Ivana
Preparations for Mongolia
Booking the flight to Mongolia In order to push myself to train harder after the leg bones fracture I booked a flight to Ulaanbaatar, approx 3 months after the last surgery. The tickets Oslo – UB are not in a...
Why?
Why Mongolia? Gobi. Steppes. Forests. Wilderness. Cities. Extremely rich history and culture. Food exactly like I love it. <- the reasons which brought me to Mongolia. + People. The vibe in the country. Beauty of the locals. The feeling of...
Broken leg, broken spirit – using Mongolia to come back to life
While I was hiking in Greenland a year ago, I broke both leg bones above the ankle of my left leg. Even though I am comfortable with being outside in all possible weather scenarios and have countless kilometers in my...
Mongolia
Every year after I gave birth I was blessed with fair winds and following seas which supported my urge to fulfill some of my lifelong wishes. What made it even better is the fact that the circumstances allowed me to...
Oqaatsut & Rodebay
Oqaatsut (kal. cormorants) is a small settlement located approx 30 min by a boat northwards. Expectedly, a beautiful trip between the icebergs is a cherry on top of this frozen cake. There are ~30 people residing in it. It felt...
Sermeq kujalleq
Due to the current social, political and (oftentimes wannabe) scientific climate, there are many people who are seeing glaciers almost exclusively through the catastrophic global warming glasses. A lot of people, especially those who have any palpable profit from it,...
Random greenlandic facts and interesting tidbits
Color coded houses The houses in Greenland are very colorful and they beautifully decorate the environment which is often considered to be either gray and bleak or just plain white. But, the colors play a role; the houses are traditionally...
Activities in Ilulissat, Greenland
Here is the list of all special places that I had the honor to visit and experience, while spending a few days in Greenland. Yellow trail in Ilulissat Blue trail / the Dream trail / the “I need to come...
Among the icebergs
The most spectacular and visually appealing event of the entire greenlandic experience was the boat trip to Isfjorden. Being someone who is very prone to cold weather and ice, and a lover of everything nature related and magnificent, I am...
Kayaking in Isfjorden
I love kayaking and canoeing. I discovered it after moving to Norway; we started exploring the lakes around Oslo and soon I realized that some places just cannot be reached by foot and a canoe works amazingly when it comes...
Isfjordcentret
At the invisible border between the edge of Ilulissat and the start of hiking trails which guide you along Isfjorden lies a very unusual building. It is an architectural work of Dorthe Mandrup, a Danish architect, and it is the...
Blue trail / the Dream trail / the “I need to come back and walk there again ASAP” trail
It is very difficult to single out the one obvious highlight of my Greenland visit because everything is impossibly gorgeous and comfortable to be at, but the Blue trail would be in top 3. It is not a mistake to...
Sermermiut
I am a very selfish person when it comes to the mountains and certain special places in nature – I would give you my last meal anytime, but I love having some POI’s just for myself. Getting up early in...
Dressing up for the Arctic
My all time favorite question regarding my trips beyond the Arctic circle (and the one I get asked about the most) is – how do I dress for such weather? People assume that venturing to Svalbard and Greenland with intention...
Yellow trail in Ilulissat
Why Ilulissat? For a long time I was trying to decide which city could be my first greenlandic entry destination. It took me a while to pick the city/settlement and it was a struggle, in a way, as: Nuuk, the...
Approaching Greenland
Dreaming of icebergs I have wanted to visit Greenland literally since I was a child. I grew up in a household in which we loved watching animal documentaries; ice bound environments and related wildlife made me stare at the TV...
North Atlantic
My personal hot spot, the true object of my desire and the ultimate bane of my existence when it comes to exploring this planet is the North Atlantic region. I care very little about tropical islands and cocktails in the...
Klakkur
I don’t mind walking in foggy weather at all. On the contrary, if I see a fog creeping towards me, I will gladly walk in it and will not intentionally rush out of it. There is something primordially ethereal and...
Skarð
I was going southwards from the Kallur lighthouse, stopping at Mikladalur to pay respects to Kópakonan selkie statue and to walk through a miniature forest in order to reach the village Husar and in the end Syðradalur, to wait for...
Mikladalur
After visiting the Kallur lighthouse the next station was a village from a fairytale, Mikladalur. A fairytale which is pretty seriously dark and grim, but a fairytale nevertheless. According to the local legends, seals were believed to be humans who...
Kallur lighthouse
Waking up on Saturday morning in Klaksvik felt so good. Everything I saw before during the previous days was so beautiful and fulfilling and I had a feeling that on this day would be even more satisfying. That particular Saturday...
Viðareiði
After the epic heli-flight I unpacked my gear with a lot of enthusiasm and eagerness to venture outside the airbnb ASAP. I had to book the room for two nights because it is impossible to do the planned activities in...
Helicopter flight from Torshavn to Klaksvik
Thursday was supposed to be spent on the hike between Saksun and Tjørnuvik, as I really wanted to cross the ridge between them, going along the path between the mountain tops Heyggjurin Mikli and Melin. Unfortunately, on both heels and...
Hvithamar
In the area near the highest peak of the Faroe islands – Slættaratindur – lies the official number one reason why I came here – Hvithamar. I saw videos of this place ages ago and instantly fell in love with...