All international flights in Greenland go through Kangerlussaq. We were departing from the ship of course, so it was a hurry up and wait sort of day.
Luggage was gone as of the night before, so leaving the cabin by 8:00am was straightforward. So was our last breakfast. After that we sat in the observation lounge for a couple of hours. Sitting in the observation lounge of the Vega is sitting in the lap of luxury, so that was the easiest part of the day.
We had to zodiac to shore, so leaving the ship we were in full waterproof and life jacket gear. I am admiring that the crew kept smiling and wishing us well. A few hours later they were welcoming a full manifest aboard for the next journey. All these new passengers will have the impressive hotel and expedition service we enjoyed, as if no one else had ever been aboard.
The next hours were spent in what I would describe as “light” adventure travel. We landed at the small dock, took off our life vests for the last time, and immediately began swatting flies. Our transport to the airport arrived. It was, as my middle schoolers used to say, a yellow cheese bus. Yes, those US military folks left a school bus when they closed the base. School bus plus unpaved roads, but at least the trip to the airport wasn’t very long.
The airport is small, like a Caribbean county’s. It was also very, very full. Most flights were to Nuuk which has a domestic airport, but people also were flying to Copenhagen. Our flight was a charter to Keflavik. No other place we saw in Greenland was as level as where the airport is.
We had hours to kill. Outside the airport were two gift shops— gift and souvenir shopping has been a challenge in Greenland. I was really happy to buy some musk ox yarn skeins. The yarn is really soft and really fine and really warm. Un-dyed it’s a rich brown. I will try a lace pattern with it.
Mark finally found a shot glass with the Greenland flag, his standard souvenir. And I have a new patch for my travel vest. These are about the only items we typically buy without checking country of origin first.
I am actually glad for the style of experience of leaving Greenland. The ship was like being in a cocoon and we approached each destination from the sea. Having a little time today to move around on land helped cement the understanding that this is a really large country and almost none of it has people living in it. The US is enamored of cars, roads and personal driving; in Greenland you simply can’t. There are almost no roads that go between towns. That leaves air and sea as the way to get around. That it took all day to get back to Reykjavik is appropriate.
One Response
Best photo of the day is the sign with all the direction & distance markets with the little red prop plane behind it. It stops me in my tracks realizing you are only a 4 hour flight to New York!! The remoteness of your pictures has left me with the impression that you have been on another planet – not merely a short flight home!!!