Greenland

Sept 16, 2009 Nuuk, Greenland
Our first look at Greenland is impressive. the weather has cleared and although 35, it is dry. Nuuk is the capital and with half of the population- around 30,000. The houses are, again, multicolored but not particularly cute. The people are primarily Inuit with a few Danes. They speak Greenlandic- taught in schools, secondarily Danish and some have English. Nuuk is surrounded by high mountains now mostly clear of snow though you can see glaciers. Only 100km of roads though none lead out of town. There is an airport which lands rather small planes. There is even a traffic light as there must be 1000 cars. In the winter, when there is almost no daylight, they use sleds and snowmobiles. We walked all around town marvelling at the majestic scenery- icebergs in the harbors, hills rising everywhere. The children were adorable. Only 5 cruise ships a years come here so bringing 3000 plus 1000 crew is a huge event here. There are 3 buses and a few cabs but it is a very small place and no need. We had our lunch on a hill overlooking the 2 ports. The grass is mostly lichens, different colored mosses- orange, dark red, yellow. As I said it is 35 degrees and the Inuits are opening their windows for air. Warm for them. One negative is the sixties Soviet style concrete block apartment building- 12 rows of them which is a blight. Apparently they are to be torn down soon and new apts. are being built. These apts. are an attempt to attract those Inuit who live outside the village to provide better education and medical services.
We stayed ashore for 7 hours. Supermarkets were interesting as usual. food expensive but perhaps 30% higher than ours except for seal and whale meat. 2lbs hamburger were $10, tomatoes about 75 cents each and grapes $3 a pound. Some passengers complained that there weren't enough services or things for them to do. So frustrating listening to them.
To top off our lovely day in Nuuk, tonight we saw the aurora borealis, the northern lights. The sky was clear, no moon. For an hour from 10:45 to 11:45 green ribbons of light danced overhead. Fading and brightening we also caught glimpses of red for a few moments. What an experience!

Sept 18, 2009
We got the ship moored in the harbor of Nanotalik Greenland. We were on line for the tenders and the Captain cancelled this port call. Capt. nick Nash is very cautious. This is the 3rd port he's bailed out on and everyone is ready to scream. It is absolutely stunning here. Icebergs everywhere, the mountains shrouded in mist and light snow. Incredibly magnificent, like being in an outdoor cathedral. It is almost partly sunny. i think Nash worries that the very elderly seniors will be hurt tendering in. Someone fell last port sustaining facial injuries and we left someone in the Nuuk Hospital. The village children are lined up on the shore. Only 1500 inhabitants. This was to be their extra income for the year. The had practiced their songs and dances. I am sick for them watching us sail away. So disappointed but we'll spend the day cruising the Qonok fjord.
The fjord was awesome. The mountains on either side rose up thousands of feet with a fine sugar powder coating of snow. We sailed for an hour or two until the charts ran out. Towards the end of the fjord was a still working gold mine and lots of icebergs. Only 15% of Greenland is not in ice in the summer. We spotted a seal on a berg who finally rolled off into the water as well as a few whale spouts and a brief glimpse of one surfacing.
Sept 21
Another aborted port in St john's Newfoundland due to poor weather so instead we made for Halifax Nova Scotia. Was a bright sunny day with temp 72- about double what we've had. This is a busy delightful place much like Newport without the crowds. The Public Gardens were in full bloom with fountains, bridges, pavilions and duck ponds. The citadel overlooks the city and we watched the noon cannon go off with its guard change. The highlights were the boardwalks along the port with lots of various types of ships, shops and artists and musicians including a bagpiper. Nova Scotia means new Scotland and they embrace their heritage.
In the afternoon we toured Keith's brewery. Well done with energetic young guides in 1850 period costume portraying characters of the day. The India Pale was great and we brought an 8 pack of the red ale.
One last day of sailing and then New York. We disembark at the Brooklyn pier. To compensate us for our lost days in Scotland, Iceland, Greenland and Canada, Princess gave us $250 in ship credit. So thank you Princess for my new watch. It was a nice cruise overall. Not the best. crown princess is too large for me. 3100 passengers with no was to go outside due to weather. Because of lost port days we had a lot of unplanned sea days which are fine if you can sit outside. Saw a lot of movies, a few shows, met some interesting people. Many of these people have been everywhere so it was interesting to listen to their stories. I enjoyed the balcony even if we didn't use it much. The ability to get fresh air was great. Now home to family, work, flu shots and most importantly, Dad's funeral.