From Iceland to Greenland – Finally Setting Sail

After a reasonably good night’s sleep at Hotel Askja, we were up before most of the city, with the alarm going off at around 5am. Our coach was due to collect us and take us to the airport, and after yesterday’s travel dramas, there was one thought going through my mind:

Fingers crossed this time!

As we headed towards the airport in the early morning darkness, we passed one of Iceland’s most distinctive landmarks – Mount Keilir.

Surrounded by enormous lava fields, Keilir rises dramatically from the Reykjanes Peninsula. Its almost perfectly triangular shape makes it easy to pick out from the surrounding landscape. It is a volcanic formation dating back to the last Ice Age, when eruptions took place beneath the immense sheet of ice that covered much of Iceland.

It was a fitting sight as we left Iceland behind and prepared for the next stage of our adventure.

Airport Déjà Vu

Check-in was straightforward enough, and for a little while everything seemed to be going according to plan. We found a café bar and settled down for some breakfast.

Then we noticed the departure board.

Our scheduled 10am flight had changed to “estimated 12pm”.

Oh no. Not again!

After the delays and uncertainty of the previous day, those two little words were enough to set the alarm bells ringing. We were heading for Greenland, where we were due to join our expedition ship, so another significant delay could have caused all sorts of problems.

Fortunately, this time there was eventually some good news.

We boarded the aircraft and, at 12:05pm, finally took off.

Once airborne, the captain explained what had caused the delay. On its inbound flight towards Reykjavík, the aircraft had been struck by lightning. Fortunately, the damage was repairable, but some of the areas around the aircraft’s entry and exit points had sustained structural damage. Replacement parts had to be fitted and the necessary checks completed before the aircraft could safely fly again.

Suddenly, waiting around at the airport didn’t seem quite so frustrating!

Greenland!

We eventually landed in Nuuk, right on schedule, and the excitement really started to build.

After leaving the aircraft, we collected our luggage and were directed towards a coach waiting to take us on the short journey from the airport to our expedition ship, MS Roald Amundsen.

We were finally in Greenland.

Nuuk lies just under two degrees south of the Arctic Circle, and there was certainly a noticeable chill in the air. After the relatively mild temperatures we’d experienced in Iceland, the Greenlandic cold was a reminder that we were now entering a very different part of the world.

Welcome Aboard

Before we could board the ship, we had to go through customs. The whole process was set up in a small wooden and metal roofed building directly in front of the ship, which felt rather more informal than the huge airport terminals we are used to.

Once aboard, we completed a short health questionnaire on Deck 4 before heading off to find some lunch.

Our first meal on MS Roald Amundsen was a buffet in the Aune restaurant – exactly what we needed after the early start and disrupted morning.

Then came the mandatory safety briefing. Not the most glamorous part of joining an expedition cruise, but certainly one of the most important. After all, this wasn’t going to be an ordinary cruise.

We also collected our muck boots, which will be ours to use throughout the expedition. They are going to become a very familiar part of our wardrobe over the coming days, particularly as we’re expecting to be getting off the ship and exploring some pretty wild places.

Finally Time to Settle In

After the formalities, we could finally relax and settle into our cabin.

It was lovely to unpack, take a breath and realise that we had actually made it.

We headed to the bar for a couple of cocktails – a small celebration after what had been another rather unpredictable travel day.

Later, we went outside with our phone cameras and were rewarded with our first proper views of Greenland. The scenery was stunning. Snow-capped mountains rose around us, contrasting beautifully with the dark water and rugged coastline.

This was exactly what we’d come for.

Our First Dinner at Sea

Dinner was in the Lindstrøm Restaurant, where we had a beautiful halibut dish.

After dinner, we attended a meeting about tomorrow’s visit to Kvanefjord. We were given information about what to expect and, importantly, what we needed to wear.

The dress code for exploring Greenland is definitely not glamorous – muck boots, waterproofs and plenty of layers are the order of the day!

But that’s all part of the adventure.

We finished the evening with some time in the hot tub, enjoying the warmth while surrounded by the cool Arctic air.

Into the Narsaq Narrows

As the evening drew on, the ship continued its journey towards the Narsaq Narrows.

Standing outside and watching the Greenlandic landscape pass by was one of those moments when it really hit us: this wasn’t just another holiday.

We had travelled from Iceland to Greenland, boarded an expedition ship and were now heading into a landscape of mountains, fjords and remote communities.

Tomorrow would be our first real taste of expedition life, as we headed towards Kvanefjord.

We’ve finally arrived in Greenland. And the adventure has properly begun.

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Mariners and expedition captains often use the term “Narsaq Narrows” (or the Narsaq Sound / Ikersuaq fjord complex) to describe the tight, dramatic waterways surrounding the Narsaq Peninsula.