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Nuuk fjord safari, Greenland
The ship docked at the port in Nuuk early morning and we headed into town to drop off our luggage at the hotel and explore, before taking the fjord safari in the afternoon. The fjords were pristine and the most incredible shade of blue. It was also absolutely freezing, so I can’t even imagine how cold it would be there in winter. We saw four or five small icebergs and the boat driver got us up close and personal to one of them, then circled around it really slowly so we were able to get some great photos. It was a beautiful way to finish up our time on the…
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A day of adventures in Southern Greenland
Today’s adventures were in Southern Greenland and started with a trip on a zodiac to see the ruins of a Norse church in the tiny settlement of Hvalsey. We then took a tender into the marina at Qaqortoq, a cute village filled with brightly painted timber houses. With a population of only 3089, it’s the largest town in southern Greenland and the 4th largest town in Greenland! The best part of the day was a spectacular heliflight out of Qaqortoq. Our pilot was amazing and flew us over fjords and glaciers then landed at the top of a rocky summit. The views were breathtaking! Heliflight at Qaqortoq
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Fun Facts: Greenland
Greenland is an absolutely fascinating and beautiful country and I think it’s deserving of a separate post with some fun facts: It is situated in the Arctic and is still in the Ice Age. It is the world’s largest island, geographically part of North America, but geopolitically part of Europe. Part of Greenland is only 25kms from Canada and when it’s iced over you can walk between the two countries. It’s more than 3 times the size of France and covers 2.2 million square metres. The highest point is as high as the French Alps. There are no towns, settlements or animals in the centre of the island. Most settlements…
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West coast of Greenland
We arrived in the waters of Greenland in the early hours and spent the day drifting past icebergs, dramatic cliffs, fjords and glaciers. At one point the Captain took us within around 50 metres of a glacier and the staff were handing out cups of hot chocolate, spiked accordingly to your preference of Baileys or Grand Marnier. Quite a surreal experience.
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Glacier safari, Iceland
I’ve officially nicknamed the glacier safari as “One of the Best Experiences of My Life”. Seriously. It would have been impossible for me to have enjoyed this day any more than I did. We took a 4×4 Mercedes Super Truck from the ship back to Thingvellir National Park, but this time took a different route so that we could see another part of the park. Our guide and driver Bjorgvin drove us through some spectacular landscapes, showed us a geothermal power plant, then stopped at a number of lookouts and waterfalls for us to snap photos to our hearts’ content. Then it was time for the highlight of the day:…
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The Golden Circle tour, Iceland
We covered a lot of ground on this tour. We first travelled to Thingvellir National Park, which is designated a World Heritage site for its historical and geological importance. The thirty ruling chiefs first met at Thingvellir in 930 AD and formed a basic type of parliament. They would pass on news, create laws, discuss disputes, make decisions and mete out punishments. The standard execution method for men was decapitation and sometimes they were given the option of exile. If they took that option, it meant they were essentially outlaws and they had no protection if someone decided to kill them. The only execution method for women, usually for the…
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Iceland: Signs, slogans and street art
The Icelanders are progressive, have a great sense of style and humour and everywhere you look you’ll see cute signs, slogans, fun designs and fabulous street art.
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The Blue Lagoon, Iceland
The Blue Lagoon wasn’t exactly as I had imagined. I’d always assumed that they were natural hot springs, but the lagoon’s mineral rich waters are actually heated to 38⁰C by the adjacent geothermal power plant. Regardless, it was the most relaxing afternoon possible. As part of the ship’s excursion package we were issued with electronic bracelets on arrival which were used for a locker, shower, robe, slippers, a drink at the swim up bar and two masks from the swim up spa. Yes, a swim up spa. It all felt pretty decadent and I chose the silica mask and then an algae mask. Our local guide Erika had promised the…
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Reykjavik, Iceland
We caught the shuttle from the ship to Harpa, Reykjavik’s stunning concert hall, where we set off on foot to explore the old town. It was really mild at around 13 degrees which we were assured was unseasonably warm, so all around us were locals stripped down to short sleeves whilst we were bundled up in three layers. Within minutes, we unsurprisingly found ourselves at Eymundsson, a chain bookstore with an huge selection of books, magazines, luggage, stationery and gifts. I bought a copy of Independent People, the book for which famous Icelandic author Halldor Lakness won the 1955 Nobel prize in literature, a cute book bag, a couple of…
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Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland
Our morning started when we entered the waters of Vestmannaeyjar (the Westman Islands) and watched as its stunning, lush, green islands came into view. Within an hour, we were anchored offshore from Heimaey, the only inhabited island, and I was watching a whale playing near the ship. Absolutely amazing. The ship was too large to enter the harbour, so instead we took one of tenders into the marina. Our tour leader, a lovely man with an unpronounceable name who usually works at the library, led us on a steep walk from the harbour up to the Elheimar Volcano Museum where we spent around an hour. The island’s volcano had been…