Iceland and Greenland (part 2)
Page
1 | Page 3
Greenland
has a population of about 35,000 people, but most of them are on the west
coast. The east coast has
only two settlements, and our first glimpse of the country included one of
them, Illoqqottootmiut, at the opening to Scoresbysund.
Illoqqottootmiut, Inuit Village on East
Coast of Greenland
This Inuit village is
built on rock and has only 550 inhabitants.
A significant portion of the villagers are still hunters, and while
they have adapted some more modern means of transportation, sled dogs are
still much in evidence
Hunters still use dog sleds
During
the next several days we explored Scoresbysund, a wide sound with many
fjords and islands, filled with icebergs, low-lying fog, breathtaking
mountains.
A Zodiac Ride to Shore
Once or twice a day we piled into the zodiacs to go
ashore and explore. Often we
spent four to five hours climbing and sightseeing.
Greenland shore excursions require a lot of
climbing up
The terrain was rocky and rugged, but we were rewarded with
sightings of Arctic Hare, Muskox , seals, Barnacle Geese and many other
arctic birds. When the ship
was sailing we attended lectures about the Viking colonization of Iceland
and Greenland, the wildlife and geology or visited the bridge where the
Captain was happy to let us look out the big windows, study the navigation
charts and watch the crew use the radar to steer between the icebergs.
Keep
reading page 3....
|
