Greenland – Day 3 can be found here.
We aren’t due to arrive in Aappilattoq until early afternoon, so we had the chance to sleep in this morning – which helped ease the transition, as we had grown used to gaining an extra hour through regular time zone changes.
(As much as I hate adjusting to the time difference – aka the Very Long Terrible Day – when travelling west to east, it’s feels easier to get that out of the way first, particularly when we get to gradually return to Eastern time while cruising east to west.)
With a lazy morning ahead, we headed to the Restaurant where we had a lingering breakfast of yoghurt, berries, waffles, omelettes and smoked salmon.
Fresh berries in Greenland – the definition of luxury
Then up to the panorama lounge to plan our day – no pool today due to the swells, but we were hopeful that we would be entering Prince Christian Sund.
That hope seemed somewhat thin, as the view looked like this:
But, in Silversea Expedition Team we trust so we crossed our fingers and carried on.
There were a lovely bunch of lectures laid on this morning, but the kids were ready for a break so we opted for a documentary in the room instead. It was then time for trivia – and without a landing underway, we were able to once more field a team of seven.
And – we took third! Three days of trivia with two prize finishes and solo dodo-related bonus points, so we’re quite happy with our progress on this leg.
We then looked at the Tex Mex buffet on the pool deck, but the weather remained less-than-hospitable – so we opted for the Restaurant instead. It was nice to have two long, lingering meals in a row, and my wife and I very much enjoyed the shrimp fried rice and Mongolian beef.
Shrimp fried rice with bonus onion rings from my son’s burger. (Photographed after garnish had been removed but before I started eating – progress!)
Burger minus onion rings = delicious, according to my son
Back to our rooms, when the fateful news arrived – due to the fog and shifting ice, we would not be landing at Aappilattoq. We were disappointed, but there was nothing to be done about it. So instead we went up to the Observation Lounge to take in an informative lesson on ship’s navigation.
It was fascinating to hear how certain technologies had changing over the years – the astrolabe evolving into the sextent, and the compass into the gyroscope. Similarly, it was interesting to see the way in which electronic charts could be fused with radar into a real-time view of the surrounding environs. But we were surprised to hear that paper charts are still in use and are expected to remain in use until 2030.
The lecture wrapped, and it was only 3 pm. With two full hours left before the expedition briefing, we found ourselves at loose ends – for around 10 minutes. We then let the kids have an entire hour of screen time while my wife and I put on our parkas, ordered a bottle of champagne from room service, and sat out on our verandah to enjoy the icy and mysterious Greenlandic fog as it raced past our stateroom.
And – it was lovely. The crest of the swells. The hiss of rain and snow as it plunged into the water beneath us. The splash of the waves as the Cloud lowered herself into the ocean after the rising swells. A rare moment to catch our breaths and revisit the wonders of the previous days.
Then we locked ourselves out on the balcony.
I’m not entirely sure how it happened, but somehow the handle got jostled so that it went from “mostly unlocked” to “locked”. And there was a moment of concern in which we wondered how on earth we would get back inside. Would we need to call the Cloud’s satellite phone to have someone come and unlock us? How long would our rescue take if we tried to email them instead so we could save the exorbitant “Cellular at Sea” charges?
Thankfully, none of that was necessary – our kids were enjoying their screen time, but a few healthy raps on the glass door regained our son’s attention. He rescued us in short order, earning himself a bowl of chips from Panorama in the process.
Off to the expedition briefing, where we learned that we would – really, truly – be landing in Nanortalik and Uunartoq Island tomorrow. Fingers are once more crossed, but champagne is on ice in case we need to make another trip to the verandah – this time with a definitely-unlocked door.
Expedition Leader Darryn apologized for the unexpected sea day, but we had been tracking the ice floe all the way during our journey north. Combined with the fog, it made for an impossible approach. Indeed, the Seabourne Venture had been briefly trapped by the ice inside Prince Christian Sund.
The precaps / recaps were again informative – an interesting lesson on citizen science apps that could be used to track bird migration (including Merlin and eBird), as well as an overview of rock climbing in Greenland and the safety mechanisms that should be used to climb safely.
Lastly, an explanation of how Greenland got its name – when Erik the Red first arrived in Greenland in 985 CE, the area was actually quite green. But then there was an eruption in Iceland that fundamentally cooled the area and resulted in a prolonged period of glaciation and climate change.
It was also fascinating to learn that the Greenland flag was adopted by popular vote – 14 votes to 11. The white stripes represent the glacier and the ice cap. The red stripe represents the ocean, while the red semi-circle symbolizes the sun.
Source: Wikipedia
Back to the room to get changed, then up to Panorama for an impromptu cocktail party with the expedition staff – which felt like a runner-up prize for today’s lack of landings, but one that proved quite welcome when we ended up spotting pilot whales off the stern.
That moment of discovery – with dozens of guests, drinks in hands, pointing excitedly into the shrouded distance – seemed to more than make up for whatever else might have been lacking that day.
In the distance – one tiny, teeny pilot whale fin
Off to La Terrazza for a fantastic meal of lasagna, beef filet, and veal ossombuco – along with a second appearance of the pilot whiles – then a dessert of chocolate torte and hazelnut sponge cake.
Veal ossombuco
Hazelnut sponge cake
Warm chocolate torte
Cheese plate with asiago
Back to the room, where the realities of everyday life are starting to make unwelcome appearances in the form of baggage cards requesting for details on the number of checked bags and carry-ons for our late flight to New York City.
It’s an early start tomorrow – and a 7 am zodiac departure time – but thankfully the breakfast buffet at La Terrazza should be open bright and early at 6 am.
Tomorrow’s Chronicles:
Continue reading Greenland – Day 5 here.