Tuesday 24th April – The Traveller's Prayer
The traveller’s prayer: “Please upgrade Alice and David to business class, please upgrade Alice and David to business class” was recited on numerous occasions prior to us embarking on another adventure in economy. Alas there was no upgrade!
Telissa and Jemma volunteered to deposit us at the airport which meant that they were really going to miss us or the party was starting early.
Barry and Ann Ingham whom we are travelling with met us at the Emirates check in about three hours prior to departure.
For those people who know me they might be wondering why David of all persons was early for once in his life. All will be revealed!
After navigating our way through immigration we dumped (figuratively) Barry and Ann and made haste to the Emirates business class lounge where we sipped champagne and feasted on Wolgan Valley ocean trout and barramundi.
The flight from Brisbane to Dubai is only 15 hours give or takes a few minutes and can be quite draining. We had the usual screaming children, endless movie playlists and enough food to sink a Jenny Craig conference.
Surprisingly, we all managed to get a reasonable amount of sleep despite all the distractions. I think my good sleep had something to do with the champers which was assisted by a little sleeping pill.
Wednesday 25th April – Anzac Day
No parade for our little group but I think our flight path took us over Turkey.
We had a three hour transfer in Dubai and used up a good 45 minutes having our carry-on luggage x-rayed. There were literally hundreds of passengers endeavouring to form a few queues. It looked like a sheep
muster and we were the sheep. At one stage I think people were trapped on the escalator with nowhere to go. The irony is that we have just disembarked from an aircraft that we could not board without a security check.
Before the final leg of our flight, we spent our time in the Marahaba Lounge drinking multiple macchiato coffees. Great taste which kept us awake over the final six hours into Copenhagen.
Another leg of screaming kids, movies and good food. I must say that after 24 hours in economy the four of us are looking good. We cleared immigration without any delays but the baggage took forever to reach the carousel.
We were starting to think that there was only one poor Dane down in bowels of the airport flinging bags around with any help. Eventually, our bags appeared and we set out to hire a taxi to the City, We were going to take the train however it was raining and we did not want to get wet on the walk from the Station to the Hotel Ansgar.
After a well-deserved shower Barry and I dutifully followed the girls on a walk through the city centre. Lots of history is on display as you meander over the cobblestone streets where you artfully dodge the many cyclists (no helmets – we do live in a nanny state).
Ending up at the water, we boarded a boat for a one hour canal tour. We had fantastic views of the new opera house, the black diamond, royal palaces and of course the little mermaid. For most of the tour the rain came down but that did not take away from the spectacle.On the way back to our hotel Ann and Alice decided that they were hungry. I have long ago learnt that you must never mess with a hungry woman. Barry and I were very chivalrous and let them choose the establishment that would not only placate their hunger but warm the bones as well.
So what did they choose in Copenhagen? It would be difficult to pick but they chose an Irish Bar (Irish Rover) from one of the many Irish and English pubs. The food was good but the beer was great. I had enough to put me to sleep as soon as we got back to the hotel - 8.45 pm and it is still light outside.Thursday 26th April – Greenland
The name Greenland comes from the early Scandinavian settlers. In the Icelandic sagas, it is said that Norwegian-born Erik the Red was exiled from Iceland for murder. He, along with his extended family and thralls, set out in ships to find a land rumoured to lie to the northwest. After settling there, he named the land Grønland ("Greenland"), supposedly in the hope that the pleasant name would attract settlers.
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe (specifically Norway and later Denmark) for more than a millennium. Greenland is, by area, the world’s largest island that is not a continent. With a population of 56,615 (January 2011 estimate) it is the least densely populated dependency or country in the world.
Greenland has been inhabited, though not continuously, by Arctic peoples via Canada for 4500–5000 years. In the 10th century, Norsemen settled on the uninhabited southern part of Greenland. In the 13th century, the Inuit arrived, and in the late 15th century the Norse colonies were abandoned. In the early 18th century contact between Scandinavia and Greenland was re-established and Denmark established rule over Greenland.
Up with the crows this morning as we have to be at the airport by 7.30am for our 9.00am flight to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland.
Breakfast at the Ansgar Hotel was sensational. We feasted on fresh rye bread straight from the oven and layered it with smoked ham which was washed down with hot coffee. It was so good that we rebooked a room for when we return later next month.
Another day, another flight, another 4.5 hours on a plane and this time it is Air Greenland. Touch down and we have arrived safely on the great white expanse of Greenland. We were delayed getting off the plane as they needed to sweep the snow off the tarmac.
The air temperature is a bracing -1 degrees and there is a blanket of snow surrounding the airport. We are waiting patiently for our connecting 30 minute flight to Sisimuit where we will meet up with Alice's cousin Jens. Unfortunately, the flight is delayed due to weather so we are amusing ourselves by reading the local signpost. Apparently, by air we are just 3 hours from the North Pole and 4 hours from New York.Eventually, our little Dash 8 which seats approximately 40 passengers took off for Sisimuit. These STOL aircraft are perfect for Greenland as they can manage a short take-off and landing. Alice, Barry and Ann rushed on board and grabbed a window seat which gave them a great view until we hit the cloud cover. I on the other hand was wedged between Alice and a rather large Dane. Luckily for me the flight only took 25 minutes.
The runway at Sisimuit is built adjacent to the sea and from up high looked very, very small.
Jens was there waiting for us and so was a summer snow storm. Surprisingly it was not as cold as we thought it would be.
Our home for the next couple of days is perched on a hill overlooking the harbour. We have a great view of township with its brightly coloured buildings with a huge mountain as a backdrop. The snow just keeps coming down and has shrouded everything in white.
Jens has taken the others into town while I'm just sitting back and taking in the view. The local sled dogs which I can see on a hill across the harbour are howling in anticipation of going for a run. A team has just been harnessed and they effortlessly flew up the hill and soon disappeared from sight. The remaining dogs seemed to have howled louder to voice their disappointment in missing out on a run.Friday 27th April – Snowy Sisimiut
Barry and Ann the mad photographers were up at 3.45am this morning so they could catch the early morning light. The photos that they took despite their frozen extremities were amazing. It snowed all night and everything is covered in white not a clear patch of ground in sight.
Jens had some spare time so it was into the trusty Corolla for a drive around the settlement which has a population of about 6000 hardy souls. The Arctic lookout was spectacular as it gave us an uninterrupted view of the imaginary line that represents the Arctic Circle which lies a few kilometres to the south of Sisimiut.
The town has everything you need to survive in this cold and at times harsh climate.
We continued on to the outskirts of town where the locals house most of the Greenlandic dogs (Huskies) which they use for pulling sleds. The majority are used for recreational purposes and the town regularly organises races. Judging by the howls they certainly were excited when we pulled up. Jens warned us that they are not pets and would most likely take your hand off if you tried to pat them.
When we alighted from the car to our surprise two bounded over for a greet and a sniff. Fortunately, these huge dogs were only inquisitive puppies that are not chained up until older.
Jens dropped us off at a souvenir shop but everything was too expensive for my taste. Alice eyed off a beanie made from Musk Ox hair which was very soft and not scratchy. The asking price of $100 was enough to dissuade from this purchase.
Next stop was the supermarket where supplies were purchased for the evening meal. There was a huge variety of foodstuffs which included wine, whale meat and snow crab. There was a section that served hot takeaway meals so we bought a couple for lunch. It was snowing outside so the others decided to sit under the steps that led up to the hardware store to consume their booty. The shame!
We had a few supplies so we decided to get the local 007 bus back to the house. The loop service operates every 20 minutes with dedicated stops. With no traffic congestion the service is always on time.
Back at the house we all settled in for some reading and it was not long before Barry and Alice were taking a nap. At around 6.00 I started to nod off. It must be the wonderful heating inside the house.
Ann cooked up a great lasagne with salad which was washed down with a few glasses of wine. It is a hard knock life!
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