Ever since 15 th-century explorers returned from the distant north with wild and woolly tales of unicorns and citadels of ice, Greenland has been a semi-mythical destination. And it’s still a fantasy land come to life, with the aurora borealis, the vast tundra, monstrous glaciers that calve icebergs into the sea, and a coastline of glacial ice and ancient rock-the oldest on the planet. lts far-flung villages are visited by Mercedes in summer and dogsled in winter, and through supermarkets these days offer pineapples from Hawaii and tomatoes from Mexico, you can still grab a seal steak from the frozen goods section.
July to September during the thaw
Hiking from Narsarsuaq to Kiattuut Sermiat’s beautiful mountain lake Soking in the Uunartoq Hot Springs while watching icebergs floating past Wandering around Hvalsey, the best-preserved Nores ruins in Greenland Being awed by the soarnite ramparts of Uiluit Qaaqa and Ulamertorsuaq at Tasermiut Fjord Taking the ferry to Aappilattoq through sapphire-blue waters, past granite spires Hanging out in Nanortalik-a relaxed and friendly town in scenic countryside
Read The entertaining account of the country in Last Places-A Journey in the North, by Lawrence Millman
Listen to the melodic sounds of pop group Qulleq, or check out techno band Hap
Watch the Oscar-nominated classic Qivitoq, which is set in Greenland
Eat fresh kapisillit (salmon), or pick your own huckleberries (small blueberries)
Drink the local home-brew beer called imiaq-but you may need to gather some gumption first
Brrrr!
Whale steaks; seasonally affected depression (‘SAD syndrome’);ice; lnuit people; fishing trawlers; laciers
Greenland has one of the world’s lowest rates of cardiovascular due to the consumption of unsaturated fatty acids found in marine mammals; Greenlanders believe their children are born with the wisdom, survival instinct, magic and intelligence of their ancestors
One factor common to high latitudes in the long dark winters is a high incidence of depression, which the lnuit recognize and all perlerorneq (the burden). Violent or other abnormal behaviour is often blamed on it but people don’t try to explain it away or make excuses. Rather, they accept it as part of life.