Ilulissat, Greenland

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

After breakfast, we split into small groups for our day of sightseeing. There are brightly colored houses and a beautiful little church lining the water front of the tiny hunting and fishing village of Ilulissat. We drove through town a short distance to the Inuit village of Sermermiut, a Unesco World Heritage designated site to learn about Greenland’s four-thousand year old indigenous culture.. A boardwalk led us through the protected tundra and up to an amazing vantage point on a rocky mountain overlooking the massive glaciers.

Home visit with manager of airport. Delicious food. Great view out their windows.

We wen to a local home and met with a dog sled team owner and her dogs. Dog sleds are still used today as a practical mode of transport over Greenland’s icy terrain. We discovered that a “dog town” is strictly governed regarding breeding practices, etc. It is forbidden to have dogs inside a home.

We had a fabulous scenic flight in a small fixed wing plane to view the pristine glaciers, fjords, and rocky coastlines. Our plane group included Kim & Ginger and Leslie.
Return to the hotel this evening for cocktails , lecture and group photo. I skipped the lecture to do my hair. Priorities!

Great fun final dinner-sat with Mary & Eddie & Cat & Bill Goodrum (who we hadn’t had a chance to sit with before) and Randy and Jan. It was a really fun dining group. Hung out drinking and visiting at our table until 10pm and then joined Ty & Leigh, Dr Burke & wife for more partying. Got to bed at 12:30am. 6:15am wheelie pickup is gonna be painful!
Overnight: Hotel Arctic

Arctic Hotel, Ilulissat (B, L, D daily)

Ice Bergs from Hike.JPG