Icy Beauty
Written: Sep 10 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful, "unspoiled"
Cons: Difficult to get around with a ship, expensive
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| Heatherth's Full Review: Greenland |
Greenland is a magnificent place, from the glacier extending down into the fjords to the windblown tundra. I hadn't thought about going to Greenland but a friend of mine got a job on an "expedition cruise" ship and so I got a discounted fare. I jumped at the chance. Now I would pay full fare any time I got the chance to go.
Our trip actually started in Iceland and we sailed around the southern tip of Greenland which was completely iced in. Lots of cruises say they will go through Prince Christian Sound (Prins Christian Sund) but there are many years when the average cruise ship cannot make it through the ice.
Take the time to visit some Inuit villages. We visited several including Kangamuit and Itividleq. Even in these small villages the affect of the Danish subsidies is clear. Everyone is well dressed and well fed and for the most part seem very happy. Spend some time walking around, feel free to talk to the inhabitants. They may even invite you into their houses. Feel comfortable doing so. Go into the grocery store, the church. Notice how life exists on these barren cliffs. Imagine what this place is like in the winter! Notice the sled dogs (but don't touch - these are working dogs and many are not friendly). Many of these people get around by boat or canoe in the summer and by sled dog or snow mobile (only where the terrain is not too rough) in the winter. Many of the Inuit I met preferred winter because it was so much easier to get around in the winter when the bays freeze and all the rocks are covered by a deep smooth layer of snow.
One place you absolutely cannot miss is Jacobshaven/Illulisat (various spellings). This rather large town is adjacent to the largest calving glacier face in the world. There is a small but excellent Innuit/Rassmussen museum with very knowledgeable native but English speaking guides. Get your business done here - there's a bank with an ATM, post office, large general store, etc. If you have the money or can save up before you go don't miss the helicopter ride to the glacier face. It was well run, well maintained and the view is spectacular. I actually video taped out the window the whole way and people back home sit and stare at the whole 40 minutes. It is truly amazing. The ice forms the most spectacular shapes and shadows. A natural wonderland. Also, try to get a tour in a small boat (we took Zodiacs) through the ice bergs at the front of the ice fjord. Take lots of film with you. These are spectacular - they tower above you in white and blue, small rivulets dripping off the face, light shining off of every crystal. Try to get something recognizable in the shot - another boat, a bird or something to give your pictures a sense of scale. Not only are they amazing but you will see that every one is as beautiful as the pictures you see in books but all the more impressive when you are there beneath one.
If you are interested in Greenland I would recommend going on a ship as I did. There are not roads from town to town and the local planes and helicopters are an expensive way to get from one to the next. Go with a reputable company, get an outside room with a porthole, and make sure the company provides on-shore trips included with your tour. You can also go on Greenlandic ferries but this takes a bit more planning and is not as nice as having your own "home away from home" on the cruise ship.
I would recommend reading about Greenland before you go. This is not a place with a tourist office in every stop. I also recommend a fiction book, "The Greenlanders" by Jane Smiley to many people but be forewarned its pretty grim. It does however give you some appreciation of what it is like to try to survive in this environment and what it was like to be an early European settler here.
If you are interested in wildlife (I didn't even get to the birds, seals, whales, etc.) make sure you know where the best places are to see each species at the time of year you are going. It is entirely possible to go to Greenland and see neither a walrus nor a polar bear if you aren't in the right place. Ask your cruise company before you book. But remember, even they cannot "guarantee" that any particular wildlife will show up at any particular time. Oh, and a last note about wildlife and the Inuits - you are going to a place where seals, whales and puffin are all part of the native diet. We saw a woman skin a seal with an ulu (curved knife) on the shore one day. Whatever your view is about killing and eating these animals just realize that you will see this when you are there. It is a part of their daily life.
And shopping - many things for sale in Greenland cannot be brought into the US and some not into Canada. Check with your countries restrictions on seal skins before you buy those boots and if you aren't sure what something is made of ask because customs knows and will not hesitate to confiscate anything that is against federal law. But there are lots of carvings made out of stone and antler which are pretty safe to import. If you see something for sale in a village that is hand made (yes, there is a limited supply of things made elsewhere and brought in for the tourists even here) and you like get it. You can usually haggle over the price but I always think that they need that $5 a lot more than I do and if you look at the price of these things of the same or lesser quality back home anything the Inuits are asking is a steal.
Enjoy!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Heatherth
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Location: WA
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 1 member
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