FUN-video: Northwest Passage Trailer – Greenland to Nome, Alaska

November 8, 2022 by · Comments Off on FUN-video: Northwest Passage Trailer – Greenland to Nome, Alaska 

FUN-photos: Northwest Passage – Montreal to Greenland

November 8, 2022 by · Comments Off on FUN-photos: Northwest Passage – Montreal to Greenland 

We started our trip on August 23rd flying to Montreal then onto Greenland for the start of our 21-day cruise ending in Nome, Alaska.

These pix feature our western Greenland adventures. Icebergs abound, some 10′ high, mixed with the colorful houses and lots of great animal viewing!

FUN-fact: Ilulissat Icefjord – UNESCO World Heritage Site – is the sea mouth of Sermeq Kujalleq, one of the few glaciers through which the Greenland ice cap reaches the sea. It’s also one of the fastest and most active glaciers in the world.

FUN-travel: At Sea – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 10

October 18, 2014 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: At Sea – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 10 

Day 49 – Monday, August 18 – At Sea – A&K Cruise Day 10 – sun w/clouds – 50’s – sunrise 4:31 – sunset 9:53 – typical sea day

Danmark, Greenland 6

On Deck 6 Sailing Out of Greenland

What I LIKE

  • 9:00 –typical breakfast w/snack for the room
  • 9:45 – lecture on TV – the Future of the Oceans
  • 11:30 – lecture on TV – All about Auks
  • 1:00 – typical lunch w/no theme
  • 2:30 – nap
  • 5:00 – lecture on TV – Climate Change – Ancient Records & Modern Reality

Holm Bugt, Greenland 7

  • 7:00 – Expedition Recap – last one for the cruise – highlights of trip
  • – pictures w/music presentation on the big screens
  • – when you see them all together it looks like we had a good trip!
  • 8:00 – dinner w/Gabby & Brooke & 2 other couples
  • – celebrating their 35th anniversary
  • 10:00 – Julio (an 80 yr old fellow passenger & entertainer) serenades the group in the dining room with his singing and guitar playing
18 Margeriedal, Greenland 2014

Our Room

 What I DON’T LIKE

  •  Typical sea day – have watched everything on TV and getting bored

FUN-fact – Greenland is not a continent because it is part of the North American tectonic plate.

More FF – We crossed the Denmark Strait today which stretches 300 miles to Iceland and connects the Arctic Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.

z26 Margeriedal, Greenland 2014

FUN-travel: Scoresby Sound, Greenland – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 10

September 25, 2014 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Scoresby Sound, Greenland – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 10 

Day 48 – Sunday, August 17 – Rodefjord & Danmark, Greenland – A&K Cruise Day 9 – morning sun breaks thru clouds then mostly blue skies – 50’s

Rodefjord, Greenland 25

What I LIKE

  • 7:00 – first in line for…
  • 1st expedition in 1st group – zodiac tour
  • – see sun rise over fjord
  • – cloud colors change – really beautiful
  • 6000 ft high sheer granite cliffs line narrow fjord

Rodefjord, Greenland 27

  • 7:30 – massive, spectacular icebergs!
  • – some w/vivid blue centers – see a ring seal
  • – vibrant red/orange miniature flower clusters dot craggy shoreline
  • 9:00 – breakfast w/snack for later
  • 12:15 – BBQ lunch outside on deck – ribs, hotdogs, lamb chops
  • – wind kicks up & have to go inside to finish lunch

Rodefjord, Greenland 15

  • 2:00 – nap
  • *4:30 – 2nd expedition 1st group
  • – wet landing on Danmark island
  • – have no intention going out at 6 PM!
  • – get at back of line & go early
  • – really boggy w/big squishy tufts of plants
  • – big walk to top of rocky hill

Rodefjord, Greenland 21

  • – incredible view of distant snow covered mtns
  • – & icebergs dotting the bay
  • 6:00 – happy hour martini’s
  • **8:00 – typical dinner – causal Deck 6
  • 10:30 – more icebergs & ice covered mtns in distance off balcony
  • – sky is nice red w/orange colored clouds doting skyline
Danmark, Greenland 11

Sitting on Top of The World!

 What I DON’T LIKE

  •  6:30 – get up
  • *really rough seas – get splashed big time
  • – mosquitoes on shore – unbelievable!
  • – the rubber boots make climbing on uneven ground cumbersome
  • **food is getting boring – didn’t expect that for French ship
Danmark, Greenland 1

BBQ Bar

FUN-fact – There are no trees in the arctic.

Not so FF – Really expected to see lots more ice and calving of the icebergs.

Danmark, Greenland 15

FUN-travel: Scoresby Sound, Greenland – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 9

September 24, 2014 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Scoresby Sound, Greenland – A&K Arctic Cruise Day 9 

Day 47 – Saturday, August 16 – Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland – A&K Cruise Day 9 – full sun, blues skies, no clouds – 50

7 Margeriedal, Greenland 2014

What I LIKE

  • 8:30 – humpback whale sighting off starboard!
  • 9:00 – typical breakfast
  • 9:30 – enrichment lecture Arctic Sea Ice as Wildlife Habitat on TV
  • View from balcony window
  • – big jagged mtns jutting up from sea
  • – w/patches of snow
  • 10:30 – briefing in theatre
  • – for guests booked on post cruise extension in Reykjavik
  • – eavesdrop in back for tips on what we should do there
  • – I have my own post extension for a helluva lot cheaper!
Ittoqqortoormitt, Greenland 4

Ittoqqortoormitt

  • 12:00 – briefing in theatre – landing in Ittoqqortoormiit
  • Never ever seen a name spelled so bizarre
  • – any idea how to pronounce it?
  • Eeto-core-too-may is my best guess!
  • 12:30 – lunch – swing out w/pasta bar buffet
  • 2:30 – expedition 2nd group – zodiac to shore – wet landing
  • Small village of 500 – mostly native Inuits
  • – sights include: Lutheran church, school, hospital,
  • tourist office & gift shop so small only a handful can go in at a time
Ittoqqortoormitt, Greenland 22

Gary’s Sled Dogs

  • Most FUN & interesting – meeting Gary who has 25 sled dogs
  • – from London originally – has lived here 25 years
  • – when asked if they pull a sled he responds with, “Well they don’t push it.”
  • – decides he likes me as I am taking notes and not put off by his sarcastic response
  • – he has the most dogs in village
  • – when asked why he has them responds with, “I like going places I’ve never been before.”
  • – he likes me so much he gives me a biz card
  • – you can check him out at www.GaryRolfe.com

FUN-Fact – Gary has traveled over 20,000 polar miles with his dogs; more than any living Englishman.

Ittoqqortoormitt, Greenland 18

  • – A&K gives us postcards to send from the “most isolated/remote village in Greenland”
  • 5:15 – return
  • 6:00 – special presentation – 2 ladies from village share life experiences
  • – funniest story = they fly in a Christmas tree – has to fin inside helicopter
  • – saddest story = a lot of alcoholism – beer cans strewn all over front yards
  • 8:00 – dinner w/expedition team member Mats & his wife from Norway
  • – all married team members have brought wives on this cruise (figured this out on last day)
  • 9:30 – humungous icebergs off our balcony
  • 11:00 – night night for 7:30 expedition – we’ll see what time I get there!

36 Ittoqqortoormitt, Greenland  2014

What I DON’T LIKE

  • Whales too far for good pix
  • Ittoqqortoormitt looks better from a distance
  • No satellite coverage – like having news channels – no internet
  • – have watched all of the documentaries
  • & had seen all of the movie selections

Ittoqqortoormitt, Greenland 11

FUN-fact – The population of Greenland is 56,400 and 80% are native Inuits.

More FF – Their currency is the Danish Krone.

Ittoqqortoormitt, Greenland 14

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