking out of the window as we came into land, it was very hilly with patches of snow everywhere and quite a few small lakes and one massive one. For some reason I expected the landscape to be flat. Needless to say there wasn't much except rock and a short scrub grass.
The airport was in a valley so we came in surrounded by the hills either side.
Quickly off, lots of people taking photos - it was quite a sight. Going through the arrival tunnel, there were tons of mosquitoes. Luckily I'd read about them before so we were prepared and brought repellent.
The hotel was part of the airport and the room was basic but better than you'd think considering where it was, the only downside was that the internet cost a lot, and since we were only here for one night decided we could go without it. The next hotel has it. We saw a mosquito in the room but it was quickly dispatched by Song.
It was only 11:00 so we decided to go for a walk into the city (OK, village) it was sunny and about 14C, and pleasant, only wore a t shirt. Yay for global warming.
Loaded up with sunscreen and insect repellent, headed out into the wilds of Greenland.
The ground was sandy, which I wasn't expecting, with lots of dry grass and small bushes. I imagined it would be more rocky.
The area next to one side of the airport and town was a river and lake, the water a muddy brown, running through the middle of a wide gully which I imagine would be much fuller if it rained.
Got to the town, constantly battling mosquitoes which were everywhere, hardly anyone around, a car passed every 10 minutes or so. The only people we saw were other tourists, the place was like a ghost town. Song said it was like an outpost. The buildings were rectangular blocks, different colours, and there were shipping containers turned into storage dotted around.
Walked along the edge of the town, and saw a pizza / grill / Thai restaurant so thought we'd have a look. As we approached a bunch of American blokes came out, which reminded us that this was also a US military airport, and we saw a few military cargo planes taking off.
Didn't like the look of any of the food so carried on down the road to a bridge over the river. The river fed into a massive lake that disappeared into the distance, with patches of dried up areas. We climbed a hill up the road and got an amazing view of the lake, the snowy peaks in the distance, the town and the airport.
Still no one around except the odd passing car, decided to give the town a miss and go back to the hotel where they had a canteen and restaurant.
Walked back the way we came, went to the canteen and I had a roast beef roll, Song had a salmon and shrimp sandwich. The roll was pretty good - lots of beef, plus pickles, tomato, cheese and other stuff. Song liked her sandwich, came to about 22 AUD which was good value. We had a look at the restaurant menu and that was about 60 AUD for a main.
Went over the road to the supermarket and bought some provisions and were pleasantly surprised that stuff was not expensive - we'd been led to believe that everything here cost a fortune. Maybe when we go north they will be.
Went back to the hotel and relaxed - we were still on Copenhagen time which was 4 hours ahead, so by 19:00 Greenland time we were pretty tired but didn't go to sleep early to avoid waking up in the middle of the night.
Woke up briefly at 03:30 and it was light - we're so far north now the sun doesn't set. We slept with eye masks on because the curtains let most of the light in - you'd think that would be something they would get right.
Finally got up at 06:00.
Walked 5 minutes to the airport, checked in then joined the longest security queue I've ever seen - they must schedule all the flights to leave at the same time. Luckily it was pretty efficient and we were through reasonably quickly.
Got to the gate early, and gradually more and more people arrived - I thought there would be about 5 people and some chickens flying to Greenland, but the plane was a 737 and was nearly full. The population of Kangerlussuaq is about 499, so every flight increases that by a fair amount. There is only one flight a day, but no flights out of Kangerlussuaq to Illulusat till the following day, so you have to stay overnight. It's a bit of a racket because everything is very expensive - the return flight from Copenhagen to the final destination of Illulusat (about 5. 5 hours total) cost as much as the return from Melbourne to Europe.
The flight to Kangerlussuaq was about 5 hours; 5 hours of hell.
Screaming kid to my right, screaming kid behind and a woman in front doing horrendous farts. We had to keep getting up and walking to the back of the plane to get some peace and be able to breath.
Looking out of the window as we came into land, it was very hilly with patches of snow everywhere and quite a few small lakes and one massive one. For some reason I expected the landscape to be flat. Needless to say there wasn't much except rock and a short scrub grass.
The airport was in a valley so we came in surrounded by the hills either side.
Quickly off, lots of people taking photos - it was quite a sight. Going through the arrival tunnel, there were tons of mosquitoes. Luckily I'd read about them before so we were prepared and brought repellent.
The hotel was part of the airport and the room was basic but better than you'd think considering where it was, the only downside was that the internet cost a lot, and since we were only here for one night decided we could go without it. The next hotel has it. We saw a mosquito in the room but it was quickly dispatched by Song.
It was only 11:00 so we decided to go for a walk into the city (OK, village) it was sunny and about 14C, and pleasant, only wore a t shirt. Yay for global warming.
Loaded up with sunscreen and insect repellent, headed out into the wilds of Greenland.
The ground was sandy, which I wasn't expecting, with lots of dry grass and small bushes. I imagined it would be more rocky.
The area next to one side of the airport and town was a river and lake, the water a muddy brown, running through the middle of a wide gully which I imagine would be much fuller if it rained.
Got to the town, constantly battling mosquitoes which were everywhere, hardly anyone around, a car passed every 10 minutes or so. The only people we saw were other tourists, the place was like a ghost town. Song said it was like an outpost. The buildings were rectangular blocks, different colours, and there were shipping containers turned into storage dotted around.
Walked along the edge of the town, and saw a pizza / grill / Thai restaurant so thought we'd have a look. As we approached a bunch of American blokes came out, which reminded us that this was also a US military airport, and we saw a few military cargo planes taking off.
Didn't like the look of any of the food so carried on down the road to a bridge over the river. The river fed into a massive lake that disappeared into the distance, with patches of dried up areas. We climbed a hill up the road and got an amazing view of the lake, the snowy peaks in the distance, the town and the airport.
Still no one around except the odd passing car, decided to give the town a miss and go back to the hotel where they had a canteen and restaurant.
Walked back the way we came, went to the canteen and I had a roast beef roll, Song had a salmon and shrimp sandwich. The roll was pretty good - lots of beef, plus pickles, tomato, cheese and other stuff. Song liked her sandwich, came to about 22 AUD which was good value. We had a look at the restaurant menu and that was about 60 AUD for a main.
Went over the road to the supermarket and bought some provisions and were pleasantly surprised that stuff was not expensive - we'd been led to believe that everything here cost a fortune. Maybe when we go north they will be.
Went back to the hotel and relaxed - we were still on Copenhagen time which was 4 hours ahead, so by 19:00 Greenland time we were pretty tired but didn't go to sleep early to avoid waking up in the middle of the night.
Woke up briefly at 03:30 and it was light - we're so far north now the sun doesn't set. We slept with eye masks on because the curtains let most of the light in - you'd think that would be something they would get right.
Finally got up at 06:00.
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