Greenland’s Icebergs, Inuits and Summertime Insects

Part II

Last month we started our voyage to Greenland, traveling through Prince Christian Sound and a peek at Qaqortag, the largest town in Southern Greenland. Now we find out there are no guarantees when cruising to Greenland and the stark contrasts in the country’s capital city, Nuuk.

Paamuit Excitement stirred for our stop at Paamuit, called the Kingdom of Sea Eagles and Whales, known for its rugged coastline, traditional Inuit village of 2,000 residents, and frequent rolling fogs that affect access. When the captain announced that we had to bypass Paamuit, due to a dangerous fog bank and hidden icebergs, the potential letdowns when cruising to Greenland became reality.

Nuuk At the mouth of the Nuup Kangerlua fjord, lies Nuuk, the world’s most northern, capital city of 20,000 inhabitants. Although Inuits have migrated to this municipality, Danes make up one-third of the population, who come for high-wage jobs.

As we docked at the year-round, ice-free port, rows of condominiums, built due to shortage of affordable housing, looked drab. The capitol building, a modern museum and a theater and arts center exhibit little charm, but a boardwalk along the pier, where vendors market the day’s catch of fish and seal, provides entertainment. Homeless individuals, crouched within building recesses, suggest evidence of quoted high rates of alcoholism and suicide.

Outside Nuuk’s easily forgotten center city, we passed the international airport, where a daily United flight to Newark had been delayed for hours, while airport staff hunted reindeer. Stocking-up on local food sources of protein before the approaching winter takes precedence.

We braved the mosquitoes to visit Nuuk’s cemetery, my favorite stop. A serene expanse of white crosses lines the fjord, as watchful icebergs drift by and the 4000 ft. Sermitsiaq Mountain overlooks the graveyard. Loved ones embrace this view during their eternal rest. On the hill opposite the burial ground, the country’s only maximum-security prison protects the souls.

I found Greenland mysterious and contradictory. The world’s largest island ranks as the least densely populated country. Stunning natural beauty hides dangerous perils and unforgiving weather systems rise without warning. Summer’s midnight sun and winter’s total darkness confuse the human clock. It was named Greenland by Erik the Red, but 80% of its landmass lies hidden beneath a one-mile-thick ice sheet. When cruising to Greenland, the most nagging question remains: “What’s the possibility of never setting foot on its soil?”