Greenland Passage

Some ice chips off the old block cool my drink as we leave the berg-filled fjord Our pilot taught us how to say Skål in Greenlandic: Kassutta Only a few kilometers over a small mountain separate Igaliku from Tunullirfik Fjord, but the Fram needed an overnight journey to sail down one and up the other. The fjord at bottom center is where Igaliku is situated. The ice-filled fjord is at top right. We transferred to smaller local boats at Qassiarsuk (top left fjord on map). Although one of the boats could hold 40 or so passengers, I got lucky with a six-passenger skiff (thankfully, with cabin for the windy ride up the fjord) enabling a close-up and personal look at the nearby glacier's offspring. Words are insufficient. So. here are the photos:

If it's Tuesday, it must be Igaliku. The more Greenlandic spelling of this village of 30 souls end with a 'u', not an  'o'. Either way its location at the end of a fjord offers an ice-free harbor and sufficient flat ground to raise sheep, Igaliku's only source of revenue other than a couple vessels like the Fram each year. Igaliku is also the home to significant ruins from the days of Eric the Red. The ice-free harbors, with the ability to grow feed for sheep in 24-hour summer daylight, made these locations suitable for the Norse farmers. Here are some other photos from Igaliku:  

For four days we have cruised the southwest coast of Greenland. For those geographically inclined our route takes us from the long inland fjord with Kangerlussuaq at it end, to Qassiarsuk in the south and its nearby Qoroq fjord filled with stranded icebergs. Our first full day in Greenland, which began just a few hours after our late Saturday night landing at Kangerlussuaq, was a blur to me, other than then safety briefing with those funny suits. After program briefings we landed in Manitsoq, but I decided catching up on sleep more important. So my first foray on terra firma after boarding the MV Fram was at Paamiut Monday afternoon. Paamiut's most notable features include the Royal Arctic shipping line warehouse, the city's (pop. 1,515) and its stave-inspired church, complete with the model sailing ship suspended from the ceiling, a common adornment in Norwegian churches. The church choir entertained us. Here are a few photos: Paamiut's stave-style church. The or...

I'm behind in my blogging, having arrived in Greenland late Saturday night. But these photos, taken this morning after breakfast, show all is not snow and ice here. There's also plenty of rock. My vessel, the M/V Fram, is working its way up the Igaliku Fjord in southern Greenland where we will make landing early this afternoon. The weather prediction: clear, sunny skies, temperature somewhere around 40ºF. Our Air Greenland Airbus 330 took off from Copenhagen and arrived in Kangerlussuaq shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday. After a 20-minute bus ride to the quay we boarded the Fram's fleet of Polar Cyrcle tender boats (similar to Zodiacs, just easier to get in and out of) to get to the vessel, since many of the communities we are visiting can't accommodate vessels with deep drafts. Kangerlussuaq is home to Greenland's only true international airport, but its entire population is devoted to the airport and associated operations. From here fixed wing and rotary c...