Hurry up to wait is always the motto in air travel. You rush to be at the airport hours ahead of time and then have to sit and wait for hours to board. Today was no exception. Plus today we had a hour-long drive to get to the international airport. As a result, this morning it was a 6 AM wake-up and Neil told us we were lucky. On weekends the flight to Greenland is later than it is on week days. I didn’t even want to know how early that would have been. Thank goodness today is Saturday 🙂
We were all disappointed when we found out that Jón wasn’t our driver this morning. He had become ill during the night. So we had a substitute driver. He drove us a different way to the airport. We went by the City Hall building which has a 3D map of Iceland in it. We also drove by the small lake which is a favorite spot for the people of Reykjavik. You could see ducks and swans floating out on the water. Right in that vicinity was the most exclusive senior secondary school in Iceland.
As always, Neil used bus time to further our knowledge base. I had no clue that they found hot water here in Iceland when they were drilling for gold. I guess they just found it, just in a different form than they were looking for. The hot water is one reason why swimming pools are so important in Iceland. Since they have warm water, Icelanders can utilized them all year long. In fact they are the place where Icelanders socialized. Many a deal has been sealed in a hot pot in Iceland. Kids are required to learn to swim in school because of the plethora of swimming pools.
I was saddened to learn today from Neil that the gentleman who created the Sun Voyager was dying when he created it. It is such a hopefully piece.
In preparation for Greenland, Neil started our education on the ride to the airport. We discovered that no dogs are allowed into Greenland. Their dogs are like horses in Iceland. They are a pure breed that came over with the Inuit and they don’t want it diluted. They are also working dogs, not pets. They serve as an early warning system for polar bears. They are chained out on the outskirts of town and only fed 2-3 times a week. When they bark, the people know they have spotted a polar bear. They are also used for dog sleds.
It is a mystery what happened to Erik the Red’s settlement here. It just suddenly vanished. Some theories floated as to the cause were disease, lack of growing season so agriculture was a failure. Maybe they couldn’t grow enough fodder for their livestock. We do know that the Vikings hunted walrus for their ivory and killed them all out. They are rarely seen in these waters now.
The native people who live in Greenland now are relatives of the Inuit. They came over to Greenland from Alaska via Canada. They never crossed paths with the Norse settlement.
I was surprised to learn that three time the U.S. at least thought about purchasing Greenland. The first time was when Seward of Alaska fame floated the idea in the late 1800s. The last time was when Trump was president.
During WWII the U.S. worried about the German meteorological operation in Greenland. They worried that the Germans would seize the Danish mines for a mineral necessary in the smelting aluminum. The president sent the Coast Guard to shut down the German station. This was before we were officially in the war which is why he sent the Coast Guard.
At the airport we were told to check-in via the kiosk and it would print out our boarding pass and luggage tag. Nope. It only gave us boarding passes. We then had to take our bags to another location to get tags for them. It was another check-in and we got new boarding passes. THEN for those of us with soft-sided bags, we had to go to yet another location to turn our bag in. They need to rethink their system. It is too redundant. At last we were all checked-in and now it was time for security.
The line was quite long but it moved rather quickly. At least Doug and I didn’t have to take our shoes off. One of our fellow travelers told them he had a knee replacement and they made him take his shoes off. That didn’t make sense but what can you do. We all finally got through and found an area with enough seats where we could group together and keep an eye on each other’s luggage.
I read to pass the time. As always, my book was just getting good when it was time to head to the gate. We had an hour and a half flight though so I got some good reading time in. Neil also passed around reading material on sagas and about Greenland in order to prepare us for our visit.
We were heading to the tip of the east coast of the large island. It is remote and mostly uninhabited. The most inhabited portion of Greenland is the west coast. I’m guessing that it is less harsh over there. Life is tough in East Greenland. They speak a different dialect from their western counterparts. They are isolated. They are looked down on as being poor hicks. I’m not sure why the west coasters feel so superior.
We were flying into a small airport near the town of Kulusuk then we were taking a helicopter to the tiny village of Tasiilaq. Neil passed around an article on the village that was an eye-opener. For a space of two weeks, alcohol had to be banned because several attempted suicides, actual suicides, murders, and domestic abuse cases erupted over the course of a single weekend. I was shocked and yet not. The village was isolated and small. Winters are long, dark, and harsh. Whether you are use to that or not, sometimes it just gets to you. Alcoholism is a real issue. Neil admonished us not to discuss this issue with the locals though. They are embarrassed and don’t want to discuss it with strangers. I don’t blame them. I wouldn’t want to either.
We did get beverage service on the flight which was nice. I got the Icelandic Appelsín drink which tastes like orange soda. At Christmas time they mix it with malt and drink it. Gudruan made some for us last time. It was quite tasty. I was really thirsty and drank the entire can.
The trip was over in a flash and then my lesson on all things Greenland began. I learned right off the bat that patience is required :-). We disembarked and then began the long process of waiting to check in our luggage in for the helo flight. First we had to wait for a group on the flight ahead of us to check in their luggage. That took a long while. It gave us time to use the toilet facilities and for those interested, to watch people in boats in the fjord hunting pilot whales (I skipped that), and to walk around a bit outside. We were starting to hit a time crunch. The first flight to Tasiilaq was a quarter passed one. It was pushing noon and we still had to check in as well as walk to the hotel twenty minutes away, eat lunch, and then walk back. The second group had more time. Their helo flight was a quarter past two.
Finally it was our turn to check in. Group one which we were in, checked in and then we started walking to the hotel. Neil had given Doug directions. It was a nice walk as the day was sunny with a cloudless sky. Mountains reared up around us, bare and majestic. It was nature at its best. We stopped at a bare flagpole to see the memorial that it was a part of. The memorial was for Coast Guard search and rescue people during WWII who had flown in to rescue people on a plane that had crash-landed on the glacier. The men were rescued but one of the rescue planes crashed. Three men died. It’s just a footnote in the history of the war but it is remembered here in East Greenland.
Neil had caught us with us by this point. When we reached the hotel, he took us around back so we could visit Hailey. Hailey the dog, that is, and her four adorable puppies. They were so happy to see us. They were jumping around and begging for petting. Several of us obliged. Two of them got into a tiff right between my legs :-). Silly things. We adored them for a few minutes and then made our way inside the hotel.
Lunch was already being served so we grabbed a table and fed ourselves from the buffet. Mostly it was cold sandwiches. I got a wrap that wasn’t too bad and a sweet chili shrimp sandwich. That one didn’t trip my trigger although everybody else really liked it.
As soon as we finished eating, we of the first group started back to the airport. We didn’t want to miss our flight. I shouldn’t have worried. We made it there in plenty of time. I was impressed when the helicopter began the boarding process right on time. I expected to have to wait. Nope. They were quite efficient. There were six of us and two people from another tour group. We loaded up and tried to figure out the seatbelts. Eventually we were all belted in with headphones to cancel out the racket from the helo. One lady asked if she was suppose to put the headphones on her head. The pilot told her the best place for them was her leg. She didn’t know what to say to that. I’m sure he gets tired of the same old questions, especially ones that common sense will give you the answers to. However, I felt badly for her. She really is a nice lady.
The flight over the fjord was smooth and uneventful. It only lasted 7 or 8 minutes. I was hoping for longer. We set down in Tasiilaq where the van to the hotel was waiting for us. We clambered aboard and then zipped to the hotel. It was up a really steep hill. Although we would be walking most places here, Neil informed us that the van would take us up and down the hill. It was that steep. It put Heart Attack Hill in Akureyri to shame.
The hotel was owned by a man named Mike. His parents built the place. His father was Swedish and his mother a native of Greenland. He was an enterprising young man. He ran the hotel, created itineraries for visitors to the town, ran tours…He did it all. His brother flew helicopters.
I won’t say the place was primitive; it wasn’t. It was much nicer than I expected. For Greenland it was really nice. However, it wasn’t the Hilton :-). We had twin beds and a wet bathroom. The shower was a drain in the floor and a shower curtain. It was clean though and I could plug my electronics in which is all that mattered.
Neil gave us a little bit of time to get situated and then we were off for our first hike in Greenland. We were hiking the Valley of Flowers. The driver got us down the hill and dropped us off near the edge of town.
The town of Tasiilaq is a quaint collection of multicolored buildings. They dotted the hillsides and enlivened the landscape. Behind them was the fjord and the snow-capped mountains. It doesn’t get more picturesque than this.
The beginning of the hike took us near some dogs chained on the edge of town. There was nothing friendly looking about them. After seeing Hailey’s gaggle of adorable puppies, it was sad to see this and know that her pups would become like these. They were so friendly and affectionate. I hated to think of them turning into these dangerous dogs who lead such lonely and hard lives. Of course, I’m a person who lets my dogs crowd me off of the bed at home.
We did see a couple of puppies who weren’t chained up. Two of them came up to us, all wiggles and curiosity. One particularly loved getting its belly rubbed. He would have let us do that all day long. He was a cutie. I wanted to put him in my suitcase.
On the way to the Valley of Flowers, we went by the town’s cemetery. There was row upon row of white crosses. The burials spots were decorated with plastic flowers. Real flowers wouldn’t last any time in these harsh conditions. Today in the sunshine they made a colorful addition to the bare brown dirt. The crosses didn’t have names on them as was the custom. The people here prefer to name a baby after the deceased person in order to keep them alive.
Flower Valley was rather bereft of flowers although we did see clumps of them as we hiked. They were the national flower whose name translates to “little girl.” They were pretty little blossoms of pinkish purple. However, like one of our ladies said, it should have been called Valley of Rocks. There were far most rocks than flowers here. Maybe earlier in the summer they were plentiful.
Despite the barren landscape, there was a certain beauty to it. I always love seeing mountains and they had them here in spades. We even came across a small lake. It was picturesque and also home to black flies. You didn’t want to dwaddle here or you’d get eaten up. The town had the flies as well. Most people in our group were wearing their head nets. As long as I kept moving, they didn’t bother me too much.
We hiked for around an hour out. It was a perfect day for it. The sun was brilliant but the air was cool. I had to come out of my jackets as I was working up a sweat. Whoever thought I would come to Greenland and sweat! The sun was so bright that it made it almost impossible to take pictures. I’m not complaining though 🙂
We ended our hike near a tiny waterfall nestled among the boulders. We posed for pictures and then started on our way back to the hotel. Going back seemed much faster which is always the way. All in all, it was a nice hike. It was good to walk and get all of the kinks worked out.
Back at the hotel we cleaned up and then enjoyed Happy Hour. They actually had two Greenlandic beers here on tap. One of them was a dark beer so I was a happy camper. Doug and I sat on the long deck outside and enjoyed the incredible view of the town with the fjord and mountains. It was perfection. It is probably one of the best views ever at a hotel.
Dinner was at the hotel. There really wasn’t any other place to eat. The buffet was fine but nothing to write home about. When you think about how isolated they are and the fact that they are dependent on food being shipped in, you really don’t expect anything spectacular. It was filling and the donut for dessert was surprising light light and tasty.
After dinner we had a special treat. We got to see a documentary made here in Tasiilaq by Knud Rasmussen who was a famous Arctic explorer. He did eight Arctic explorations, I believe. Anyway, he was really interested in these people and created the documentary “The Wedding of Pablo.” These days you would call it a docudrama rather than a documentary. It was all scripted. However, all of the “actors” in it were native people in the village. And while it was scripted, it did showcases daily life in the village. I believe the movie was filmed and edited in 1939.
The movie was about a love triangle between two Inuit men and a young woman who lived with her father and brothers. They both wanted her. I think she wanted Pablo but I’m not really sure. To be honest, I kept dozing off so I missed chunks of it. It wasn’t boring. I was just tired.
I did wake up in time to see the famous drum dance battle between the two men. This is how the Inuit people in Greenland solved their differences. They would create drum songs ridiculing their opponent. Whoever got the most laughs won. There was also a physical element to it. The “combatants” would wack each other in the cheek with their cheek. The purpose of the drum dance was to get all of their hard feelings about each other out. Once it was all out, then it was done. It didn’t work out too well for Pablo though as his opponent stabbed him which didn’t normally happen. Luckily for Pablo, he survived the stabbing.
Instead of being ostracized, the man actually acquired greater hunter status when he killed a polar bear. Navarana was all smiles at him. It looked like the two of them were going to get hitched.
The next thing I knew, Navarana was in the winter house with her brothers and father, taking care of them, sewing clothes for them (you could see in the film how worn her teeth were. They used their teeth for a lot of things) when Pablo shows up. He had paddled his kayak through rough winter waters to reach her. He told her father he was going to marry Navarana. The father and brothers grumbled about who would then take care of them. Men were strictly hunters. She did all of the hard work of preparing food, preserving the meat, making the clothes, etc. I guess the men were going to have to learn to fend for themselves.
We all got a chuckle when Pablo grabs Navarana and drags her out to his kayak and ties her on to the back of it. She was all smiles so she wasn’t unwilling. We were all laughing that she would allow herself to be tied to the kayak. What if it flipped?
The drama didn’t end there. The bad guy took to his kayak and went after them. Since he was alone, he was able to catch up quickly. For a minute it looked like he was going to harpoon Navarana. He certainly tried. Unlike movies in Iceland, however, he missed and he flipped his kayak in the frigid waters. I expected the couple to turn around and try to save him but no. They continued on their merry way, all smiles as water splashed in their faces (whoever was on water duty for the film obviously was very enthusiastic. It was like buckets of water hitting their faces.). I’m assuming they lived happily ever after.
The town is quite proud of the movie. I don’t blame them. It had their grandparents and great grandparents in it. And although by 2023 standards, it wasn’t brilliant film making, you did see typical Inuit life and learned some of their customs. All in all, I enjoyed what I saw.
We will learn more about this village tomorrow when we visit its museum on our walking tour. I think we do that tomorrow afternoon. First thing in the morning though is a boat ride through the icebergs. That should be spectacular! I may even have to break out my waterproof pants at long at last!!!
Tales from the Trail 