Embarkation day. There was a bus tour to the Golden Circle, but with Sheila starting a cold, we opted not to spend the day getting in and out of overly-warm busses. This led to a fairly boring day hanging around the Hotel Grand until 4PM, when we took a taxi to the pier. We were the very first to board, and the process went quickly. Here is our home for the next 4 weeks:
Expedition jackets and water bottles
Cross winds brought hefty waves to the Denmark Strait, so yesterday's crossing was kind of rough. We didn't spend any time exploring the ship, as walking was quite difficult. We finally resorted to using our hiking poles to get to meals and briefings.
Disappointingly, conditions don't allow for the planned visit to Scoresby Sund, the 2nd-largest fjord in the world. The winds have caused the ice to pile up too much for our ship. So we will not visit the village of Ittoqqortoormiit, the northernmost permanent settlement, but will instead visit Tasiilaq.
This morning, we were greeted by this happy iceberg, wagging its tail in welcome.
Tasiilaq looks like a lot of Greenlandic villages, sprawling colorfully across the hills.
Shortly after these pics were taken, the fog settled down until you wouldn't know there was anything out there.
Zodiacs ready for deployment
Leaving the ship for the first time
We took a "guided" walk, although the guide didn't actually have a lot to say. We did get thoroughly warmed up, though, and soon shed the expedition jackets. They SAY they're breathable....but they really aren't.
Then we came to a shop making traditional Inuit clothing, primarily of sealskin. Sheila thought it looked a lot like every costume shop she's ever worked in.
Fire truck
Traditional carvings.
We weren't able to purchase any of the sealskin items or carvings, because it's illegal to import anything made from a marine mammal to the US. So, nothing made of seal, whale, walrus, narwhal or polar bear is permitted. Yes, the polar bear is considered to be a marine mammal, due to their diet of sea creatures and their incredible swimming ability. They sometimes swim to Iceland....a nine-day trip without stopping.
We took a swing by the iceberg on the way back to the ship.
Yes, it's one iceberg. From closer up, you could see the connection under the water.
Sheila went back into town in the afternoon, and stopped into the museum. Nothing was labelled, but here are some pics.
One of the museum docents, Bruno, was chatting with a couple from the ship. He had lots of interesting things to say about hunting. They are allowed to shoot 19 narwhals/year in East Greenland. One time, a group of younger men were out hunting and got overly excited and shot 20. Bruno's mother works for the community, and she was VERY upset. "This will cause me a LOT of extra paperwork!!!" Because it had been a group and impossible to determine who had shot #20, they were all fined.
Stairs to viewpoint--Sheila did NOT climb them.
Back to the ship, and another tour of the iceberg.
If you click on the pic and blow it up, you can seen the bright blue ice connecting the two pieces.
Very picturesque village. All the bright paint colors can counter the monotony of the seasons. Possibly also purposeful - to identify each persons home...? I could stare at the berg all day. Too bad you could not purchase the locally crafted goods, but understandable why you can't. The polar bear carving the the window was particularly nice.
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