lindsaystravelblogs

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The end - for this time

Here endeth my illustrative narrative of our 2022 Arctic Adventure.  Enjoy!!! and please come back for our wonderful Antarctic Adventures in December to February 2023.

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A few buildings en route to the Museum, SIn & Redemption on the way to lunch (not sure which one was Heather - I was probably the Sin!) and the elephant made from sofa cushions (only those exhibits inside the fence are regarded as elephantine!)

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Some objets d'art from the Toronto Museum,  The entrance ceiling, figures from Greece and China (Despite the ‘bullet’ holes, I was more enamoured by the Greek figure), three more Chinese artefacts. Two ex-dinosaurs and the great Orchestra that kept us entertained throughout our visit.  Finally a corner of the Native American and Inuit Room - very few Native American exhibits.  (Special note:  The museum piece at the extreme left of photo 4 was not part of the official exhibition.)

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A few items of Inuit art - a relatively modern calling.  One of the squirrels we saw exploring anything they could find.  Very different from those we have seen elsewhere, but just as fluid and cote - I just love them.  And the bird that so many people were involved in trying to identify - the ‘windows’ in the tail confused us all.

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Toronto

My final few posts - photos from our few days in Toronto.

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Possibly the last glacier we saw in Greenland with the endless icecap behind it.  We stayed near the bus, but plenty of people went right down to the edge of the water - and we had to wait ages for them to climb back up to return to our flight from Kangerlussuaq.

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Our last night aboard.   A few people zodiac-ed in the icy rain while we shared free Bolinger with friends in the Deck 7 observation lounge.  This was as close as we got to any glacier front and it was spectacular.  Note how much ice has melted immediately above the rock surface.  Probably at least tens of thousands of tonnes of ice just waiting to calve and crash into the sea.  What excitement that would cause.

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The massive river of icebergs at Ilulisiat.  The glacier front is more than fifty kilometres upstream and this is a tiny section of the mammoth column of giant icebergs rushing seaward at a rate believed to be the fastest in the world.

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Nuuk Dog Town - more than 3000 of them, imagine the smell and noise!  The tip of the iceberg and a couple more biggish ones.  Finally, some very distant Musk Ox.

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We were given a demonstration of the ‘kayak rolling’ sport in which Greenland excels and holds many world records.  There are numerous categories in which  the paddle is used in various positions to execute each type of roll.  Maybe not my thing in such cold water.

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Nuuk (the Capital of Greenland).  A few rooms in the very extensive museum occupying numerous buildings, Including the cooper’s workshop.  The gruesome shot in the middle is of one of three indigenous people who died and were buried more than 500 years ago - and relatively recently rediscovered.  The main city church, the large cemetery, and the local Inuit who holds the world record for the most number of uninterrupted kayak rolls (I believe).

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Some delightfully particoloured houses in a village we passed and the last of the bird photos I will impose on you (for this trip).  An Arctic Tern, a Greater Black-backed Gull, a Greater Scaup, a couple of Redwings, and a few more Atlantic Puffins.

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Paamuit Village.  Church with graveyard in main street, main cemetery, and a few colourful houses.  Two of the three sunken fishing boats we saw whilst zodiac-cruising, chasing humpbacks, local Inuits sharing a minke whale for food - and returnng to the ship through the fog.

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A few more birds - Meadow Pipit, Red-necked Phalarope, Northern Fulmar, Immature Gull, Pied Oystercatcher, Black-legged Kittiwake, Atlantic Puffin, Red-necked Loon, Whimbrel and Common Redlegs.

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Some icebergs (unlimited shapes), a couple more glaciers, some mountains with the icecap in the distance and a few birds - Arctic Tern, a couple of Eider Ducks, and three industrious Atlantic Puffins with fish for their chicks.

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Starboardside views during our Covbd ISO lockdown  A couple of craggy mountains and a mountain reflection in the foreground.  A couple of glaciers and three views of another as we approached it.  FInally, an ice-wall after a glacier has calved.

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Tassilaq Village - quite a lot of walking before we found these gems.  A great little museum and a communal house just down the hill - that is not a 10-foot giant, the door was very low.  Four families (about 16 people) live inside, each in one of the seal-skin covered ‘bedrooms’ sharing the communal cooking area - a bit too close for comfort for me, especially when clothes are not in use in order to promote warmth from body heat.  Walrus and Narwhal skulls in the museum and a totem pole outside.  Not sure if this particular sod-roofed cottage was here (I suspect not), but there were certainly similar ones in town.