Ilulissat - Gargantuan icebergs, whale filled fjords and fascinating Inuit hunters

Greenlandic is a polysynthetic language which allows for the creation of really long words by stringing together roots and suffixes, and is therefore pretty well known for its long words, but which is the longest? If you go to a website called kalak.gl it claims the longest word is this:  Nalunaarasuartaatee-ranngualioqatigiiffissua-lioriataallaqqissupiloru-jussuanngortartuinnaka-sinngortinniamisaalinn-guatsiaraluallaqqooqiga-minngamiaasiinngooq."  Consisting of 153 letters.

'Qaqortoq' means 'white' in Greenlandic. South Greenland has more green fields and trees than any other places in Greenland, however ironically the name of this biggest town (population: 3,084 - Statistics Greenland 2017) in South Greenland is 'white'. Does Qaqortoq envy other towns in Greenland with a lot of snow and ice? Qaqortoq has been my favorite town in the whole of Greenland since my first travel to Greenland in 2010. So far, I have visited nine towns/settlements in Gree

Recently, I was in London, immersed in the heaving mass of city life. I was reminded of the things one misses when living in Greenland. Here are some of them. Coffee. As far as I know, it is not possible to buy a good cup of coffee in Greenland. People used to drive out to Nuuk's airport café, as it had a reputation for the best coffee in town. But the café has changed hands and I can’t say I was all that impressed even before the café’s latest incarnation. Th

In April 2018, I embarked on a two-person, twelve-husky, dog-sledging expedition from Diilerilaaq to Isortoq. Our route was uncertain. Max, the team’s driver, a former professional hunter and an experienced Ice Cap explorer, mapped a few leads after consulting other hunters and village elders. Our first challenges were to boat across Sermilik Fjord and to disembark safely onto the fast ice that clogged Johan Petersen Fjord. Next, we would start scouting the coastline for a way up the

When we travel, we are always looking for something different, eat special local food, experience seasonal activities, discover landscapes we've never seen before, find out the highlights and share the weirdest anecdotes when we are back home.  Some of my favorite moments in Greenland are when I have plenty of time to feel the cold breeze, the snow falling on my face, my hair blowing in the wind, or my fingertips getting frozen while shooting photos. Every single time I'm in th

How does iit feel to sail in Ilulissat? Well, first of all we must keep in mind the meaning of this town. Ilulissat means "icebergs" in kalaallisut (greenlandic). So now you can picture yourself sailing in a chilly paradise during the winter time, surrounded by its residents, frozen giants floating freely, huge white buildings standing all around Disko Bay, witnessing the beauty of West Greenland. As soon as the sea thaws, the boat trips are available and ready to wander around the coast to

I had the privilege of being invited to a Greenlandic wedding. A friend of mine from Bulgaria got married to a very nice Inuit guy born in Aasiaat (one of the biggest towns in Greenland, located in the southern end of Disko Bay). Nikolina and Kunuk got married in Nuuk, and it was such an honor to attend the ceremony, It was a tradition many years ago, that adults arranged marriage for their children. They had no other option since it was a necessity at their community, though there was no

Greenland is the 12th largest country and is known as the largest island in the world. Due to its massive size and a tiny population of less than 57.000, it is the least densely populated country with 0,026 people per square kilometer. It is mostly covered by the second largest mass of ice in the world, which, if it were to melt, is estimated to cause a global sea level rise of up to 7 meters. All these things clearly signify that it's a humongous country, so the question is: why isn't i

Taking a boat tour in the Nuuk Fjord is one of the highlights of visiting Greenland's capital city.  Read on to find out about my 2.5 hour trip all the way around Sermitsiaq mountain on a beautiful, blue-sky winter day I arrived at the harbour a little before our departure time and was met by our captain for the adventure, Thue, and Aputsiaq, our guide.  Both are native Greenlanders who were super-keen to take us out and show us how beautiful the Nuuk Fjord is -&nb

From Nuuk you can sail to Kapisillit, a small settlement, and from there it's a short hike on flat terrain to get to the amazing Nuuk Icefjord. There is so much ice on this fjord that it's impossible to get to this place by boat. The beach is just filled with these icebergs, giving a great opportunity for a closer look at these pieces of ice in all shapes and sizes!