Kalaallit Nunaat

Qeqertarsuaq auf der Disko- Insel hat einen der spektakulärsten Kunstrasen- Fußballplätze der Welt. Die Strandseite ist mit Sandsäcken gesichert, damit die Tsunamis, wenn mal wieder ein Eisberg umkippt, nicht den ganzen Platz überschwemmen.... Euch allen hFF und ein schönes Wochenende! Ich bin aus Grönland zurück, aber in gut 2 Wochen schon wieder weg. Ich werde versuchen, in der Zwischenzeit aufzuholen und bitte um Verständnis, wenn ich nicht ganz hinterherkomme....

Greenlandic contrasts- dumped pick-up and pristine iceberg at Qeqertarsuaq

Early morning in the fjord towards Uummannaq, the ice pilot had his work cut out. Vessels venturing into Greenlandic coastal waters have to take 2 Danish ice pilots on board who work in 4 hour shifts. Exceptions are regular cargo ships and ferries with specially licensed crews- and of course the local fishermen who know their area.

One of Greenland's most beautiful settlements, Uummannaq is dominated by its heart shaped mountain (the Inuit see a seal's heart in it). The daisy like flowers are tripleurospermum subpolare (Strandkamille), growing in profusion along the coast de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uummannaq en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uummannaq

SC 63: Red and Yellow A typical colourful Greenlandic scene. All essential goods are brought by sea in shipping containers as there is no road network. The containers are then put to further use for storing any old clobber, you can see them everywhere in front of houses and in people's gardens or along the coast holding fishing gear. btw- opening times of shops, cafés and museums are often rather approximate, supermarkets excepted;-)

...and some fences to keep the sled dog puppies in. Adult dogs are always chained, they are half wild and only follow their owner, puppies up to 6 months are allowed to run free. Greenlandic sled dogs are not huskies, they are a completely different breed and still have a lot of wolf in them. Other dog breeds aren't allowed into Greenland, sled dogs that have left the country aren't allowed back in. hFF folks!

in Uummannaq (ca.1400 inhabitants)

hFF, folks!

Just a brief sign of life, I'm off for another two weeks but expect to bring back some new photos:-) Looking forward to visiting your photo pages in March!

Behind a harbour shed at Upernavik

Upernavik lies on a small island at 72° 47′ 2″ N (Nordkapp at "only" 71° 10′ 21!). It boasts of an airport on top of the hill behind town which is just about suitable for Air Greenland's Dash 8. Upernavik has permafrost that thaws superficially in summer, making everyting muddy. 2023 was even muddier than usual because Greenland had an extremely wet/rainy summer. de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upernavik

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland_Dog Grönländische Schlittenhunde sind genetisch mit dem ausgestorbenem Tamyr-Wolf verwandt. Um die Reinheit der Rasse zu schützen, dürfen nördlich des Polarkreises und in ganz Ostgrönland keine anderen Hunde eingeführt werden. Schlittenhunde gehorchen nur ihrem Besitzer und sind ab dem Alter von 6 Monaten angekettet. In Upernavik waren sie bei den jeweiligen Häusern, in den Orten etwas weiter südlich gibt es außerhalb extra Gebiete für die Schlittenhunde.

Wooden houses go up in flames pretty fast- Upernavik fire station is actually just across the road (see map)! The blue buildings serve as fire alarms and water stations

Upernavik fire station Fire alarm plus water station