Two Danes in the White Wilderness

Sailing off to Nuuk ice fjord

In our minds we knew there would be ice in the Ice Fjord, but never had we imagined what this tour would bring. As it is a seven hour trip, we departed from the old colonial harbor at 9 o’clock, fulfilled with excitement and a lot of clothes for the day, never go down on warm clothes on the water.

The way to the Ice Fjord was approximately two and half hours depending on how far in you can go to the Fjord, we were told that some days they can go far in almost to the glacier and some days you cannot get as far due to ice bergs and freezing water.

But do not worry, the sightseeing began almost the second we left the harbor. Sermitsiaq was filled with snow, and the landscape quickly changed from city to mountains.   

The Ice Fjord

When we arrived at the Ice Fjord, no words and pictures can truly explain the feelings of the wonders, but we will try. Try to imagine Caribbean water, all light blue and instead of tropical fish, icebergs of all colors and shapes you can ever imagine floated around, just being a few thousands of years old. This description might feel colorful, but we can promise you, we do not even justify it a little, you must experience it yourself.

As it became lunch time Malena, our guide, served a fresh made salmon sandwich from Katuaq (the culture center) together with an apple juice, where we of course, got a little bit of the black ice (the ice which one can see through) in it – mmh delicious.

Of course, we could not leave the Ice Fjord without touching an iceberg! So, Klaus, our captain, safely sailed us so close to the iceberg that we could touch it, and if you ask Natalia, she would have loved to climb it if she was allowed – which she were not, hence the displeased face.

Qoornoq

One last stop before heading out of the Fjord and back to Nuuk was the closed settlement of Qoornoq. It was time to stretch legs and walk around the abandoned houses, alongside the summerhouses still used. A “fun” fact; if a flag is raised in front of a house in an old settlement like Qoornoq, it means that someone is home.

Malena invited us along her childhood memories: going here as a child with family and running around with her cousins playing in nature.

It is close to impossible to go somewhere here where the view is not amazing, and once again it was true. Mountains, water and icebergs, small houses in colors – what is not to like?

Also, looking closely at the ground it was covered with small bushes. Crowberries! Probably some of the last ones for the season before the cold would come. And blueberries! Hmm. How amazing walking and then be able to pick berries and eat right there.

Whale spotting

Sitting on the boat looking out at the Fjord, everyone wanting to see a whale, but also given up the hope, a clear voice cut through the air “THERE! A WHALE!”, and just as we looked up, we could see the tail of a whale, and gone it was. We all held our breath and searched the Fjord to see where the whale would show itself next or, did we miss it?

There! The majestic animal showed itself again, and we all soaked the memory in and stored it in our minds, and camera, forever. This time the whale was a little shy, and we only saw the tail once.

To be honest, we don’t know much about whale species and how to tell them apart from a distance, but luckily Malena and Klaus could tell us with no doubt that the amazing whale was a humpback whale, which honestly made us even more enthusiastic.

Loving animals, specially whales, we could feel the respect given to this animal, we could see the whale, but did not go as close to it as one could wish for, but we quietly respected its personal space.

Gratefulness

Indeed, this was a trip for the camera, so much experienced and we are both filled with gratefulness, not only to have experienced the Fjord and the whale, but for the whole tour. The tour was filled with laughter and good company, two nurses from the hospital and Malena and Klaus, which provided a fantastic service with coffee, cocoa, tea, and lots of smiles!

Of course, there is no trip without a souvenir. We got to bring back some clear ice form the Fjord, which is ready to be served with the special Icefjord gin.

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