![]() Under Disko Island’s 1000-metre-high mountains we enter the protected natural habour that has the Danish name ‘Godhavn’ or Good Harbour and in Greenlandic ‘Qeqertarsuaq’ which means ‘The Big Island’. Late in the night, we will leave the capital and continue our northbound journey. In 1979, the Landsting (Parliament) was established in Nuuk, and the town was finally recognized as the country's capital. In fact, Egede’s main purpose to return to Greenland was to convert the Catholic northerners to Lutherans, but soon after his arrival he realized the Norse had disappeared, a mystery yet unresolved. Modern history of Greenland began in 1721, when the Norse missionary Hans Egede founded a permanent colony and trading station near Nuuk. The Nordic settlers disappeared around 1350 AD, but the Inuit stayed, being far better equipped to hunt and survive in the tough Arctic nature. From year 1000 to 1350 AD, the Icelandic Vikings and farmers settled in South Greenland and in the Nuuk Fjord, while at the same time Inuit hunters of the Thule culture moved south from North Greenland. The area has been inhabited back to 2200 BC by pre-Inuit hunters. The world's smallest capital is in Greenland considered by many a mighty metropolis - a total of 17,000 people live here today, almost a third of the country’s population. As we enter the Nuuk Fjord we have fair chances of encountering the area's seasonal visitors: the humpback whales. We continue our journey to Dronning Marie Dal in the area's northwestern corner to get a closer view of its interesting flora.Īfter Skjoldungen and Ilertakajik fjord, the Alpine peaks and mountainous landscape diminish and from here, we will find that over large stretches, the ice sheet reaches all the way to the shoreline, forming cohesive ice shelfs, a type of icy landscape that some travelers who have been to Antarctica will probably recognize.īernstorff Icefjord: The most productive glacier on the SE coast, but we keep a good distance to big icebergs in these ice-infested waters.ĭuring the morning and day, we cruise north to reach Nuuk in the afternoon. ![]() Up to 100 people lived here until 1965, and some houses remain. Skjoldungen is also the name of an abandoned settlement, located on the southwest side of the island. Acclaimed Norwegian explorer Fridjof Nansen came here in late summer 1888 in search of a suitable ascension point for the first inland ice crossing. Still, we will find and experience a lush landscape and a milder climate than most would expect. Situated at 63° N, the island is surrounded by narrow, steep fjords and glaciers, and with plenty of the cool, crisp and clean air of the ever present and nearby ice sheet. ![]() The island of Skjoldungen is without doubt one of most beautiful areas in East Greenland. Finally, we enter the long fjord of Kangerlussuaq, where we can hope for a glimpse of the muskoxen and reindeers roaming the tundra along the Greenland Icecap. At the Sermermiut Plain we will have the chance to admire the World Heritage Site of the Ilulissat Icefjord and the dazzling icebergs in the late evening sun. In the Disko Bay, we will experience local folk dancing in Qeqertarsuaq and sail to the renowned Eqi Glacier. Heading north along the coast we will visit the capital of Greenland, one of the smallest in the world. Further south we will pass from East Greenland to West Greenland though the dramatic Prince Christians Sound. After crossing Danmark Strait between Iceland and Greenland, we will visit Skjoldungen island on the Greenlandic east coast. Join us on an expedition cruise from Reykjavík to Kangerlussuaq, which follows the same maritime course set by Norse settlers over a thousand years ago. ![]()
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