Welcome to Ilulissat in Greenland, but let's first celebrate our 55th country. Greenland is an island of the kingdom of Denmark, which is our 55th country. We were fortunate to visit it on our North-to-South Pole cruise.
Ilulissat is the Kalaallisut word for "Icebergs". Ilulissat is home to almost as many sled dogs as people. It has a population of 4700 and is Greenland's third-largest city and most popular tourist destination.
Greenland is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenland is the world's largest island. It lies between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
The village of Ilulissat is wrapped in an icefjord; we jumped on the first tender boat to make our way to the fjord (a short 30-minute walk from town). Upon arrival, we were treated to dog sled practice as we walked through the fields where the dogs were housed.
Thank you, Arctic Living Ilulissat, for this enlightening experience on sled dogs. We were fortunate to see the dog sled practice and the level of excitement with all the beautiful dogs. We love how you put the dogs first, your high level of nourishment and care, your preservation of the Greenlandic dog sled culture, and your passion and love for this tradition.
The fjords then rendered us speechless as we reached the top of the hill. We hiked through the breathtaking and colourful natural flora to the actual fjord to experience this magical moment for the first time. It was very picturesque, and we took many pictures to capture this incredible landscape and moment.
Ilulissat Icefjord is 66 km wide and 555 km long and is a UNESCO natural world heritage site. The fjord is a collection of icebergs that have calved from the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier, the fastest and most active glacier in the world, one by one, with a speed of 40 metres per day.
We followed this with a visit to the Icefjord Centre. It was incredible architecture with minimal impact and nicely blended with its surroundings, using only steel and wood to construct over two years. It only opened 11 months ago. It was imposing and a great way to learn about the life stages of ice, from a drop of rain to snowflakes, calving, drifting and melting!
In the Ilulissat Icefjord, global warming is evident. The Greenlanders are thankful for the growing interest in an issue they live with and adapt to constantly. The area is a site of extensive research undertaken for centuries and, as a result, is said to facilitate insight into climate change.
We enjoyed listening to and hearing about the village and how tourism is doubling and becoming stronger each year from around the globe; it was a beautiful, charming community with excellent infrastructure, nestled among a seascape of ice.
We finished the day exploring the beautiful town, its bright-coloured homes, and its scenic views. The ship was joyous this evening as the crew and passengers digested the sensory overload we were all grateful to experience, thanks to Hurtigruten.
Fun fact: Greenland is 80% covered in ice, and It got its name from Erik The Red, an Icelandic murderer exiled to the island. He called it "Greenland", hoping the name would attract settlers. But according to scientists, Greenland was Let'sgreen more than 2.5 million years ago.
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