Greenland

Greenland was world news in 2025, due to the specific interest in the island by the President of the USA. Although not new, America once again wants to add Greenland to its territory, disregarding the fact that Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Danish Kingdom and disregarding the will of the Greenland people as well.

Although nothing had happened or changed the current status quo, at least the entire world is now more aware of Greenland’s existence and location. A renewed interest in Greenland by the USA has caused the Danish Government, to increase its military presence. During our stay we saw a large Danish nay vessel patrolling the coast.

A one and a half hour flight takes you from Reykjavik airport with a medium size Iceland Air propellor plane to the International Airport of Kulusuk. Now, to put this in perspective, it’s the only international air connection of East Greenland with the outside world. and weather depending. Its serves as a gateway to an area half the size of Europe!

When you approach the coastline of East Greenland, you start to see the first big and small icebergs, silently and calmly floating in the ocean. Thanks to a clear and sunny sky, we soon started to see the many sharp and barren mountain tops, which seem to be connected with the white fields of ice, as far as the eye could see. There was no single patch of green to see, like we saw in Iceland. Just cold, black and gray rock and……..ice, lots and lots of it.

The airport of Kulusuk is an old US Army airstrip dating back to WOII and the Cold War, handed over to the Greenland Government. Due to its enormous raw terrain, flat land is scarce, so this (gravel) airstrip, was placed on one of the many islands dotting the coast of East Greenland. Besides the airport, the island is home to the Kulusuk settlement (village) with about 240 inhabitants and a small hotel between the village and the airport.

Our fellow passengers, were an interesting mix of students, professors, scientists, photo safari tourists and some locals (Inuit as well as Danish). We disembarked the plane and walked over the apron towards the small, but modern looking airport terminal. Although we came on an international flight, there were no Customs or Immigration officers, checking our luggage or passports. We crossed the interior of about 20 meters and were outside on the other side of the terminal. We all felt a little lost. There were no people to pick up passengers, no taxis, nothing but pure silence and the views on these massive granite mountain peaks, with huge ice bergs floating in the front of them. A sign warned all of us, we were now in Polar Bear country, so nobody dared to walk more than 10 meters away from the terminal building.

After a long wait an Inuit driver from the settlement, working on the airport, came with a small tractor around the building, pulling two carts with our luggage. I had noticed that luggage from international flights would be delivered outside the building (regardless the weather).

In the meantime a beaten up, white Mercedes passenger van had arrived. An friendly Danish guy with blond hair, blue eyes and a big smile, turned out to be driving the only bus, taxi and shuttle on the small island. The van was owned by the hotel, but it was driving all over the island, and you could hop on or off any time. Marja and the luggage went with the van and I took the walk to the hotel (still a bit nervous about polar bears attacking me).

A huge Dane was the hotel manager, who constantly walked around with a big glass of red wine. And looking at him, it was not his first one and probably not the last one! Later I understood, that living on an island of 240 Inuit and less then 3 Danes, with long winters and so extremely isolated, doesn’t make you the happiest person in the world.

The hotel, however had a cozy atmosphere with a warm lounge and a nice restaurant offering views over mountains and icebergs. Since a couple of people set off to walk to the settlement, down the road, we thought doing the same and find a restaurant there. But no, we decided to stay at the hotel for dinner, which was served the moment we had settled in, in our room.

After dinner we walked to the settlement. By now, we felt comfortable walking around freely. We were on an island and there was enough human activity to scare polar bears and……our Danish van driver always seemed to be nearby to let people jump on board.

We could not stop admiring our new surroundings. The ever present huge black granite mountains, the ice and the lack of any green flora. There was one unpaved road over the island connecting the airport, hotel, settlement and some government buildings. As it was a sunny day we could even walk around in T-shirts. (Why did we bring so many cold weather clothes with us?). The first real Greenland thing we passed, was a group of chained dogs, on a small hill, just before the settlement. These were the famous sledge dogs of Greenland I had read about. They looked at us but were not bothered by us. Some started to howl like wolves, making our surrounding more surreal. Nearing the settlement we saw the first small wooden houses. Some were colored red, some blue, some yellow, but also many abandoned houses, where the colors had faded away.

We were a bit shocked when we saw the village. The village consists of about 50 houses scattered around on small hill tops, built mostly on wooden stilts. About a third was abandoned and falling apart due to the elements. The houses are built on pure rock, there is no soil, so any form of gardening or landscaping is lacking (a thick pack of snow is also not really helping most of the time during the year). Often discarded items like furniture, toys, building materials or snow scooters etc, are just placed outside of the house and left for what it is, giving the village a dirty unmaintained look.

The difference between the Faroer Islands and Iceland on one side and Greenland on the other, was growing bigger. We felt like aliens in a community we had nothing in common with. What stuck out at the same time were the many white wooden crosses indicating burial sites. It gave an eerie feeling, walking on a big graveyard and that people died here in big numbers. Except for one general store, there were no other shops and no restaurants or bars (luckily we dined in the hotel). According to Trip Advisor the three main attractions of the Kulusuk settlement are the Old Graveyard, the New Graveyard and a museum (which we didn’t find).

We walked the entire village and even ended up at the local garbage dump near the sea. Passing big blocks of compressed plastic bottles and containers, wrapped in plastic wrapping, the dump was right on the edge of the village, and it smelled bad. The compressed blocks looked like they have been there for a long time as if an initiative for recycling was abandoned. Later we learned that garbage collection and processing is a problem in Greenland. The isolated location of the villages make it difficult (especially in winter) and costly to collected garbage, to bring it to a central place near the capital of Greenland on the westside. The only option left for now are landfills, where occasionally garbage is burned. Larger items like appliances or car wrecks remain somewhere one the land.

In the center of the village was a soccer field, where some young Inuit boys played their ball game, showing, that even on the edges of the world, humans go by their daily routines, no matter how harsh and difficult the geographical and social environment are.

That night we spent the first night in Greenland, where the Northern Lights treated the new arrivals of Greenland with a fantastic light show. It’s hard to describe the sense of confusion we encountered on our first day in Greenland. The beauty, the rawness, the massiveness, but also the sadness and hopelessness, all packed around our little hotel. It would take some time for us to understand, comprehend and give it all the right place in our memories.

The next day, we toured the village again, trying to look at it, from a different view. We saw many more people on the little paths going from house to house. During the summer the snow mobiles are parked close to the houses (if they still work) and during summer the quads bike is the main way of private motorized transportation. Older Inuits get by during the day smoking their cigarettes (the Inuit population as a whole smokes a lot and drinks a lot of alcoholic drinks (which is a general problem in Greenland). Most of the young people of the village have left either to go to the capital Nuuk or to the nearby larger settlement of Tasiilaq. A few people in the village still do some fishing, but mainly for own consumption.

At mid-day we checked out from the hotel and our friendly Dane dropped us of with the white van at the airport. From here we would fly by helicopter to Tasiilaq. The helicopter is the main means of transportation from either Tasiilaq or Kulusuk to most of the small settlements along the east coast. To get to the capital, residents of the settlements and Tasiilaq have to fly by helicopter to Kulusuk, and then jump on a plane to Nuuk airport. This is a new airport (opened in 2025), close to the capital. However, the location and situation are so badly chosen, that often flights (domestic and international) must be cancelled. This means a further isolation of the residents from the East Coast of Greenland, with the rest of Greenland and the world (except for the Iceland connection).

A large impressive 8-passenger red Airbus helicopter from Greenland Air, landed on the airstrip of Kusuluk airport. We were the only passengers and after a safety briefing from the bearded Danish pilot we took off. Flying low along the coast, we again were amazed by the impressive, cold and barren landscape. No signs of development, just unfriendly, sharp, dark mountain peaks, cliffs and ice. We have traveled desserts and thought how uninviting these environments can be to live in, but at least, there was the sun, blue skies and the ability to move around. But the Greenlandic landscape portraits itself as “please do not enter” territory. It’s not for nothing that, except for some small settlements along the coast and the capital (about 20,000 people), the rest of Greenland has no places where people live.

The flight took only 15 minutes, but it felt like an hour and although the bare emptiness of the landscape, it was so magically beautiful! It was real untouched nature at its very very best.

Flying into a deep fjord, the helicopter made a sharp turn and approached the heliport of Tasiilaq. Tasiilaq is much bigger than Kulusuk. With approx 1800 residents, it is the largest settlement on the east coast and serves as the administrative capital of East Greenland. It’s the seventh largest “town” in Greenland. From the sky, you see a colorful town of a few hundred wooden houses, red, green, blue, spread over hills and valleys. There are paved roads, administrative buildings and a small harbor. We touched down and walked to the terminal. Our luggage was delivered on a small trolly outside on the parking lot. A shuttle from our small hotel was supposed to pick us up, but after 15 minutes waiting, there was still no sign of any shuttle. Calling the guesthouse was not successful, nobody picked up the phone.

Standing on the small parking of the heliport, a few cars passed by, but nobody stopped. So after a while I decided to walk to town and try to find the place. An old city map on a board along the road, mentioned the location of “The Red House”, which was the name of the hotel. A twenty minute walk to the indicated location resulted in an empty area, no hotel or guesthouse! So now, I started the wonder if we were scammed!

Not giving up, I walked more upwards (Tasiilaq is located on several steep hills) in the town and looked around. From the helicopter port to the town, I passed the “industrial” zone of the town, with car garages, a car dump and some workshops. Opposite, there was a red wooden building, with a sign “The Red House Apartments”. But it seemed this building was closed and in my believe, it could not have been our ‘The Red House Hotel’, since it didn’t match the description of the website at all. I continued my search through town, asked some people, but it seemed like I was asking for something nobody had ever heard of.

Finally I had success! A Danish lady just leaving her red colored house, knew about the hotel and pointed the direction. Going uphill again, passing local Inuit homes (most of which were not in the best condition), I saw the hotel at the end of a road. It matched the picture on the website, so at least it existed! Arriving at the hotel, I climbed the stairs to a large wooden terrace and knocked on the door, and again and again. Nobody came to open. I didn’t see or hear any action, so my fear came back that something was not right.

I went down the stairs and walked around the building. Next to a big pile of garbage bags, there was a door wide open. I walked inside, it was the kitchen and two Inuit women were busy preparing food. I asked them if this was indeed the hotel and if it was open. The Greenland people in general speak their own language and often also Danish (but not everybody or not 100%). English is not widely spoken by the Greenlandic people (but most Danish people living in Greenland, do speak English). With that said, I had some difficulty speaking with the ladies in the kitchen. After I mentioned the name Robert, the ladies understood that I was looking for him. Robert is the 80-plus year Italian owner of the Red House Hotel. Robert, his life story and his hotel, triggered our interest when preparing our trip to Greenland. Robert Peroni is a well-known Italian adventurer and was an extreme athlete in his younger days, who holds the record of crossing on foot, the Greenland Icesheet at its widest point, since 1980. He fell in love with Greenland and its people and never left. His journey changed his life and life perspective. Since then, he has dedicated his life to the well-being of the Greenlandic Inuit people, especially those in and around Tasiilaq.

Back to the kitchen! The ladies went upstairs, because it seemed that Robert was asleep. Not strange at all to do an afternoon nap when you are 82. I went back up to the terrace and there Robert opened the door. He was still a bit sleepy and confused about who I was and why I was there. I explained him that I had a booking (fully pre-paid), for 10 days in his hotel. It sounded new to him. He told me to sit down in the small lobby while he was going to check it. A young lady came out of the office, looked at me, and slipped into an adjacent office. Her look made me realize that somebody in the office had made a mistake and this could be her.

After a while Robert came out and explained that the hotel was fully booked, but that the hotel had a few outer buildings. This didn’t feel right, but I had no choice at that moment. He put on his boots and coat and asked me to come with him. We stepped in his old rusty jeep and drove down towards the helicopter port. And if I had felt it coming, we drove along the building which I passed on my way to the town. The Red House Apartments was the alternative where he intended to accommodate us, right opposite a car dump! I didn’t say anything yet. First, we had to pick up Marja and our luggage.

Marja could see on my face that something was not right. Robert parked the jeep in front of the building and we unloaded the luggage. He explained about the keys, the common fridge (used by the other rooms as well) and that we were only a short walk away from his hotel for breakfast and dinner. Our room had a small broken window with a view on the car dump, there were no chairs or desk, only a bed and a small closet for clothing. All and all, not a place to hang around, it could only work to sleep for the night, maybe. The walk to his hotel was still 15 minutes up hill and with the frequent rain, not really desirable when going for breakfast or dinner.

He left us and after a couple of minutes discussing with each other, we decided to look for another place to stay. We left the room and walked further into town. As I said before, the East side of Greenland has hardly any flat land. Greenland in general is very mountainous and often the coastline consists of steep cliffs. Tassiliq is located on the shores of a deep fjord spread over some moderate hills and valleys. The most suitable place for a settlement probably. Navigating the town on foot is possible, most of the roads are paved and well maintained. However, although moderate, walking the roads with these hills is still a pretty tough exercise. Many of the towns’ people walk from one place to the other, as we have seen many mothers with strollers. Besides a decent number of cars and trucks, there are also a lot of quad bikes.

After a short walk we noticed a large building at the highest elevation of the town. From a distance it looked like a hotel, so we started to walk the longest and steepest road in town. It was quite an exercise, but we were motivated, since we absolutely wanted a better location for our stay in Greenland. Yes, it was indeed a hotel and it turned out to be the best and actually only “real” hotel in Tasiiliq. The hotel manager was very friendly to us and was able to accommodate us. He even gave us a nice upgrade to one of the largest rooms with wonderful view. Then he took the time, to drive us with the hotel shuttle van back to the apartment of the Red House, to pick up our luggage. With our bags he drove back to the hotel together with Marja and I decided to walk to The Red House Hotel again, to Robert, to return the keys and to to inform him that we decided not to use the accommodation, as it was not what we had booked, it was not at all as described by The Red House Hotel.

Robert seemed surprised about me returning the keys and explaining him the reason, probably it never happened before. Although, I read some reviews about the Red House Hotel later, indicating that we were not to first ones with such experience.

I did my second exercise for the day by climbing the road back to the hotel. Many more times we would walk this steep road the coming days. Marja was waiting for me in the lobby, which had an amazing view over the town, the fjord and the surrounding mountains. Our room was very spacious, with an even better view. But to go there, we had to climb the highest, longest, widest and steepest stairs to reach the upper level of the hotel, I had ever seen. The climbing of hills and stairs during our stay would be a recurring feature during our Greenland adventure, I realized.

Satisfied with our new base and all settled in, we decided to descent from the hotel to the ‘bottom’ of town, which is the waterfront. The town is in a better shape than the village Kulusuk, the village near the airport where we arrived the day before. Although we noticed small wooden houses, which were not well maintained, there were others in good condition. A lot of them are owned, we found out, by local or Danish business people who rent them to tourists or officials who work in town. The harbor is the other main entry into town, besides the helicopter port. Mind you, Greenland is roadless. There are only the roads in towns, villages and settlements. And only planes, helicopters and boats connect the towns, villages and settlements.

Due to its arctic location, the winters are harsh and therefore the harbor is only accessible in the summer (four to five months per year). Nearly everything (except fish), has to be shipped in, to supply the residents of the town and all other villages with the necessary goods to survive. A large supply ship from Danmark arrived during our stay and it would be the second last to arrive in the harbor before the winter would start. A large warehouse in the harbor area is the place where most goods and food items are stored. The supply is well calculated, based on the needs of the residents and the few stayover tourists and other hotel guests. A problem is manifesting now due to the arrival of small cruise ships and ocean sailors. Passengers and crew of these vessels, tend to “plunder” the only supermarket in town. Especially the private sailing vessels, who like to stock up. That is not calculated in the monthly supply shipment of the town and its surrounding villages. The locals are starting to get upset when they encounter empty shelves in the supermarket, knowing that it can take a long time before the next shipment arrives.

The buildings and homes are a bit spread out due to the geographic location of the town. Due to its position, it is the main administrative center for East Greenland. Here is the civil apparatus located, a large hospital, schools, large supermarket, police station, hardware store, mechanic shops and all what is needed to keep a community running. Danmark has invested a lot in all the public institutions, but also in social housing. Many Greenlanders not so long ago, had a semi-nomadic life. Moving along the coast with either simple seasonal housing or shelters made of animal skins. To improve living conditions, the Greenlandic government together with the Danish government, started to provide better housing, schooling and medical care within the more urbanized centers like Tasiilaq. Walking through town, we saw indeed, well-built structures like the schools, hospital and the many new homes (apartment blocks and semi-detached houses). All painted in nice bright colors, to stay within the tradition and give it all a happy look. At nearly every house we see codfish, hanging out to dry. This is a way to preserve fish for consumption during the winter. It also shows that nearly every inhabitant still does, what they have always done well…..fishing.

We found a lot of stuff lying around the houses or on the small balconies. Abandoned sledges and snowmobiles or outboard engines, kids toys and bicycles. Washing machines and laundry hanging to dry. It all gives an unorganized impression, as if people don’t really know how to adapt to their new world with all the stuff they didn’t have or used a generation or two ago.

At the end of the town there is a bay which functions as the second harbor. Here you find almost all the small fishing boats, used by the towns people to get out to fish. It’s a wild selection of types and brands of small, mostly single outboard, boats. Often they are not well taken care off.

Compared to Kulusuk, the houses in Tasiilaq are built on strong concrete foundations, which also function as storage or storm shelter. In the arctic, there is the phenomenon called “piteraqs”. These are very powerful cold katabatic storms, which originate from the Greenland icecap, and can reach speeds of 325km/h or 200mph. In 1970 Tasiilaq was almost completely destroyed by such a storm. A stronger and much colder wind than any ocean originated hurricane or typhoon! It tells me that Greenland is more inhospitable than I thought. Winters are harsh and dark. The frequent occurrence of the piteraqs make life outdoors also almost impossible. The Greenlandic people, the Inuit, of East Greenland are one of the most resilient and strong people you can imagine.

However, it hurt us to see these people suffering under the consequences of adapting to modern life. While walking the streets of Tasiilaq, we often encountered people who were drunk. Alcohol is a big problem in Greenland, but in Tasiilaq it’s even worse. Despite all efforts by the Greenlandic and Danish government to improve living conditions in the area, there are common issues hard to overcome.

In the hotel we had lengthy conversations with foreigners (Danes, Americans, Canadians etc), who work in the area for, or on behalf of the Greenlandic and/or Danish government. It gave us a very detailed and first hand idea of what is happening (or not happening) in East Greenland.

For starters, the population of Tasiilaq and the villages (settlements) along the East coast is small. This has social and economic consequences. Finding a partner for life in a small community is not easy, the choices are limited. Besides that, the chance that your partner is a family member, is high. Inbreeding and incest are common problems, which cause mental and health problems. Lack of possibilities to start a stable family cause depression and often ends in becoming an alcoholic or worse, in committing suicide. Greenland has the highest suicide rate in the world! There is the misconception that the Danish government forced Inuit girls to have an IUD placed to stop population growth (a kind of genocide). However, the main reason was to avoid that young girls would end up having a baby from their brother, father or uncle, because especially in the outer more isolated settlements, this was a common happening. The truth is often hard to find if a certain narrative prevails.

During one of our boat trips, we joined a Danish couple who were both police officers, stationed in Tasiilaq (all police officers are from Denmark). They choose to be stationed in this out post of the Danish kingdom, mainly because of the very handsome financial benefits. We learned from them it is not a fun place to work as a police officer. A town of 1800 people and up to 6 settlements, only reachable by helicopter, supervised by eight police officers. Normally on the mainland it would be an easy task for this number of people to police, but not in East Greenland.

Domestic violence, suicides, drunk fights. All social related issues, where they have to interfere, to keep the peace, mediate between parties and scrap the brains from a wall after another suicide (that’s how they described it). It makes you wonder, how sustainable life in this part of the world is.

Another major issue is opportunities, or better, the lack of opportunities. There are schools, but only up to primary school in Tasiilaq. These schools are for the children of Tasiilaq and the settlements. However, for further education, children have to travel to the capital Nuuk which is 2-hour flight. That means they have to attend a boarding school, starting at the age of 12. Most of the time there are no relatives on the West side of Greenland for them. Another alternative for further education is in Danmark, which is even further away.

Lots of children do not continue their education and either fall back on the local tradition of fishing and hunting, or they take the opportunity to follow the limited number of vocational programs and tourist related trainee programs, offered by either the municipality or NGO’s. The East Greenlanders complain that too much focus of the central government is placed on the educational development of Nuuk and other main urban centers on the West side, and they feel that East Greenland is neglected. Nearly all teachers in Tasiilaq are Danish.

Lack of further education, is limiting possibilities for further development of the youth, adding to the already existing socio-economic problems for inhabitants of East Greenland. It also makes it difficult to improve capacity building for the much wished for self-governance and future independence of Greenland. At least on the East side of Greenland and especially at its main administrative center, a lot of official jobs are done by Danes. The police, doctors, engineers are Danish, and even most of the tourist companies (although there are only a few), are owned and managed by Danish people or by people of mixed blood.

Passing the last houses close to the second harbor, we followed an unpaved path going into the hills. Just before that we crossed an area where many chained sledge dogs were kept between small sheds, water tanks, sledges and pallets. We saw them also at Kulusuk village, but here there were many more. It’s summertime, so they are not used to pull the sledges. They stay chained up until snow arrives and the waters around Greenland freeze. The Greenland dog, as they are called, is a large husky-type dog who originates from Siberia. They arrived about 1,000 years ago with the Thule people, who settled in Greenland and the dogs have remained a pure bred ever since. The dog is of national and cultural importance to Greenland and efforts are underway to keep the breed pure by not allowing dogs from outside Greenland to enter the territory. According to studies, the Greenland dog is the oldest dog breed.

The dog sledges used to be the main way of transportation during wintertime, transferring the fast frozen waterbodies around Greenland. The introduction of snow mobiles, less covered ice areas (due to climate change) and a new generation less interested in dog sledging when going for traditional hunting or (ice) fishing, have caused a significant decline in the number of dogs. Within 20 years their numbers declined from 20,000 to 13,000.

Between the hauling dogs (they don’t bark, but sound like wolves), we walked away from the outskirts of the small town into the interior. Although 95% of Greenland is covered with a thick layer of ice, along the coast, during summer, you see gray and black colored rocky mountains. Small patches of moss, small scrubs and a few little flowers is all the flora you will encounter. No trees and large plants nor scrubs are growing on the East side of Greenland. In the far south, due to its location, you will find more vegetation. Between mountains and hills, there are valleys with lakes and puddles of melt water. During summer sunny days, the landscape presents itself as welcoming. A pure and clean environment, untouched by humans. Going deeper into the backlands of Tasiilaq, we climbed to higher elevations, until we reached a small dam with a building housing a turbine. Human activity after all in the “untouched” environment. The melt water flowing from one lake into the next one, stops in a bigger lake where it will be held behind the dam, before it passes the turbine. This way electricity for the town is produced, mainly during summer time.

Not sure if going further was smart because of the risk of encountering a polar bear, we decided to return to our hotel and enjoy the amazing sauna, overlooking the town. The first day in Tasiilaq was an impressive one, from the ride with the helicopter, the hotel issue, the colorful town impressions etc. The hotel offered a nice buffet style dinner, which taken the logistical challenges into account, is not an easy task.

Tourism is on the rise in Greenland, especially cruise tourism. Greenland is still a very inhospitable place to visit and as said before, it’s mainly covered with ice. Tourists come to see the floating icebergs, glaciers and whales. These are mostly seaborne activities, which the cruise ships offer. But stay over tourism is on the rise with hotel accommodation increasing as well as vacation homes. But this is mainly developing on the West coast and especially in and around the capital Nuuk.

In Tasiilaq there are two or three small tour operators with boats, which are owned or co-owned by Danes. Local fishermen are hired to do boating excursions to see whales and icebergs among other activities. Some young people have been trained to be guide and explain the tourist about what is to see and to do.

The second day of our stay in Tasiilaq we booked a tour in a covered, heated, ferry style 14-seater boat. A young friendly Inuit guy was our guide and there was a captain. Together with eight other tourists, a Chinese couple, 2 Danish girls who did an interimship for child activities in town, and the police couple I talked about earlier with their parents. The cabin was heated and comfortable with big windows. There was an open deck at the back and a small platform on top of the cabin. From there you had a great view over water to spot whales. However, standing there on a fast-moving boat with the icy wind freezing even your bones, was not really inviting. Occasionally, we saw little water fountains suddenly raising from the surface of the water, betraying the presence of a whale. With all passengers excited, the captain raced towards the location of the fountain in order to see more of the whale. Often the only part we saw of the whale was part of the back and if you were lucky, the tail when they – after taking a deep breath – dive down deep in an almost vertical dive. The Greenland waters are home to six species of whales and occasionally some others. The Humpback whale was the one we saw the most that day.

From the open sea we entered into another long fjord, until we reached a large, long open area, where the boat stopped and the passengers disembarked. We arrived at an abandoned US military airfield. The Blue East Two Airbase, was built and used in WO2, to allow the USA and its allies to monitor and defend the Northern Atlantic from German war activities. From here planes could take off to patrol the Northern Atlantic, and if needed, attack German naval vessels. It was also a refueling station for US aircraft on their way to Europe from the USA. The base was not operational for a long time and abandoned in 1947. The entire runway is still there, and a lot of equipment was left behind. Trucks and heavy equipment from the 40ties have not been moved since the last US soldier left and are slowly rusting away.

Since the airbase was an important refueling station, the area is littered with thousands of rusty empty oil and fuel drums, which were left behind by the US Army. Greenland is upset about the way the US left the airbase behind and refuses to clean up the mess. The Danish government has decided to provide funds for the clean-up, but this has still not materialized in a large clean up operation. For now the entire site is a welcoming tourist attraction. An unusual site with rusty antique vehicles on a lost airfield, hidden in a fjord, surrounded by huge gray mountains covered with ice. And especially now with the increased interest of the USA in “invading” or “buying” Greenland! The US already has a defense treaty with the Kingdom of Denmark to defend Greenland against invaders and is allowed to set up army bases on its territory.

After an extensive walk over the fast airbase and having a closer look at all the abandoned vehicles, we went back to the boat. Moving through the fjord, we saw more and more small and bigger ice bergs. That meant we were getting closer to a glacier, in this case the Knud Rasmussen glacier. A massive glacier with a 80m high wall off ice, sliding slowly into the waters of the Sermiligaaq fjord. The closer we got, the more floating ice we encountered, which the captain could not avoid to hit anymore. He lowered the speed and by now we became like a small icebreaker. Luckily we were in a heavy aluminum boat which was able to sustain the collisions with the chunks of ice. The sound of the crushing ice hitting the boat was nevertheless a bit scary, the Titanic was made of iron and was also supposed to be unsincable!.

Again we were dropped off on the shore and climbed the rocks to have a good view from up high over the glacier. It was magnificent! As far as the eye could see, there was this long wide tong of ice, full of deep crevasses. Crevasses are deep cracks in the ice, which occur when the ice can’t stretch, when the glacier moves over uneven surface or when the glacier gets into a wider area. These crevasses are increasing due to climate change and when melt water enters, that is causing an even faster melt of the glacier ice. For now, we were just speechless to see these massive field of ice. Now and then large blocks of ice collapsed from the end of the glacier into the water, causing small tsunamis.

There was no sound, no noise, only the crisping sound of cracking ice in the water in front of the glacier. Like the crack you hear when you put an ice cube in your drink, because of the temperature difference, but then millions of times, 24 hours a day. The guide called it the sound of climate change, since the water temperature is higher than normal and causing more of this sound than before.

Back in the boat, we moved closer to the snout or end of the glacier. With the risk of being capsized by a tsunami caused by the collapsing ice wall, we got so close, that now we realized what 80 meters of ice is….. and then to realize that a large part of Greenland is covered with over 3,000 meters of ice! The ice on the bottom of the glacier is blue like a Safier and can be millions of years old. In places like Dubai, it is popular nowadays to have your cocktails served with ice cubes from the glaciers of Greenland. Large chunks of millions of years old ice are transported to fancy destinations around the world, to be sold as high-end luxury commodity. Bad or not, at the end of the day, all ice will melt and later water will be frozen again.

We sailed back to our little town, passing some whales, ice bergs and two world sailors, moored in the fjord. From the water, approaching the harbor, the town looked idyllic, with all its colorful buildings scattered over the hilly landscape. Due to the lack of traffic (only an occasional car of truck driving the small streets), the town is quiet. We said goodbye to our fellow passengers, guide and captain and climbed the road up to our hotel, where we settled down on the sealskin covered chairs in the lounge and got ourselves some coffee to warm up again. Our first experience on the waters of Greenland, was definitely a rewarding one.

The next day we went out again with a boat. This time on one of these older fishing boats. At the landing next to the harbor, we met up with a Danish lady, we works as a nurse at the local hospital. At the same time, she operates a small tour company, together with an Inuit fisherman. Their idea is organizing tours as close to the original culture as possible. A group of Danish ladies working for social projects in town, arrived as passengers as well.

The boat was open, dirty, messy and old, but “authentic”. It had a small cabin in the front, two seats for the captain and a spotter, and then three rows of three seats. We placed ourselves directly behind the captain, to avoid the icy wind as much as possible. However, the captain provided us with some big, thick and comfortable polar jackets, to stay warm, which was indeed not an unnecessary luxury.

We had our faces covered with a scarf, and were wearing a beanie. We left the landing and sailed through the fjord. Today we went out to find whales, not that we didn’t see them already, but this would be different. We left the safe sailing along the coast and traversed into the wide-open sea, passing enormous icebergs along the way, one more intriguing then the other. In the meantime, we were all on the lookout to spot whales, their fountains. Spotting whales in the open sea can be time consuming and at the end boring, if you don’t spot any. The weather is cold and grey, with dark thunder clouds passing left and right of us. Then suddenly, Marja was the first to spot a fountain, and with some acceleration, the captain sailed towards the area where the fountain was seen.

Approaching the area, we all looked around us, to spot the whale…..and yes, there he or she was! The blue whale showed its back and since we were so close we could clearly see the side fins and its white belly. And he or she was not alone. There was another one and another and another……. suddenly we were in the middle of a pod of whales, maybe twenty or more. The sound of constant spraying water and air from the blowholes of the whales started to sound like music. Despite their enormous size, their movement through the water, there was as silence as a leaf falling of a tree on the ground. We spent over an hour drifting with the current and the movement of the whale pod. Left, right, front and back, there were whales. With icebergs in the background, in a small single engine boat in the freezing cold waters of the arctic, we were all warm and amazed by this spectacular show of the giants of the sea. Where in the not so far distance of the past, these giants were just a commodity for the oil, meat and whalebones and were slaughtered by European whalers until some species were almost driven to extinction, now they have become a valuable tourist attraction, as we saw in Iceland and the Faroer Islands as well. If done in a sustainable and respected way, this can benefit both the local communities and the whales as well.

Time passed and our excitement turned into a state of trance. After taking many many pictures, we just sat down, stayed quiet and looked, and marveled about life, nature, Greenland and ourselves. Then one after the other, the whales took a last breath, went head down, and as a sign of goodbye, we saw the huge tail in the air following the rest of the body, going down to the depths of the sea. They had allowed us to see them, to hear them and to admire them. Were we told something by them? Did they give us a message? At least they impressed us immensely and we will never forget them.

Bursting the bubble, the captain fired up the outboard engine and we started our journey back, closer to the shores of Greenland. The coast is defined by thousands of inlets, small and big fjords, small islands or just single pieces of rock. You can go on sailing along the coast for hours and hundreds of kilometers, but you won’t see anything else. These inlets, fjords, islands and rocks are surrounded or bordered by high cliffs and mountains, which in the summer are barren rock with here and there some snow and ice. Human habitation is non existing. Only a few birds are a sign that life does exist in this remote part of our planet.

Entering a fjord, the boat was maneuvering through narrow passages, almost hitting the rocks. Our captain though, knew this place. It has been his home ever since he was born here. His parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, all called this hostile environment their home. Water as calm as a lake in a park and as clear as crystal, where the peaks of mountains stick out like spears and are mirrored like twins. The fjords are wonderlands on their own.

Suddenly we noticed some structure built on the rocks. We got closer and saw more of them, passing through a narrow natural channel, where we reached a small bay. The captain let us jump off the boat onto the rocks. Here we found ourselves in a small, abandoned settlement of about ten houses, a church, and large structure to hang fish to dry.

The captain brought some sandwiches and (instant) coffee on shore and standing on the ‘beach’, where in the past, boats were held on land for maintenance or for approaching stores, we had our Greenland style basic lunch. While the others were still busy with their lunch, we started out exploring. Under a rock next to the main door of the church, we found a key, which allowed us to enter the church. The church also housed a small school in a small room. Both the church and the school looked like they had been abandoned, not too long ago, and in a rush. A lot of schoolbooks, pencils, furniture etc, are still there, but thrown around as if a riot had taken place. We saw the same in one of the houses. Other houses and buildings were locked, and without finding the key they remained inaccessible. Some houses looked like people had been staying there until recent, or even still occupied it. We found a bedroom, equipped and furnished with a usable bed and in the kitchen even two rusty hunting rifles.

According to the captain, there are more hidden settlements in the fjords along the coast, but nearly all of them abandoned. Lack of basic services, electricity, telephone and so on pushed its inhabitants to larger settlements or the towns. The younger generation doesn’t feel like living the pure traditional way, although they do hunt and fish, but now from a more comfortable position like living in Tasiilaq. The abandoned settlements are still used during hunting trips or as shelters during bad weather. Fisherman and hunters also store their (extra) equipment in these abandoned homes.

An unopened letter in the house we entered had a stamp on it, so we realized that mail once was delivered in these tiny far away villages. The date on the stamp showed that most probably, the last time was 1987!

I tried to imagine the daily life of the people who lived here. A couple of families, who’s only means of existence was fishing and hunting seal. They had to survive long dark and cold winters, without electricity, tv, entertainment and had a simple diet of fish and seal. There was indeed a small school for the few kids who lived there, but what other activities were available for them? Was their life determined by learning just how to survive? Did they learn to write, calculate or what else is happening in the world outside their village? Was their life maybe comparable with that of the people living remotely in the jungles of the Amazon?

Walking over the small rocky island on which the settlement was located, I also realized the popularity of remote places like these by a growing group of westerners. Where I tried to imagine the hardship the inhabitants had to endure to carve out their existence in this brutal place, which has so little to offer to live comfortable in accordance with my standards, others love to live in places like this (for a while). Living in our hectic ever demanding congested world, people look for places away from it all and as basic as possible as well. During our stay in Tasiilaq, I heard about very remote cottages along the Greenland coast, where people and their supplies are dropped off by boat or helicopter to remain isolated for a certain time. Where the Inuit had nothing to spend to live like that, not by choice, but by destiny, adventurous tourists and adventures pay big sums of money to experience living in one of the most remote places in the world.

The visit to the abandoned settlement came to an end, and we boarded the boat again. We sailed around the little rocky island and not far from there the captain stopped and brought out some fishing lines with hooks and lures. Just at a random place in the fjord, he lowered the line for about 10 to 15 meters and started to move the line up and down. After about 30 seconds he started hauling the line in and to all our surprise on nearly every hook (and there were 30 hooks), there was a large fish…Cod fish! These fish were attracted by the moving red lures, which look like moving worms. This time of the year the fjords are filled with Cod fish. It’s one of the main fish, the Greenlanders fish for. There are so many fish, you don’t have to go out with your boat for long to have your boat filled up. We sent out two more lines, and we all got the chance to catch our Cods. And yes, the Cod kept coming and the two large buckets on the boat filled up quickly. To end the suffering of the fish Marja and I cut the fish throats and after the last fish was taken from the hook, the lines were pulled in and stored away. We still had some distance to cover to reach town, so we wrapped ourselves warmly with the scarves, jackets and gloves and off we went.

Coming back at the same landing near the main harbor, we disembarked and the fish was divided between the passengers and the captain. We skipped, since we had no means to store or prepare them. Another small boat came in same time. An Inuit family had a successful day of fishing as well. Big bags with Cod were lifted from the small boat on to the dock. A young Inuit boy helped his parents, like they did when they were young. It’s the way a tradition is passed from one to the next generation. The fish will either be carried home, cleaned and hanged to dry, or sold to fish traders from Nuuk or Danmark.

Although the Inuit fishermen don’t get a top price for their catches compared with what we eventually will pay for the fish on the mainland in stores and restaurants, it is still a welcoming source of income for the local community.

Since we enjoyed our trip with the fisherman so much, we asked him if he would be available again the next day, but then only with us. And not only that, we wanted to join him in case he was going out for seal hunting. He had to discuss this first with his business partner.

Near the harbor, there was a new small food truck, selling pizzas. Now you have to understand, that there are no restaurants (the only one we saw was permanently closed and that was a pitty, because they used to have whale meat burgers!)), so we completely depended on the food of the hotel. And due to the logistics and shortages of supplies, especially towards the end of the period before a supply ship arrives, the breakfast, lunch and dinners, were almost the same every day in the hotel. So, a food truck making and selling pizzas is a great novelty in this small town.

While waiting for our pizzas outside in the cold at a picnic table, we looked around and realized that this was summertime in Greenland….how would this food truck operate when it was much colder and dark during the long winter?

The pizzas were bigger than the boxes, so the pizza guy folded them in the box. As long if it works, it works. Who cares about the ecstatics! I kept the boxes under my jacket and we started climbing back to the hotel as fast as we could. In the lobby, with a nice cold beer, we enjoyed these special pizzas! It’s the story, the effort, the location and the atmosphere, which made these pizzas taste the best we ever had, for sure!

That night the hotel had some interesting guests, who stayed in the lobby after dinner and had some drinks together with us. We met two helicopter pilots, one from Danmark and one from Austria. They work for two Tasiilaq businessman (two brothers), who own the hotel we stayed in, also the hotel in Kulusuk, and the local helicopter company as well. Since outside the small town and the few settlements there are no roads, nearly all transport (if not done over sea), is carried out by helicopters. Most of the regular transport between the towns and settlements is carried out by helicopters of Greenland Air and these are heavily subsidized by the government. Commercial transport is also done by Greenland Air but private helicopter companies are competing with them on these lucrative flights. Scientists who study melting ice and climate behaviors often have big institute sponsored budgets. This also counts for geologists working for the mining companies, who search for mineral deposits. And then there are the wealthy adventure tourists, who want to explore and experience the raw back lands of Greenland. All flying through the air with helicopters. A growing business in Greenland is helicopter skiing, whereby adventurous skiers are flown to remote mountain tops and glaciers.

The pilots had many nice stories to tell about flying to the most remote and northern locations of Greenland. Along fixed routes, fuel drums are strategically placed, so that the pilots can refuel. They have to do that themselves using hand pumps (since there are no mechanical pumps in these faraway outposts). The process of landing and fueling is not without risks. Pilots carry a gun, since polar bears have attacked pilots and workers when being alone and unprotected. As expected, the summer period is the busiest time for them, although they also fly in the winter. Winter definitely has its challenges for them, darkness and (unexpected) snowstorms are huge challenges as well as the freezing temperatures, which can cause engine failures or problems with the fuel.

Another interesting guest was a salesman from Danmark. He represents a company in Danmark, that is almost the sole supplier of nearly all products people and businesses need in Greenland. He is responsible for East Greenland and visits stores, businesses, schools, government departments and hotels (a large pallet with fresh supplies was just delivered to the hotel, to the delight of the guests, who were treated that night with a change in the menu). He makes lists of what people need, to cover the period until the next supply boat arrives. Changing climate and the growth of tourism make it more and more challenging, to prepare a sufficient order list. The ‘plundering’ of stores by visiting (sailing) tourists, I already mentioned, is one of these challenges. The company is also contracted to supply food and essentials to the Danish Army, who has outposts as far as to the most northern point of Greenland. He therefore also works with the helicopter company to transport these goods to these locations. He even had a fully decorated Christmas tree dropped off at the most northern outpost of the military as a token of appreciation!

The lobby was already empty, staff was gone and the last bottle of wine was finished. A great night with nice stories, insights and jokes came to an end. We had to wake up early the next morning, since we had received the okay from our fisherman, to join him again for a next boating trip.

We met again on the dock with the nice Danish lady, who was the business partner of the fisherman. She came with us on the boat to go to the fuel dock. It looked like she was in charge of the finances of this small touring enterprise, since she paid for the fuel. After fueling up the tank and two extra drums (it’s the only fuel station for boats on a 2,000 km stretch of coastline), we sailed out of the fjord. This time we turned the other way from the fjord into new territory (for us). When the lady left the boat a young boy joined as crew member. Both he and the captain didn’t speak English, so communication with our crew members was between minimal and zero.

That was actually fine, we enjoyed to have the boat just ourselves and enjoy our surroundings, without being distracted by small talk or an ever-talking guide, who provides information which you can Google and also have forgotten the moment you leave the boat. We now could really enjoy the majestic enormity of Greenland’s rocky face seen from the boat. And we loved it.

We sailed through a labyrinth of the rocky islands, inlets, small passages for over an hour when we made a turn into the enormous Sermilik fjord. We started to see ice sheets and small ice bergs. We turned into a small fjord and sailed to the end. We could see empty plastic bottles lined up in the water on both sides of the fjord at the end. These were functioning as little floating devices for a line carrying a fishing net hanging below in the water. The captain sailed along the line and started to pull up the line with the net and to our surprise the net had lots of fish stuck in it. These were wild salmons! We had never seen wild salmon, only the bred ones in Iceland and the Faroer Islands. The fish swim straight into the net and try to get out, but by doing so, they get themselves more stuck in the net, so they start to twist the net. For the fisherman it takes a bit of time to unravel the net when he takes it up to get the fish out. But it was clear he has done it so many times and he knows what to expect. Patiently he takes the fish out one by one, unravels the net and throws it back in for the next salmons to get stuck.

With our first catch of the day, we moved on with this catch of about 40 salmon. Passing more little islands, rocks and steep cliffs, we turned into a larger fjord, Semilik fjord. Unexpected for us (as we don’t read brochures and folders), we reached a small settlement, the settlement called Tiilerilaaq. A small fishing and hunting community of about 100 people, hidden in the fjord but with all the colorful painted houses, still very visible. The settlement is close to the border of the Greenland ice sheet.

The captain landed us on shore near the helipad, from where we made a stroll through the settlement. Despite its small size and the very few inhabitants, I was surprised to see the quantity and quality of available services in the settlement. Of course, there was the paved helipad, but there was a well stocked small supermarket (which is also the place where you do the check-in for your helicopter flight), a small school, a community center, a harbor with floating pontoon, a bank and post office, a multi-purpose football field and a medical post and even a large excavator, keeping the road through the settlement accessible during snowy days.

Most of the houses looked well maintained and were available for tourists. The location of Tiilerilaaq offers one of the most dramatic sceneries you can imagine. Thousands of ice bergs, in all sizes and colors pass along the settlement, with in the background this huge wall of ice….. the icecap. Perched between high cliffs and mountains it’s a total different world. The fjord itself is very rich in marine life, hence the large quantities of fish being caught there. Whales and seals swim between the ice, feeding themselves.

Our captain, who turned out to be more enterprising then we thought in the beginning, checked on some houses which, he told us, he owns and rents out. Our captain has a vision, and he believes in the growth of the tourism industry of East Greenland. And he might very well be right on that.

During our stroll I invited myself to play a little football with some kids in the settlement on the soccer field. It’s so funny to see, that where ever you go in the world, hot or cold, rich or poor, you see kids playing ball games. We humans have so much in common, it’s the environment, religion, political systems and geographical circumstances, that divides us.

Time to get back on the boat and go further into the Sermilik fjord. The speed was significantly reduced, since we encountered more and more ice. We maneuvered around icebergs, but between there were millions of small pieces of ice, causing a lot of noise when our polyester boat hit them. The sights of all these chunks of ice were marvelous.

In the meantime, we were on the lookout for seals. Greenland is home to a large seal population (between 8 and 14 million individuals), divided over four species of which the Harp seal is the most common and the Harbor seal the fastest declining one in numbers. Annually, the Inuit hunt about 150.000 seals per year. Seals are historically the main source of food and substance (skin for clothing and cover for accommodation). Although the number of seals has increased enormously since the 70ties due to decline in demand of seal products (mainly skins), the numbers overall are stable or declining. Main reason is climate change, which causes shorter periods of pack-ice, which is the primary breeding and fishing ground for seals.

Seals are heartbreakers for most of us in the civilized world. When they look at you with their big black eyes, it reminds us of our dogs. We have a great affection for them and can’t imagine them being killed with a spear, club or bullet, for their skin and meat. A worldwide campaign in the 70ties, brought an end to large scale sea hunting. Anti-fur campaigns and import restrictions, caused the fur market to collapse. The Inuit of Canada and Greenland, who hunt as part of centuries-old traditions and are mainly hunting for survival and small trade, were heavily affected by the campaign and its consequences. The EU later adjusted the import restrictions, so that seal skins from substance hunters only were allowed to be imported and by doing so, restored a part of the economic livelihood of the Inuit. However, the damage was already done, seal fur was not in anymore. Everybody in Europe who dared to walk with a seal fur coat, was at risk of being attacked by activists with knives or spray paint.

For the Inuit of Greenland, it was hard to comprehend what the commotion was all about, so far away from them in a world they hardly understood. They had been hunting seals for thousands of years, considering them a commodity for food and clothing. There was no relationship of affection, but a relationship of respect for nature and take from nature only what you and your family need, and do that in the most humanly way possible.

Being on the boat with our captain, a man in his sixties, his leather looking face, covered with deep grooves, caused by living in one of the most hostile environments on our planet, we were part of a daily routine of surviving. We were just guests allowed to see, what he, his father, grandfather, great grandfather, were doing day in day out, with the only a big difference. The seal skin kayak and peddles are replaced by a polyester boat with outboard engine and the spear/harpoon by a riffle with telescope. But still, all that has not made life a lot easier.

Between all these thousands of pieces of ice, we were scouting to see if a curious seal would betray himself. But we with our untrained eyes, would never see one. It comes with years of experience, starting at a very young age. Hunting seal takes time and a lot of patience. Although they are in abundance, they are not easy to spot. They are either under water or just behind one of the many icebergs. Besides that, they are – despite being very curious – always on the lookout for danger. Mind you, they are also the main prey for polar bears.

With his hunting rifle loaded and unlocked next to his steering wheel, our captain scouted the fjord constantly. He was not only looking for a little dark head sticking out of the water, but also forcircles on the water, caused by a seal just disappearing under the surface. It took almost an hour, before he spotted one. He lifted his riffle above the plexi-glass windshield of the boat, looked through the telescope and fired. Bang! It echoed through the fjord. We didn’t see anything and even thought he missed his target.

With speed, the boat raced to the location where the captain had hit his target. And indeed, we saw a seal drifting in circles at the surface, leaving a trail of red blood behind him. The boat got close and the boy crewmember brought out a stick with a hook, to hook the seal. If he waited too long, the seal would die and sink. With some effort the captain and his helper hauled the wounded and bleeding seal on board. To end the suffering the captain took a club and hit the seal twice hard on the head. The seal’s suffering was over. The seal stayed hanging on the side of the boat, with his head towards the water as if he wanted to go back into the fjord. But the only reason was, that the blood could flow out of his head into the water instead of in the boat.

Between some big chunks of ice the captain stopped the boat, switched off the engine and brought out the picnic basket. Funny thing was that in the basket were the food items we didn’t finish the day before, when we were on the boat with him and the Danish ladies. Some of the bread already had fungus on it. In a place where things like food are scarce and expensive, I can understand people don’t through away food stuff easily. But anyway, here we were. Sitting in an old. messy and dirty polyester boat, with two friendly Innuits we could not have a conversation with, with a dead bleeding seal behind us, surrounded by millions of tons of floating and melting ice. A more surreal environment I couldn’t imagine, but the serenity of it was spiritual, relaxing and felt almost unreal.

The captain made some pictures of the surroundings and the tongue of the ice cap touching the water. He was also (I learned later) looking for a scientific beacon, which communicates with satellites. This way he assists a research project.

We still had a long way to go before reaching port, so we sailed back, slowly first, between all the ice bergs. The whole fjord is nicknamed “Iceberg highway”, due to the huge number of icebergs floating out to the open sea. In the meantime, we were still on the lookout for more seals, but after a while it’s hard to stay concentrated.

Then suddenly, the engine goes in neutral and the captain takes his riffle and fired another bullet. Again, he saw it first, focused, got the riffle in line and fired. One shot and the seal was hit. It’s amazing, the sharpness these hunters have. The same procedure followed and now we had another seal hanging from the boat. This was also the limit for our captain for that day. Enough food for him and the family and his sledge dogs, These dogs are fed mainly with seal meat and blubber.

With so much unworldly impressions, we had ourselves wrapped up again, to avoid the chilling cold, generated by the speed of the boat over the open sea. I admired the captain we stood behind his steering wheel, face in the wind, eyes half closed. Was it as cold for him as it was for us, or did he enjoy this summer breeze?

Back in the harbor, the captain first offloaded the seals, where I had a picture taken with the seals and the riffle. A picture I actually should not publish, to avoid being attacked by animal activists!

Back in the hotel, we went again into the lovely sauna to get the cold out of our freezing bones, while overlooking the little town and the towering mountains behind it. Another very nice experience!

Seeing Greenland from the sky or from a boat is one, but experiencing the interior on foot is another thing. Expeditions or multiple day hiking tours with guides are organized from Tasiilaq. But that is of course not our thing. We do things ourselves, like we have done always! When flying from Iceland to Greenland, we took our language in big back packs, including our camping gear. So now after flying and boating, it was time to organize our little expedition.

When preparing for Greenland, we bought ourselves arctic suitable clothing. However, the weather was warmer than expected, so we could leave some clothing in the hotel. For food we had enough camping meals and at the local supermarket we had bought a small gas bottle for our portable gas stove. Water is in abundance and clean! Although, after reading that melting glacier ice can release pre-historic microbes and bacteria, I decided to still cook the water.

Although not compulsory but still advised by everyone we spoke to in town, we didn’t take a riffle or gun with us, in case of a polar bear encounter. I was just counting on luck and the law of probabilities.

After breakfast we placed our backpacks on our backs, adjusted the strings for maximum comfort and walked out of the hotel, descending the steep road towards the harbor and passing the center of town. Due to a warmer then normal day, there was beautiful layer of fog covering parts of the the town, fjord and mountains. It was fairy tale scene.

The starting point of our trail into the interior was the large graveyard, with hundreds of white crosses and thousands of colorful plastic flowers. The graveyard is located at the entrance of the “Flower Valley”. The name would expect a colorful valley of green grass and flowers, like in the Alps, but besides the plastic flowers of the graveyard, there were hardly any flowers. Maybe we missed a season!

A mother sledge dog with her pups greeted us and almost wanted to join us on our hike, but she was chained and pups preferred to stay with here. We went deeper in the valley and left the town behind us. We climbed, descended, went around small lakes and tried to identify the hiking trail, as if there was one. Luckily, we had great sunny weather and no rain. The hiking with a big heavy backpack, made us even sweating and we started to walk in T-shirts.

The further we went, the more beautiful the landscape became. All the different colored rocks and mountains. Are these all the minerals the US (and other countries) might be after it? Greenland is earmarked as a huge treasure house of many different types of rare earth minerals, gold, platinum, uranium ect. Will one day, all these huge mountains be blown up by big mining giants, to extract these “treasures”? Will these untouched wildernesses be destroyed, as so many other beautiful wildernesses, for profit, gain, human progress and power? Yes, it will. There is no reason to believe it will not, looking at human history. For now, the immense icecap, will protect and hold these “treasures” and keep Greenland safe from industrial and mining destruction.

The deeper we go into the land, the higher. It gets colder and once in while a chilling thought goes through my mind: ‘if indeed a polar beer just shows up, what should we do?’ For now, we were in a mountain area, unfavorable for polar bears, but you never are 100% sure. I kept looking and planning, ever step I made. Strange banging sounds echoing between the mountains, made us wonder. Are these explosions? Are they seismic testing explosive somewhere in the area, used by geologists? Or is this the massive ice sheet cracking? We never found out, but it was spooky.

A group of 10 hikers with a guide crossed our path. The guide was armed with a big riffle and was very surprised to see us wondering around by ourselves (without any firearm). They came from the other side of the peninsula on which Tasiilaq is located. They were dropped off by a boat and crossed back to Tasiilaq. The guide didn’t seem to be amused by our presence (without a firearm). Not because he was afraid something could happen to us, but it busted the bubble of his group. Hiking in polar bear country with an armed guide is sold as something spectacular (and costly) and then you don’t want to cross paths with an unarmed couple who are just on a sunny day stroll with a tent on their back. Leaving the confused group and the grumpy guide behind, we continued our journey into the spectacular Greenland wilderness.

We encountered no life whatsoever, except for little mosquitos, lots of them. No birds, mammals, reptiles or other insects. Besides the sound of little streams of melt water, there was no sound, just serene silence. The air is cold, but fresh, amazingly fresh and clean. The air in Greenland is considered the cleanest on the planet, due to the lack of pollution and dust.

Near the end of the day, we found a nice secluded flat spot between rocks, near a lake. The lake was surrounded by huge mountain peaks with glaciers running down from the ice cap. It was one of the, if not the most magical camp spot we ever encountered. We emptied our back packs and started setting up camp. We carry a light weight two person tent with us, but in reality, with heavy cold weather sleeping bags, it feels like a one-person tent! Our camp was situated in such away, that we were protected from any strong winds (which occur frequently at night), but also to avoid polar bears smelling us. Furthermore, we had the rocks behind us, which we could climb quickly, in case of a polar bear attack at night. Of course this was all wishful thinking. By the time we would realize that a polar bear was ripping open our tent, we would stand zero change to survive, well at least one of us would be killed and eaten, the other might be able to run away. But for comfort feeling, we had a plan!

With our little gas stove, we made our dinner, which actually tasted pretty good. These pre-made camping meals have improved very well over time. The water from the lake was crystal clear and clean, but still, I let run through the filter. A few packs of milk were also in our back packs (no wonder why they were so heavy), to have coffee with hot milk, and milk with our cereal for breakfast. A part of the rocks behind us functioned as our bench, with a view over the lake. This was our dining room. Due to the scarcity or actually non-existence of fire wood, we couldn’t make a campfire, so hanging around a warm campfire was not included in our hiking tour. But still we felt comfortable, the spirit was great!

After a short walk near the shores of the lake, to digest our meal, we prepared ourselves for the first night in the open, away from the little civilization we had in Tasiilaq. It was full moon and the lake, mountains and glaciers became even more mystical. Although I had made our escape plan, I couldn’t close an eye that night. Also because being tied up in a sleeping back in a too small tent, is far from the comfort I am used to. I started to hear sniffing sounds, I heard rolling rocks and noticed shadows. I couldn’t keep the sleep away from me, but after every short dip of sleep, I woke up and started listening for sounds. I was almost waiting for that big white claw with five huge black nails, ripping the tent open and dragging one of us out of our little shelter. Maybe I exaggerated for myself, but hearing all kinds of stories in town and seeing all these “be aware of polar bear” signs, I was a little scared, or at least nervous. Marja was not, she always considers herself extremely safe with me around.

The hiking and the camping in this vast wilderness, of which we only experienced a fraction, is one of our most memorable experiences. The knowledge that we could go further untill on the icecap itself and beyond, without seeing any human presence or alteration of the environment, is a unique experience. Limited by our supplies and time, we unfortunately had to hike back another three days to our hotel.

A bit exhausted from several days of hiking and camping, we arrived in our hotel room. After a hot shower, we let ourselves fall on bed and were asleep within seconds, it was just early afternoon.

That night, we went out one more time for pizza. It’s hard to imagine being in such a remote place where somebody came up with the idea of have a food truck for baking pizzas. We loved it and wanted to get one of these “foldable” pizzas one more time. They are really good!

Back in the hotel lobby, after eating our amazing pizzas, we stayed around for a while. When I invited two ladies, who I noticed had been staying in the hotel as long as we had been there too, to have a drink with us. They gladly accepted the invitation and joined us. They were both from Danmark and work as psychiatrist and psychologist in the local hospital on temporary base. Very nice ladies, who provided us with most interesting knowledge concerning the many mental health problems in Greenland. It’s almost mind blowing, to realize the magnitude of social problems Greenland has to deal with. First of all, the Inuit have to go through a huge transformation, while adapting the worlds rapid changes. Not too long ago, they were only involved in fishing and hunting, living a mainly nomadic life. Secondly, due its size and the scattered population, education is limited and so for many young people it’s extremely hard to keep up. Due to the scattered population, divided over many small towns and settlements, relationships are hard to make and even more difficult to keep. On top of that, having a relationship with a close or distant family member is more the rule then exception. This narrow confinement of the society and the lack of opportunities in work, entertainment and schooling cause depression, and with depression, there comes alcohol and drug abuse. The final step is disagreements and alienation between friends, family and neighbors, which can result in injuries, killings and even suicide.

There are no permanently stationed psychiatrists and psychologists in Tasiilaq. This also doesn’t do good, to not have prolonged help and treatment available. People need hope, need perspective and a reason to live. Hanging on to the old life is only available for the few, because it comes with hardship, dedication and a fight for territory. Also, the Inuit want to enjoy the benefits of the civilized world, like electricity, heating, snowmobiles, television, cellphones and healthcare. It’s a common path other indigenous people have followed, are following, or trying to follow. It’s not easy, the steps they have to take are huge, especially if they also try to preserve their traditions and culture.

Development of Greenland is a matter of time and in fact it’s already happening. Tourism is slowly on the rise, and the first mining projects have kicked off, while mining companies are roaming the coast and other ice-free areas with their seismologic equipment, to find the treasures laying below the rocky surface of Greenland.

The last day for us in Greenland had come. We made a last stroll to town, and made a stop at a unique and well-known crafts shop. Not the ordinary shop where you buy souvenirs made in China. No, this was a shop with an atelier, where some Inuit men make little statutes, rings, earrings and other jewelry from polar bear teeth and nails, or narwal horn or even the long teeth of the walrus.

A limited number of artifacts were on display when we entered. The ivory teeth of the different animals were grinded in shape with little drills. The dust coming off was filling up the atelier area as well as the shop itself. You could smell the ivory, and I wondered how many years these men had already been working in these circumstances. Their lungs must by now be full of ivory dust!

At the end of town, on our first day we noticed a large polar bear skin hanging out to dry. It was missing its claws and head. Polar bears are allowed to be hunted in Greenland according to quotas. These range from 30 to over a 100 a year. In Greenland hunting is strictly regulated and is only allowed by the local Inuit or with an Inuit guide. The export of polar bear products outside Greenland is forbidden. Due to less and less surface ice, it’s getting harder for the polar bear to hunt for seal and to move around. Encounters with polar bears in settlements, when they are looking for food, are therefore on the rise. It’s here that the official quota does not count, and therefore the polar bear is then seen as a “problem” animal and can be killed.

From a plastic shopping bag, the old craftsman took a dried claw of a polar bear, with its five nails. With a plier he took out the biggest one and started cleaning it. He drilled a little hole in the top and put a leather string through it. Now it was a neckless, ready to be sold to tourists. Then he showed us how, out of a piece of narwal horn, he carved a beautiful head of a polar bear. This also became a neckless. I had double feelings about it. From one side I didn’t like to see how parts of these beautiful animals were turned into souvenirs, but on the other side, the Inuit have done this for thousands of years. They didn’t waste anything of the animals they hunted. Even now, the hunting is done in a sustainable way to avoid over-hunting and the risk of extinction.

The afternoon we did a last hike along the shores of the fjord towards the end, where the ocean is. We followed a path starting behind the hotel, towards a point offering great views over the town. This is actually also the starting point of a small ski slope (yes, there is even a cable lift to bring skiers to the top). Here, there are the weather radars located, which warn the community for upcoming stormfronts. Loud air horns warn the people in such case to look for shelter if a storm is underway.

The hike was going up and down, crossing small creeks, which often are littered by garbage coming from the nearby settlement’s landfill. Between the rocks we noticed small scrubs with small black berries. Along the way we see elderly Inuit women picking these berries. The only wild growing fruit we have seen so far.

We reached the open sea and looked around, enjoying the wide views. Lots of rocks and stones, a hard and unwelcoming view for any sailor approaching the coast of Greenland. If not for the sea with its abundance of marine life, there is no reason to be here, to live here. But that might chance. Greenland is, as I started the story, a hot topic. Not only for its geographic location, but mostly for its resources, that are still covered by millions of tons of ice. One day an old fashioned “Goldrush” will flow over its pristine environment, it’s inevitable! And it actually has started already. Walking back, we saw the bright red supply ship leaving Tasiilaq, going back to Danmark. It will return one more time before the winter sets in. And then it will only come back again in May next year.

One more time in the great sauna, overlooking this sleepy little town with its colorful friendly houses. The people walking the hilly streets, the many mothers with their toddlers dressed in fluorescing yellow vests, and pushing strollers up the hills to schools and clinics. The only ambulance keeps driving up and down, liking being the local Uber and picking up people to deliver them everywhere, for sure not only at the hospital.

The third small expedition cruise ship with mostly senior passengers we saw outside the harbor since we arrived in Tasiilaq, started to get ready to move on. Small rubber Zodiacs with crew from the Philippines, were picking up the passengers from the same dock, where we started our trips. With their blue winter coats, supplied by the ship, they looked like small Smurfs from far. They spent part of the day ashore to see the town. However, most don’t get far due to their age and physics. They all go to the craft shop, wonder around in the lower part of town and the adventurous ones go on a guided walking tour through town, but that’s it. That’s all the cultural experience they get when going ashore in Tasiilaq. But when we arrived on our island Sint Maarten 35 years ago, it also started with one small cruise ship. And that has changed in almost seven huge cruise ships a day in high season. So we will see, how this will develop in East Greenland. West Greenland, already gets a lot more cruise ships.

During the evening, we spoke with a technician from the USA who came to fix some data transmitting buoys. He works for a university in California, which provides data to institutions, Governments, weather services etc. These data are collected from these buoys regarding weather patterns, measured from currents, waves and air pressure, but also about melting ice. These buoys are often thrown out by planes and helicopters and go with the current. They are at the end disposable. The ones in the fjords have a longer lifespan, due to the slow current and or often re-used. He informed us there was bad weather in Nuuk (the capital) and this was also coming the next day in our area, resulting in no flights. We heard already that often the weather causes delays and flight cancellations. Greenland has a new international airport near the capital, but it turns out that the location is so sensitive for bad weather, that often planes cannot land or take off. This also effects flights to and from Kulusuk and therefore also the helicopter flights from and to Tasiilaq. Often people from Tasiilaq and the nearby settlements fly by helicopter to Kulusuk to go to the capital. It’s a very delicate connection, especially in winter, whereby often even the helicopters cannot fly from Tasiilaq to Kulusuk, due to the cold, snow and wind. Tasiilaq can then even be more isolated.

We were a bit nervous about that, since if the helicopter would not fly, we would miss our plane from Kulusuk to Iceland. And that plane only flies once a week. And if we had to wait a week, we could miss our ferry boat from Iceland to Danmark! So we took it all into account when we made all our bookings. Even if we would arrive a week later in Iceland, with some speed (700 km from the airport to the ferry terminal), we could make it. But spending another week in Tasiiilaq would be little bit too much.

Next morning we were anxiously waiting for updates. There were indeed delays and the first helicopter flight was cancelled. The weather was luckily clearing up and we were hopeful. Then around noon, we heard that the helicopter was available for us and would bring us to Kulusuk.

The hotel van dropped us off at the heliport. We checked in and were the only passengers again. Taking off we said goodbye to Tasiilaq and flew low along the coast with again amazing views over the mountains, rocks, small islands, fjords and icebergs. Back in Kulusuk we had to wait for about 4 hours, so we checked in and walked to the hotel where we stayed the first night. There were more passengers waiting there, reading books and drinking coffee.

Then finally, it was time to get back to the terminal. The plane from Iceland Air landed on the gravel strip and within an hour, we were on board.

With heavy heart we left Greenland behind us. Greenland is not just an island, it’s not just a place you visit randomly. It’s a place that has so little in common with our civilized world. It’s still so pure and unbelievably beautiful. We feel so privileged to have experienced a moment in just small part of it.