We got to the hotel in Copenhagen about 4.30 pm. A quick freshen up made us feel like new and we met 10 of the group to go to dinner. We ended up at an Italian restaurant where they whipped up a big table for us and the food was great. Everyone cleaned their plates. Then off to bed as we had to have bags out at 5.30 am.
At 6.00 pm we met in the lobby, drank our coffee and got our breakfast box and then off to the airport. Lots of people had overweight luggage and some of the couples in our group had to pay extra. I think in the $100 to $200 price range. At first one couple was quoted $800!! The girl behind the counter was calculating it incorrectly. All that behind us we boarded our plan an Airbus wide body. It was totally full. A four and a half hour flight. They served a hot breakfast and came through with drinks twice.
We left Copenhagen approximately 9.30 am and arrived Kangerlussuaq at 9.30 am so we gained those four and a half hours back. Once we arrived it was a bit of a mess. You arrive on one level then you have to walk downstairs to get the luggage. This is a very small area and with so many people we were like sardines in a can. Once we retrieved the luggage they had two guys to help carry it upstairs. Not a very efficient system.
We all managed to get on the same bus and of course the ship was not ready for us so we said we would be taking a two to three hour tour. Well the problem is there is not enough in Kangerlussuaq to do for two or three hours. It is a pretty small place but was interesting in the remoteness and simplicity of the town. We saw a muskox in a field from a long distance, closer then Nome but still a long way. Then we drove up a mountain as our little bus strained I felt I was living the children’s story of the “little engine that could – I think I can, I think I can”
The day was a bit cold and really windy. We made various stops around the island. Highlights were a muskox at a pretty far distance, a mountain top where you could see the permanent ice cap that was about 20 kilometers away. A lake, another view point and a group of Greenland dogs. The dogs were interesting and there was one very long haired HUGE dog that we all enjoyed. He almost posed for the camera. We were all back in the bus fairly quickly as we went to different areas on the island. I think the favorite stop was back to the airport for a bathroom break, particularly some of the ladies did not get to use the facilities at the airport.
Then we headed for the pier to catch the zodiac to the ship. The driver told us we have a choice as the ship is still not ready for us yet. We could go to another overlook or go to the pier and wait in the bus. A loud chorus said “to the pier”. When we arrived the staff were there and we were the first ones to the get to the ship. It was so nice to get onboard and check in was quick. A nice lunch, unpacking, the life boat drill and we were finally feeling like we were on our way to this new adventure.
We had a recap at 5.30 pm where our expedition leader Stefan explained the ice conditions with the help of an ice chart, and what was still blocked at this time. He had lead 5 expeditions through the Northwest Passage. He said about three years ago there was NO ICE and they went way north just to show the passengers some ice. However this year is different there is a lot of ice. Dinner was good. I had great seafood stew of mussels, fish, crab and scallops. Then after a quick visit to the other tables we hit the sack. I checked the winds and they were 75 kilometers! The ship was rocking of course but at this point I think everyone was so tired after the flight to CPH and then the long day with an extra four hours up no one cared that much and we all just crashed.
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