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Our hotel is near the airport in the small town of Keflavik, which is about 49 km from Reykjavík. Our flight home is not until the late afternoon and we are slated for the 1:00 PM provided shuttle from the hotel to the airport, so we were free for the morning. Steve remembered a bakery he and wife, Julie, discovered on their last trip to Iceland and recommended we go there for coffee and a pastry. It was about a 20 minute walk but the weather was pleasant so off we went. The city was amazingly quiet (no cars, no stores open) at 9AM but maybe it was because it was a Saturday. Once at the local bakery we tried some of the local favorites (recommended to us by the gentleman ordering right before us); his suggestions were spot on.

By the time we returned to the hotel it was time to check out of our room so we ventured down to the lobby to play a couple more games of cribbage before leaving for the airport. I maintained my record of NOT winning a game; I was becoming suspicious that maybe Steve was using a “stacked” deck!

Check-in, security screening and passport control went smoothly and we simply had to wait for our flight to depart, which it did on time. We arrived back in Seattle to bright skies and beautiful summer weather. It was the conclusion of what turned out to be a great trip with our eldest son.

Epilogue:

– Both Steve and I developed runny noses and an occasional sneeze a couple of days before the end of the trip, which we attributed to simply a cold as we had no other symptoms. When Steve got home, his wife, Julie, suggested that perhaps he had contracted Covid . He took the rapid test and, sure enough, it came back positive. He dutifully called me and I also took the rapid test and yes, I also had Covid. Both our symptoms were extremely mild, with no evidence of a fever or other symptoms that commonly are attributed to Covid. Within a couple of days we both tested negative. Moral of the story: make sure you get all the vaccinations you can (I have had 6); I am convinced that is why our symptoms were so mild.

-As I mentioned earlier, the trip exceeded my expectations both for visual beauty and experiences. Greenland is certainly worth visiting if you enjoy this type of vacation.

– I was impressed with Quark Expeditions, although we both felt we learned more from naturalists on our National Geographic (NG) trips. However, it should be noted there was more “down time” on the NG trips then this one. The ship (Ultramarine) was like a modern cruise ship; it was well thought out. The food was excellent and the staff friendly and outgoing. And bar drinks were $8! I would sail with them again.

Parting comment:  “Life is short and the world is wide.” – Unknown

 

 

Luggage was out by the requested 7AM time, after making sure it was less than the 18kg weight limit that was imposed by the air charter and stressed by the ship’s staff. There were scales set out for us to verify the weight. We were asked to simply vacate out cabins by 9AM and were free to leave the ship at any time. The main activity planned for the morning was the availability of a ferry shuttle to take us across the fjord to the original home of Erik (sometimes you see it spelled as Eric) the Red who settled there in 982. Once there we were free to wander around and see some ruins, visit a current active sheep farm and stop by the local “cafe” for souvenirs and free food samples.

Unfortunately when we awoke it was raining somewhat and we were not eager to walk around Brattahlid (“steep slope”), the name Erik the Red gave to his village, in the rain so we waited in the lounge and worked a bit more on that darn puzzle before leaving the ship around 10 AM, once the rain stopped. The shuttle ferry ride across the fjord took only 5 minutes or so on a fairly modern vessel.

We spent the next 2.5 hours wandering around the small village, talking to some local guides about what we were seeing and enjoying some of the local food samples that had been prepared for us. They even provided several ATVs to take us to various sights in the village if we did not want to walk the distances between the sites. The rain had gone and it was a pleasant visit to the surprisingly lush area that is still active today as a livestock (mostly sheep) growing area. No wonder Erik the Red selected this area to settle. Compared to the other areas we have seen on our visit to Greenland, this area certainly is more conducive to living.

We were instructed to be at the airport by 1:30 to check into our return charter flight to Reykjavik, scheduled for a 4:10PM departure ( 7:50PM arrival). Quark had arranged to have box lunches waiting for us at the airport and told us there was an interesting museum and cafe near the airport terminal for us to visit as we waited for our flight. As I had mentioned earlier the local shuttles they had to take us to airport were either a small van or small school bus and since there are 150 of us Steve and I again opted to walk rather than wait for the erratic scheduled bus run. The weather was pleasant so it was not an unpleasant walk. Our game plan was to quickly eat our lunch and get in line to check in our luggage early, hoping to get better seats in the plane (we were way in the back of the plane -row 27 coming out). Our plan worked BUT once we checked in we found we had been assigned to same seats for our return flight-bummer! Oh well, at least we were now free to go visit the museum and cafe, while others awaited the very slow check-in process at the airport.

The museum was surprisingly large and informative. Turns out this area was a major refueling spot during WWII. The museum had artifacts and pictures from that era. It took over an hour to work our way through it as it was really interesting. It was then time to go to the next door cafe to look at our last chance for souvenirs and a local beer.

When we arrived at the airport we were told that our return flight would likely be late in leaving. Rumor initially was it might be about 20 minutes, not a big deal. However, by the time we were enjoying our beer on the outdoor patio we heard it would now likely be a 2 hour delay for departure, not a good prospect, but we cannot do anything about it except enjoy our beer and the warm sun shining down on us. Steve was antsy, having noted that there was a trail going up the nearby hill, decided he needed more steps and wandered off to take it on. Me, being of sound mind, decided I would simply enjoy my beverage and catch some more rays!

As it turned out we were not boarding our “unpainted” airplane until 6:30 PM , putting us about 3 hours late in departing Greenland. Thus  our arrival at Reykjavík, where we were taken to a local hotel for our final night’s lodging, resulted in arriving way past any opportunity to find dinner (11 PM local time).  Steve did some research and found a nearby Irish pub that was open to the wee hours so we walked there for a pint and perhaps a bit to eat. Alas, the Guinness was available, but there was no food served there. I had to laugh as there was not even any Irish music playing; there was a DJ blasting out modern R&R. We did find a couple of our fellow travelers there, however, and joined them as we downed our Guinness. Still hungry, as we walked back to our hotel we passed an all night convenience store that had really good salads and sandwiches which we purchased and ate while watching a bit of the opening US women’s soccer match in our hotel room!

Needless to say we went to bed a bit late!

 

 

 

 

• The game plan for the day, conveyed to us last night, was to go up a fjord where there is expected to be significant ice and offer both helicopter sightseeing rides (no landings) and/or  kayak excursions among the ice floes in the fjord. As is a common issue with expedition travel when we awoke this morning we were in dense fog and ice, forcing the ship to limit its speed to 3 knots… and we were 24km from our destination. So it turned out to be a leisurely morning and they moved the initially scheduled afternoon disembarkation talk to the morning.

We did finally arrive to our planned destination around 11 AM where the sun was shining and the fog was gone. Furthermore it was a balmy 14 degrees C (57 degrees F)! However, weather predictions were such that the staff scratched the idea of the helicopter flights as they felt they would not be able to give everyone the opportunity before the weather changed.

And the afternoon scheduled polar plunge was now on before lunch! I was on the fence about doing it again as I had done one in Svalbard in 2019. However, when I heard they would be giving those who participated a cloth patch I decided I had to do it once more. Steve had done them both in Antarctica and Svalbard and decided to pass, acting as official photographer for the event. The ship had a great location for the plunge, off the stern of the ship where they can launch their kayaks from a nice stationary platform. As we lined up in swim suits and bathrobes to await our turn the staff pumped out loud, high energy R&R music to urge us on. Many of those in line with me had never done one and I do believe the music was meant to encourage one to continue. Quark is super cautious and attaches a rope to each person before they jump in. When I did it in Svalbard we were on our own-although there were staff members right there to help pull you out. Here they simply pull on the rope to haul you back to the ladder if you need help. My plunge would not win any style points as I choose to hold my nose to avoid ingesting all that salt water. Yes, it was a shock (water temp was 4 degrees C- 39 degrees F) to the body when you hit the water, but not as bad as one might imagine. Some people actually swam around a bit before returning to the ladder. Once surfaced I immediately headed back to the ladder with assistance from the staff member holding the rope and eagerly accepted a towel, my slippers and bathrobe, a shot of vodka and my coveted badge of honor- my polar plunge badge. A quick hot shower and life returned to normal.

As we ate lunch the ship repositioned in the fjord where the kayak people would go for a ride through the expected icebergs in the area. We queried whether there might be an opportunity for a zodiac ride among the icebergs and were happy to be told there will be some. Most of the icebergs we have encountered so far have been quite small. Once out on the water we were pleased to find that this region of the fjord had some really formidable sized icebergs which made for wonderful sightseeing. Our zodiac driver/guide did a fine job passing by (but not too close as icebergs can suddenly rotate) and explaining why some looked the way they did. Viewing these marvelous works of Mother Nature ( each looks like a sculpture) was one of the highlights of my trip to Antarctica in 2012 and seeing these monsters today brought back fond memories. I snapped a heck of a lot of photos as we spent 1.5 hours working our way through the maze of icebergs that had become grounded in this fjord. It was a marvelous way to end our exploration of Greenland. And luckily we were back on the ship before rain began pelting those still out in the fjord!

There was a farewell cocktail party where the captain and staff received applause from the passengers for a job well done. As expected the chef and expedition group attracted the loudest cheers.

One last dinner and then a return to the lounge to view a 30 minute video summary of the trip with photographs and film clips were shown. The good news is that it will be available to us once we return home.

Farewells were offered to new found friends and it was time to pack as we needed to have luggage out by 7AM.

 

We were headed back to Prins Christian Sund, an area where had visited earlier in the trip, but planned to see new areas.

 

However, we awoke to so much wind that we were forced to make a change to our planned morning stop at Anorliuitsup Tasia, which ironically means “a lake where the wind does not blow” in the Inuit language! Plan B was to head further north to Kangikitsoq Fjord (I do not know what that means) with the hopes that our Viking group could finally go on a heliohiking excursion after two failed attempts earlier in the trip.

Luckily the wind in this region of the fjord was minimal and it was a go from the pilots and captain. We were the first group of 7 off the ship and I drew the lucky straw and flew in the co-pilot seat, giving me 180 degree views of the flight. We were, quickly (would have loved an hour more of flight time) flown to the flat summit (2,690 feet elevation ) of a nearby mountain where we landed. I later learned we were the first group to ever land here.

After disembarking we were led on an hour long hike by an armed (30-07 rifle) ship guide along the flat summit which was totally covered by rock with only a few patches of lichen and an occasionally lonely flower. We saw a lot of scat from tundra rabbits but no actual sightings of one. The event is called “heliohiking”, but because of the terrain it is more like “heliowalking”, as we only took 6,200 steps (~2 miles?) by the time we were finished. The views from this landing area were simply SPECTACULAR; some of the best I have experienced in mountain regions. Everywhere you turned there were jagged peaks, hanging glaciers, small waterfalls and deep, narrow fjords. Photographs simply do not do it justice. It was the highlight of the trip for me, even more so than landing near the ice sheet a few days ago. The hour went too quickly and soon we had to return to the ship so others could experience the same scenery.

I had a window seat on the way back (the copter holds 7 passengers) and we were fortunate that because the ship was moving slightly to a more favorable orientation we had to fly around a bit before landing so the pilot gave us a sightseeing tour of the surrounding area while waiting to land. It was a marvelous, unforgettable experience and more than made up for the earlier failed attempts to go heliohiking. It is the highlight of the trip for me.

Around lunch time because the wind had died down and the sun came out, the captain moved the ship back to the spot where he had planned to visit in the morning and people were offered the opportunity to either go kayaking or ride the zodiac into shore for some hiking. Steve went on the zodiac hike and I chose to remain on board to continue to let my “tweaked (calf muscle?) left leg rest. Besides I also heard the bugs were out in full force at the new landing site. Resting and working on this blog seemed like the best option for me. Steve returned later to tell me that mosquitoes were a real pain on their hike as it was along a small river. I was certainly glad I did not go.

We stick to our regular pre-dinner routine of drinks and cribbage (I still have not won a game, even after starting with a 24 count hand- a superior hand in cribbage) as we waited for the daily briefing by Ali and her staff.

Dinner was followed by a local beer and gin tasting event in the upper lounge and most people participated.

And then it was off to bed as another active day is slated for tomorrow.

We were supposed to arrive at the tiny Inuit village of Appilattoq to visit its inhabitants and participate in a series of events with them this morning. However, when we were awaken by our traditional wake up call we were told the captain has found himself in a fog and a channel full of small ice, forcing him to travel very slowly. As a result the visit to the village would not happen this morning and the helicopter hiking (heliohiking) flights were not likely to fly. Because we had been scrubbed from the heliohiking trip yesterday we were scheduled to be #1 today- not a good sign. As is common on expedition trips changing weather conditions often force a change in plans. The staff immediately responded by posting a series of lectures that would occupy the morning time. So after breakfast we went to a lecture by our staff photographer on how to get better pictures. She is from South Africa and has been a wilderness photographer for several decades. Needless to say the photos she shared with us were superb.

Right after the lecture we headed back to the panorama lounge (where we had started a puzzle yesterday) to continue working on it until the next lecture at 11:00 to be given by Colin, a glacierologist, who will talk about sea ice and glacier ice. We had no sooner began watching the lecture when we received an announcement to proceed to the flight deck as weather conditions had improved and we would be going on a heliohike after all. We quickly grabbed our gear and reported to the flight deck where we received our seat assignments, and I was selected to sit upfront in the co-pilot seat. Eureka!

We would be the first flight out and only had to wait until the staff was taken to the landing site to prepare for our arrival. By the time it was time to board (we were already in proper line ready to board the helicopter) we had entered a section of the fjord where the wind conditions were too high to allow for safe liftoff, so there was a temporary flight halt so it was suggested we go grab a quick lunch and hopefully, wind conditions in the fjord itself would allow for safe flights. Off to lunch we went and no sooner than we had finished we were called back to the flight deck and actually loaded onto the helicopter. The pilot started it up and was ready for lift off, only needing to receive permission from the bridge to go. Unfortunately the wind conditions in the fjord had not deteriorated as hoped so we were not given permission to take off ….yet. We probably sat in the bird for a good 20 minutes, engines running and blades rotating, ready to go, only to be finally told that the winds were too high, and projections were they would not get better, so the flights were scrubbed once again. They were concerned that if they took us up there, would they be able to get us back a few hours from now. We are beginning to think we are bad luck! The good news is while sitting on the helicopter we had a pleasant conversation with our UK pilot about his experiences as a helicopter pilot in the British Navy and his interactions with both Prince Andrew and Queen Elizabeth.

The staff had managed to reschedule the canceled morning trip to Appilattoq to the afternoon and by 2:30 PM we were being ferried by zodiac to shore to participate in a series of events with the people living in this village.

We convened in the local Lutheran church where a small (~10) choir sang several songs, ending with an Inuit version of amazing grace. They had really good harmony. It was then on to walk through the small village (about 80 people) taking in the various colors of the buildings, viewing the surrounding mountains, watching kids scampering around and seeing multiple big, bushy dogs who never barked.

We next met with a local person who told us about life here (through an interpreter) and answered questions we might have. There is a local nurse, but the nearest real medical facility was 2 hours away by boat. There are currently 7 children in the elementary school. As they get older they go to live temporarily in a larger village to continue their education. Their livilhood is hunting (whales, bear, musk ox) and fishing (halibut, cod).  The village recently celebrated its 100 year centennial. Surprisingly I had a 4 bar cell signal strength as they have a cell tower right in town. Idyllic location but I would not be able to exist here.

The highlight on the village visit was a soccer match with the local people. Steve participated; I watched the spirited match that quickly grew to 16 people per side! The home team was tough, ultimately winning 3-0! Luckily no one was hurt while playing on the rocky pitch.

Before leaving the village we gathered in their school/community hall for a rousing rock & roll concert by their local rock band! Rock & roll is a universal language and the place was jumping with both ship people and locals!

By 6 PM it was time to return to the ship and it had started to lightly rain (for the first time this trip) so the ride back to the boat was a bit wet because of the sea conditions and the rain. A hot shower, followed by a cold drink at the bar, solved that problem.

The usual daily recap, a peek ahead of tomorrow’s planned (hopefully) events followed by dinner was next on the agenda. Besides seeing some posted pictures that passengers submitted we heard a short lecture on mosquitoes which was quite entertaining.

When Steve and I seated ourselves in the dining room we found ourselves at the table next to the table reserved for the captain. He was alone and when I greeted him in Croatian (he is from the same region of Croatia as my grandfather) he invited us to join him for dinner. We had a great conversation about his life as a captain, the ship, the polar regions, his visits to the US, Croatia, our common ancestry, etc. It was a fun evening, complemented by reindeer loin for dinner (excellent and very tender).

I had finally managed to snag a 30 minute massage but had to go at 8:30 so I left Steve and the captain to go to the spa. I chose the foot and leg message thinking it might help my pulled calf muscle. Normally messages are super quiet events but when I found out my masseuse was from Serbia and I was Croatian she talked my leg off. We had a fun conversation and my leg did feel better when I left.

There was supposed to be a Sea Shanty song program at 9:15 but when I returned I learned that one of our tour guides (Peter Cammell from New Zealand)  had climbed (among other things) Mt. Everest and he was asked to give a presentation on his climb which occurred in 2012. It was a pretty fascinating talk about the preparation and execution of such a monumental climb.

It ended up being a fun day, even though it started out looking pretty grim.

When asked what is the most impressive thing about Greenland experts will say the ice sheet, which covers 660,000 sq miles, roughly 80% of Greenland. It is the 2nd largest body of ice in the world, only Antarctica is larger. It is almost 2900 km (1800 miles) long and 1100 km (680 miles) at its widest point. It’s average thickness is 1.9 km (0.9 mi) and 3 km (1.9 mi) at its maximum. It is one big ice cube! Here is a scary thought: if the ice sheet were to melt it would raise the level of the sea by 24 feet! Only the extreme southern coast and part of the west coast have land not covered by the ice sheet.

Our destination today was to fly to the ice sheet and actually spend some time walking on it with the expedition staff. As the helicopters (2 on board) hold a maximum of 7 passengers it will be a monumental task to get the 153 of us to and from the ice. Hopefully the weather (wind, cloud cover) will cooperate.

It took quite a while for the scouting team to venture forth and select a safe landing zone for both the copters and us. Once they established that we were gradually airlifted to the location. Normally they like to actually land on the ice but today they could not find a suitable safe, i.e., non-slippery spot on the edge of the sheet which did have a slope to it. They ultimately created a spot on the rocks near the sheet and had to physically move some of the larger rocks to make it safe zone for the copters.

This was to be our first ride so we had to review the elaborate procedure they use to weigh us and our backpacks and then place us in proper seats to balance the aircraft. There are then procedures on how to respond to hand signals by the staff that tell us where to go and how to properly board the helicopter as the noise level prevented talking. It was a well disciplined process.

I really love flying in helicopters! You are low enough to really appreciate the scenery around you and yet being in the air gives you a totally different perspective of the world around you. Our flight to the edge of the ice sheet was unfortunately brief but exhilarating. We reversed the process when disembarking and proceeded to gingerly walk across the rocky moraine left by the receding ice that seemed to go on forever. Ship guides showed us the safe ways to actually get on the ice sheet where we were allowed to wander freely, taking it all in. A ship glaciologist was there to explain what we were seeing, why it was the way it was and answered any questions we might have.

We had about 1.5 hours  to take it all in before having to reboard the copter for a quick ride home. This all day activity was quite a challenge for the helicopter staff, considering everyone on the ship was offered the opportunity to experience the ice sheet. Considering there are about 150 passengers on the ship and each helicopter can take 7 per trip, doing the math says they had to make at least 22 round trip flights during the day. By the way, there are 3 pilots on board, sharing time flying the 2 copters that are on the ship. The pilots are all from the UK and are ex-military pilots so we felt we were in good hands at all times.

Once back on the ship we had the opportunity to watch a marvelous, but scary documentary movie called “Chasing Ice”, by photographer James Belong released in 2012. It is available on Amazon Prime and I recommend you watch it, especially if you do not believe in global warming.

The evening briefing included trying (unsuccessfully for me) to learn some more local language. We also heard about the first expedition that crossed Greenland in 1888 by Fridtjof Nansen. We were also learned that tomorrow’s destination was a visit to a local village where the highlight is expected to be a soccer match between ship passengers and the locals. It should be quite a spectacle and Steve was ready to participate. Being wiser, I will watch from the sidelines and be videographer for the event.

We had another good dinner which was interrupted by the sighting of a whale near our ship.

7:15 AM and we received another cheery wake-up announcement via the ship intercom, announcing a new day and a new adventure.

We had made the decision to change rooms because of the problems with our previous quarters and it was done quickly after breakfast. The new room is much nicer, especially with an enclosed shower and heated bathroom floors- luxury living on an expedition ship.

This morning a PEP kayak trip in the fjord was on the agenda, as well as heliohiking for the “Fjord” group.  We had made a conscious decision to not sign up for what is called the “PEP” kayak trips because we go kayaking at home and we did not like to have to don all the clothing required to go on those trips. So our option was to do a zodiac landing and hike. Steve again chose the “charger” group and after my previous experience with the “medium” group I made the wise decision to join the “contemplative” group today! It started out nicely. I took my time, stopping to take in the majestic vistas around me, snap a few more pictures and simply breath deep. Then it happened! As I was climbing a small hill I partially stumbled and tweaked my left calf muscle as I recovered my balance. Nothing bad, but it became a nagging ache so I cut short my hike and returned to the ship to rest the leg.

After lunch the Viking group was scheduled to take a heliohike which I hade certainly been waiting for. We suited up-parkas and mud boots, but no life vest as we would be wearing special life vests when we flew. We had previously been weighed so when our random group of 7 showed up to the launch area we were giving proper life vests, reweighed (did they think we were eating too much?), including any carry on bags, and assigned one of the 7 seats on the copter. The seat assignment was made to balance the helicopter. Luckily both Steve and I were given window seats. We then simply sit in the chairs and wait to be called to board the copter. We waited. Then we waited some more as the feedback from the air was that the weather had deteriorated and further flying was questionable. After about 20 minutes we were told the flight was scrubbed; we would not be flying today. However, we would be first in line the next time the helicopters fly. Needless to say we were disappointed but we glad that safety was a priority.

By the time our flight was canceled it was late in the afternoon so we simply retired to the Ambassador Theater for some cribbage and drinks to await the daily briefing.

Dinner was again off the menu and was very good. After dinner some of the staff entertained us with a game of “Mariner’s Bluff”, where three of them were to give us the story of what a mariner term was derived from. Basically two people lied and only one told the real answer. We were then asked to vote on which definition we thought was correct. Needless to say there were some humorous moments and the audience was more often wrong in picking the correct answer.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, the plan is to transport all of us by helicopter to experience the immense ice sheet that covers most of Greenland. It should be quite a day,

We had set an alarm to make sure we would not miss the breakfast which is only served from 7:30-8:30AM.  We should not have bothered as at 7:15AM we were awakened by rousing music and a happy voice telling us to get up and start the day, and reminding us of the mandatory briefing starting at 9AM. The breakfast buffet was good with the usual offerings, including a chef making custom omelets. I was really impressed with the fresh fruit, given where we were. Steve even learned they would make specialized coffee for us, so an Americano became our normal morning treat.

Looking outside we found ourselves in a totally different world from yesterday. We had left the docking area and proceeded out to the open sea, turned to the East and now have entered a new fjord with totally different looking mountains. These are much more rugged and “pointy” as we commonly and inaccurately referred to them.

Ali, the expedition leader, had warned us about the mandatory briefing the night before, stating that it was necessary to explain all the activities that would be offered on the trip and safety procedures (including videos) that had be be followed to protect us and the environment. The talks were informative, the time passed quickly and before we knew it, it was time for lunch, again a buffet. It, too, was very good with many choices of both cold and hot dishes. We quickly learned that the ice cream bar would always be there, featuring two flavors of the day along with all the toppings you could think of. Cookies and other desserts were also readily available.

The afternoon schedule called for our Viking group to go ashore via a zodiac landing for a hike. The staff offers multiple hiking levels, ranging from fairly strenuous (chargers) to picture takers (contemplative) and one in between. Steve, as expected, opted for being a charger, while I, the sensible one, decided to push my luck and chose the intermediate, “medium fast” group. I later learned that my hike leader, Peter Camell of New Zealand, was an mountain enthusiast who has climbed Mt. Everest and Denali. His pace was pretty aggressive as his goal was to take us to the terminus of the glacier near where we landed within the allotted shore time. It was a beautiful walk, but there was little time to be “contemplative” with him as our leader! I thought that maybe future hikes would find me joining the contemplative hikers.

The day always ends with a daily recap where various staff members would enlighten us with information and pictures of the daily activities. One of the staff members, Lana, was a Inuit native from Greenland. She “tried” to teach us a few Inuit words today. It is not an easy language to learn. Ali finished the briefing by giving us a glimpse of tomorrow’s agenda. Again she warned us that weather conditions requires us to be flexible. I was impressed with the data she had available to her on the expected wind, fog, temperature and ice conditions where we are heading.

Dinner from now on would be from a menu, which turned out to be quite varied. The head chef was from South Africa. Wine flowed freely throughout the dinner.

There was an optional presentation offered after dinner. Tonight, Colin, our glaciologist, will talk about his year-long complete navigation of the polar arctic region. It was a pretty fascinating talk, which cannot now be offered because of diplomatic issues with Russia.

Thus ended our first full day, exploring the wonders of Greenland. I was impressed, both with the ship, the staff, and most importantly, the scenery I was seeing. It is not what I had expected.

 

 

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We are scheduled to meet at the Reykjavík airport at noon for check-in for our charter flight to Greenland where our ship is located. Steve suggested we head out for a coffee and fresh bakery items from a local bakery.  Sounded like an excellent idea so by 9 AM we were out and about again.  Turns out it was still quite breezy and with the temperature only in the mid forties.  We walked briskly to a neighborhood bakery Steve had identified that customers gave a 4.9 rating. Surprisingly it was in a residential neighborhood, not in the general shopping area. We could smell the wonderful aromas a block away and we were not disappointed. I went with their signature cinnamon bun while Steve chose the ham & cheese croissant. However, we had hoped to sit awhile and enjoy our pastry with coffee but there was no coffee at this location so we left, munching on our treats as we worked our way to another bakery where we knew they also served coffee. Alas, the pastries were gone by the time we arrived so we felt obligated to order something with the coffee and chose to share a scrambled egg & bacon dish that sounded good. When it came it also had two huge pieces of still warm bread on the dish. It was quite a treat!

We left the hotel at 11:30 and returned to the airport (40 minutes away) by cab which was not that much more than taking a bus shuttle. We figured at our age we deserved the extra convenience. At the airport we joined the line of other passengers checking in with the Quark representative who gave us our baggage tags and guided us to the check-in counter for our charter flight to Narsarsuag, Greenland (population 123!). Our flight was scheduled to leave at 3PM and would take about 1.5 hours. We had to laugh when being bussed out to our plane which turned out to have NO name! Turns out it was an older Airbus 320 owned by a company called Danish Air Transport, obviously a “plane for hire” company. The seats were closely packed but the staff on board were super friendly and fed us sandwiches, snacks and soft drinks. We got better service than we usually get on US airlines.

It was cloudy on the way over so we could not see much of Greenland, but as we approached the landing strip of this tiny town the sun came out giving us a good perspective of the land, which appeared pretty barren. I had to laugh as I watched our luggage being offloaded into a big garbage bin looking container to be taken to the ship. How would we get there? Two choices: wait for the small shuttles and local school bus to gradually ferry us the approximately 1/2 mile to the ship or walk along the only road in the area with some of the ship staff. We chose the latter and enjoyed the scenery of the surrounding area as we walked to the ship anchored in the deep harbor here in “town”.

Boarding the ship was easy and a staff member quickly showed us to our room where our luggage had already been delivered. The ship is only one year old and looks like a modern day cruise ship, minus the casino! We quickly chose to tour the ship before the mandatory safety drill. There is a great central meeting room (Ambassador Lounge) with a huge LED screen (along with multiple smaller screens around the room) for presentations. The main dining room is broken up into 3 separate areas, which seemed a bit unusual but does make for a quieter dining experience. There is the standard Panorama lounge located on a high deck for great visibility. And as typical on expedition ships the bridge is open most of the time for all to visit and observe. Before we knew it the safety drill was held and we learned where to find our survival boat should the need arise. I was surprised to find that beside the obligatory life vest in our room there was also a pouch of survival food/water stored next to them that we would bring with us should we have to abandon ship. First time I ever saw that.

Dinner was a buffet the first night served with free wine & beer. There was a brief all passenger meeting where we met the huge staff of all nationalities that would be supporting our trip. There were literally dozens of outdoor-oriented people who will be leading us on excursions this week. We were warned that schedules would be subject to change at a moments notice, depending on the wind, the weather, cloud conditions, etc. I think we all knew that was the standard when on expedition trips. I was surprised at the makeup of the guests. There were many foreign languages being heard and there was even an interpreter for a group of Chinese passengers. I only saw one younger person on board, the passengers ranged from the young to the elderly. There appeared to be many singles as well as same sex couples; it is a very diverse group.

We pulled away from the pier around 7:15 PM, led by our captain, who happens to be a Croatian from our family ancestral home of Split, Croatia. Hopefully I will have a chance to chat with him sometime this week. Another fascinating coincidence is this ship, the Ultramarine, was built in Split, Croatia.

 

Our adventure here in Greenland has begun!

 

We arrived  here in the capital(population of 128,793) of Iceland a day early to allow for body adjustment and to prevent any problems that might have been caused by our flight over. Both Steve and I have been to Iceland before. I was here in 2017 with Scott when we spent two weeks driving the ring road the circumnavigates the island. Steve and his family have been here at least once sightseeing. Our Icelandic flight from Seattle was completely full and we left only 5 minutes late, which we easily made up once we were airborn. Since Icelandic Air uses older Boeing 767 planes from Seattle their “business class seats” are really simply like those in first class in most airplanes, i.e. they are not worth the 100 % premium over the cost of an economy ticket,  so Steve and I simply sat in the economy section of the plane.

Besides the flight was only a bit over 7 hours. We both managed to grab a few hours of sleep during the flight and landed about 9:20AM, Iceland time. By 10:30 we were in a cab headed to downtown Reykjavík where we will spend the night.

Our charter flight to Greenland is tomorrow. Today we will do a bit of sightseeing in Reykjavik and have a nice dinner at Steve’s favorite seafood restaurant that he discovered on his last trip here. If you go back in time on my blog you can find the details of our 2017 trip. A bit of a refresher in the meantime. Iceland is an independent commonwealth of Norway. It has a lot of volcanoes, somewhere between 150-200, of which about 30 are still considered active. Thirteen have erupted since 874 with the last major eruption in 2021, a lesser one in 2022 and now a new one suddenly appeared only a few days ago in a new location not too far from the airport. We were able to see the smoke from it as we landed. Greenland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe, with only 387,000 people. History showed it was first populated by a Norwegian chieftain in 874 AD. Iceland is the 2nd largest island in Europe (Great Britain is #1).

Steve found a local two hour walking tour of Reykjavík starting at 1 PM which we decided would be good to take as it would help keep us awake during the day. Our room was not ready so we grabbed a quick lunch in a nearby restaurant before joining the walking tour.

The weather was pleasant but cool (51 degrees) and quite windy so jackets were necessary for our walk around Reykjavík. Once again I would urge people who are visiting a new city to consider taking a guided tour. You learn so much more about the history, the culture and important aspects about what you are seeing than you would by simply walking around on your own. We enjoyed our two plus hour tour with three other Americans who also signed up for the tour.

We returned to our hotel about 3:30, in time to get our room and also allow Steve to make several business calls before we ventured forth to dinner and a good night’s sleep. Dinner was at a local seafood restaurant Steve had found on his last trip here. Another travel tip: I had tried to make reservations on their website before we left Seattle but was told none was available. I decided to reach out to our hotel concierge (long before we arrived ) and asked them if they could get us a reservation- and suddenly we had a reservation on the desired day and time! Something to consider the next time you travel.

Dinner at Messinn was magnificent! It is a small place and was packed when we arrived at 7:30 PM, but there was our table waiting for us. The menu features a series of fish dishes served with vegetables and different spices in hot skillets. Both our choices were great. Two hours later we returned to our room and promptly went to bed, after a very satisfying day.

Tomorrow we board our charter flight to Greenland and meet our ship.