Exploring Western Greenland with Iceland ProCruises

August 29, 2015 - 7 minutes read

I’m positively giddy at the realization that I get to unpack and stay in one place for 12 days – that rarely happens in the travel business! My spacious cabin has a double bed, sitting chair, desk and chair, plenty of closet space and drawers, 2 of which lock, a bathroom with surprising cabinet space + tub/shower + wall mounted hairdryer, small TV for DVDs from the library, small refrigerator, individual heating controls and a nice sized window for the ever changing panorama…..my floating hotel.

Our charter flight left Keflavik Airport in Reykjavik at 5pm and 2 hours later landed in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland at 5pm. Didn’t take long to board the shuttle buses, drive through the industrial town and in the lightly falling rain, board the waiting Zodiacs that whisked us to the super yacht, Ocean Diamond.

The flight over Greenland was picturesque with snow covered mountain peaks jutting through the clouds and vivid blue lakes dotting the landscape. Much to my surprise there was no snow in Kangerlussuaq, only rocky terrain, dirt and scrub brush with one very large white rabbit spotted on the hillside. I expected Western Greenland to be all snow and glaciers even during late summer months.

Once onboard we had a thorough safety briefing and then I explored the Ocean Diamond’s decks 3-7, outdoor spaces, swimming pool, gym, lounges, bar, then had a nice a la carte dinner followed by a very hot shower with shockingly good water pressure. I crawled into a very comfortable bed with excellent pillows. Woo-hoo, 12 days here!

AT SEA:

Day 2 is at sea, sailing 477 nautical miles up north to Uummannaq so we have a Zodiac safety talk, meet the entire crew, listen to Arctic Adventures, the Danish outfitter operating our Greenland excursions, buffet lunch, nap, a fascinating lecture on Greenland, then….seasickness hit me hard. After my “heave ho” I called for the doctor who promptly medicated me and I slept through the night missing the Captain’s welcome cocktail and dinner, which I really wanted to attend. I should explain here that I often get motion sick in elevators, so I can’t say the water was that rough – no one else was as sick. It’s not the first time I’ve “heaved ho”, so why am I sailing for 12 days? First of all why let a little inner ear dysfunction interfere with a grand adventure and I like to experience first hand the companies I represent. Plus it is my duty to report on all the services here – now I can personally attest to Iceland ProCruises’ professional medical care. (Don’t worry, spa is coming later!)

UUMMANNAQ:

Day 3 finds me feeling much better if not starved. I dress, go on deck to photograph my first icebergs of the trip, devour breakfast and get dressed for my excursion exploring the town of Uummannaq, which takes its name from the heart shaped rock dominating the area.

Charming! Quaint! Every single item is shipped from Denmark – all the housing materials, cars, motors, boats, fuel, food, household items, etc. Crazy, as Canada and Iceland are much closer.

Greenland is an independent country and a protectorate of Denmark. Teachers, doctors, nurses, etc., all come from Denmark for several years to “serve” 2 years if they last that long in some of the more remote villages. The country, also the largest island in the world, has a population of approximately 57,000 with 80% of the island uninhabitable. There are no roads connecting villages to towns – all transportation is by boat, airplane or helicopter for emergencies. The main industry is fishing with the primary source of food being fish, whales and seals. Apparently chewing whale skin and blubber is an excellent source of vitamin C. This vegetarian will pass, thank you.

We walked around the village, visited the local museum, church, well stocked grocery store, old mud and stone house lived in prior to the brightly colored modern houses.  I also visited a truly avant-garde kind of gallery with photography, skins and other items…very unexpected!   I do believe humans have always had the need to express some sort of creativity and this gentleman definitely has a funky artistic style. Loved learning all the tidbits of information about the schools, orphanage, sled dogs, cemetery placement, etc. from our Arctic Adventure guide. Eskimo means “raw meat eater” and is now considered a pejorative term, hence Inuit is used for all the indigenous peoples from Alaska to Canada to Greenland. Oh yeah, the original Santa Claus was from Uummannaq – his house is 1.5 hour walk from the village.

A few of the kids from the orphanage were ferried by Zodiac to the ship to sing and dance – look at these sweet, beautiful faces! Uummannaq houses orphans from all over the island. The youngest child there now is 5 and the oldest is 30 – kids are not kicked out at 18 like in the States. 

Our afternoon lectures were on glaciers + ice followed by history of the Vikings, both fascinating as well as educational. After dinner there were too many choices; bar, listen to the live music in one of the lounges or movies on your in-room TV. Never a dull moment!  (kiki)

Tags: expedition cruising, Greenland, icebergs, Iceland ProCruises, Inuit