When making the booking on the Royal Caribbean cruise I did not know that the part of the cruise to Greenland was a first for this shipping line. What a wonderful experience it was.
The large glacier in front of which our ship did a 360deg turn so that all got to see the whole glacier
When we boarded we were told about this being the 1st time that they had been to Greenland and because of this every member of staff had received special training in case of an emergency in the Polar Waters. Although we were well south of the North Pole and Arctic Circle the waters around Greenland are colder than those around Iceland and so different actions would be needed should there be an emergency. Each of us was advised to pack a small plastic bag, distributed by the ship, with essential warm clothes and medication. The bag was to be left in the cabin where the attendant knew where it was and could collect it for the passengers if needed. Going via Greenland was definitely a major highlight in the eyes of the crew as they talked about it non-stop until we got there. Fortunately all went well and we did not need our ‘packed plastic bag’.
The peaks are formed by the slowly receding glaciers
On the way to the town we were to visit, Qaqortok, on the West Coast, we went through the Prins Christian Sund or Sound. A Sound is an inlet from the sea which is wider than a fjord, with land on either side. Going through this sound was the most incredible experience especially as, when we came to the largest glacier the Captain announced that the Pilot had given him permission to do a 3600 turn. This gave us an opportunity to see the whole area without rushing back and forth across the ship. It was quite surreal. To add to the experience there we had a geologist on board and he told us how the various cliffs and peaks were formed. We were surprised to learn that there is a small village of 111 people who live at the base of one of the cliffs. How they survive is hard to imagine. We did see a small boat leaving the settlement probably to do some fishing or he might have been on his way to the nearest town for supplies.
The photos tell the real story though.
A small glacier
Beautiful striations formed by receding glaciers
A waterfall coming down the cliff
Hard to see but the village is nestled in the bottom centre
