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All I can say is: "Thank goodness this day didn't happen early in the trip, because everything after this would've been a disappointment!" Yes, there were different aspects of the other places that made them spectacular but, for me personally, the scenery here is just mindblowing!
We were lucky, considering that most of our cruise had been under cloudy/foggy conditions, that our time in Ilulissat was blessed with a (relatively) balmy, sunny day.
This is a bustling, super-modern metropolis compared to the previous stops on our journey! And expensive - wow! It was interesting to see the locals out, small children wandering unsupervised about the roads which were populated by drivers who don't seem to know what a speed limit is!
We took a taxi up to the top of the town, to the entrance to the national park where the boardwalk leads to a great viewpoint and we could watch massive ice bergs streaming by as if under power!
The taxi ride allowed us the time to really dawdle on our way back to the ship, giving us plenty of time to take gigabytes of photos!
Yvette and I shared a musk ox burger (slightly gamey but not very different-tasting to beef) lunch ... then promptly managed to get lost in the town (specifically, around the docks, which are not closed off to the public at all!) - I think we made it back to the ship on the last zodiac!
Here are the photos. I apologize in advance if there are too many - I just can't help myself!
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| Not what we're used to seeing - a way of life in the north |
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| No, your eyes do not deceive you ... |
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| The town's power station |
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| Traditional home - sod house - amazingly warm inside! |
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| Dave with the sea ice that ended up in the evening's drinks! |
Great shot with David G. holding ice. Many other super shots. In retrospect, taking the helicopter out of town was a waste of money. The views along the Icefjord boardwalk as reflected in the above shots were far scenically superior to what could be captured out of a semi-obscured helicopter window. Yes, Julie M. is seen walking away along the boardwalk.
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