Where We Be
Nuuk, the capital, is by far Greenland's largest town --
and yet it still only boasts 20,000 inhabitants
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Greenland & Iceland Cruise
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Our Norwegian Star cruise ship made a full
circle around Iceland, stopping twice, before
heading towards southern Greenland. There we
visited three different towns -- including the
capital, Nuuk. When you realize Nuuk only has
two traffic lights, it gives you an idea of just
how small even the capital city is. Greenland is
not only the world's largest island but also the
least densely populated territory in the world
(it's officially part of Denmark). It has less than
60,000 residents all told, which is less than
many small cities in America. That said, we saw
plenty of new construction going on in Nuuk, so
perhaps they're preparing for a future in which
global warming makes Greenland...green again?
To be fair, southern Greenland is already green
(in summer), and more mountainous than we
expected. Each town we saw was full of colorful
homes -- an antidote, no doubt, to the long dark
winters here. It only took us a few hours to see
each town, which is our "sweet spot" when it
comes to cruising these days. Seeing the sights
of a bigger port of call in one day can be taxing,
but a small town or island fits the bill perfectly.
Descending the hill, we pop inside the
Church of Our Savior for a quick look around
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Panning to the right, you get a nice view of the town harbor (different from the cruise port).
The big building straight ahead with the long black roof is the Greenland National Museum.
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Next to the church is a hilltop overlook known as Myggedalen
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Another statue called “Mother of the Sea” is located near town harbor
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From town harbor you can see the church and the hilltop overlook called Myggedalen
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After visiting the museum, we climb a steep set of stairs to reach another overlook
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At the top we find this
unusual modernist statue
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We glimpse a church steeple peeking over a boulder-strewn hill...
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Colorful homes sit amongst fields of blooming flowers
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These locals seem to be enjoying the sudden influx of tourists into their remote town. They sit
in front of a mural depicting a polar bear (the name Nanortalik means "place of polar bears").
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...and arrive at Nanortalik's only church, the main landmark in town
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The church sits among giant boulders -- left behind, no doubt, by an ancient glacier
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We pass several large icebergs on our way out to sea
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Two relaxing days at sea (plus a two-hour time change)
bring us to Greenland's southernmost town, Nanortalik
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Even on an unusually warm summer's day, Greenland can look cold and forbidding
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...but our favorite memory here is jumping on the giant trampoline outside the Culture House!
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Our next port of call is Isafjordur, the largest town in Iceland's isolated Westfjords
peninsula. The fishing town boasts long fjords with sloping green mountainsides.
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Photo op along Akureyri's main pedestrian street
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Our ship circles Iceland counterclockwise. We miss our first port of call, the small town of Djupivogur to the south, due to rough seas.
Our second port of call is Akureyri to the north, which we've seen before, so we simply revisit the gardens on a cold July day.
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Our first cruise in over ten years is surprisingly fun
(the unlimited drinks package certainly doesn't hurt!)
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Back in Reykjavik, we make a quick visit to the dramatic
Hallgrímskirkja church before flying to Prague
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Pastoral view across the bay as we set sail from Reykjavik's cruise terminal
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Days at Sea -- Norwegian Star
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On our way to Keflavik Airport, we pass an active
volcano that recently started erupting again!
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Akureyri's red lights are heart-shaped!
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A green soccer pitch is framed by jagged mountains in the distance
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Street names are long and hard to pronounce here
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We pose for pictures at the overlook then make our way back down,
stopping for a final photo op before a statue of two whales' tails
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An observation tower at the top offers terrific views of Paamiut
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The highlight of Paamiut is Fredens Kirke, considered one of the finest
churches in Greenland. It was built in 1909 in the Norwegian style.
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Once again, colorful homes (and bridges) win points with us tourists. What doesn't win
points is the ridiculous number of small flies that seem determined to fly up our nostrils!
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Paamiut is the tenth largest town in Greenland. It's primarily
a fishing village these days, with a history as a whaling village.
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Our favorite bartender, Rico, mixes me a cinnamon fireball
shot dunked inside a beer glass filled with hard apple cider
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We both like the BBC -- Bailey's Irish Cream, banana, and pina colada mix -- a little too much
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The pool gets little use in these chilly climes, but the hot tubs are popular
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Norwegian Star's atrium is a great place to enjoy a drink or two
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House-sized boulders dot the landscape
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We climb to an overlook, the church clearly visible below us
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Cute grocery store sign featuring a polar bear
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Dressing in layers is definitely the way to go here
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Our first stop in Nuuk is the red wood Church of Our Savior
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We do a quick wander through town...
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Not far away is this Inuit-inspired
statue known as Kaassassuk
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Greenland National Museum (DKK 50, ~$7 US) is worth a visit -- it has well-laid-out displays and artifacts
from the Inuit and Thule cultures and is also home to the famous Qilakitsoq mummies from the 1450s
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Robin makes a new friend as we
head back towards the cruise port
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After some brief sunshine, the weather turns cold again as we depart Nuuk
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