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 pretty sure that there are not so many experiences which could exceed this visual treat.

I am absolutely fascinated by icebergs. Being someone born and raised in the south of Europe, I am drawn to landscapes which differ from those I was surrounded by. Visiting open wide spaces devoid of human presence, permafrozen grounds, snow covered mountain slopes, glaciers and nearly frozen seas with icebergs floating are a dream which came true. Before arriving at Ilulissat I had booked two boat trips -a morning and an evening excursion to the icebergs, wanting to see the changed scenery when the lights dim. The operator canceled both of those excursions, so I walked to another tour operator’s office and booked the experience / best spent money ever in under 2 minutes.

It was snowing the entire morning, so I was hoping to arrive between the icebergs while in a snowstorm, but the weather cleared up. The trip started at 20:00 and we had gathered 15 min earlier to go to the harbor with their bus. There were 10 of us. Our guide explained that we shall be taking the small vessel instead of a bigger icebreaker ship so we can truly enjoy this experience.

The boat, Amaroq (got its name from the mythical monster wolf, known for stalking, attacking and devouring those who hunt alone during the night), was small and able to navigate among the icebergs in a slow way.

Even though I am not wired for any sort of religious mindset, I had a somewhat religious experience that evening. The environment was incredible. I saw a lot of historically important architecture in my life, but witnessing the icebergs which are so high that I cannot even estimate how tall they are really stunned me. They look like they are placed in some extreme avant-garde, monstrous and almost alien type of museum, left to be enjoyed in silence.

There was no snow. The light was incredibly soft and spectacular in ways it reflected both on water and the icebergs. I did not return to the enclosed area; I stayed outside in order not to waste one single second of this insane beauty.

The man who drove the boat was a local who obviously knows how to make us feel something. We were gliding, moving very slowly, on an entirely peaceful and calm sea. This way he gave us the opportunity to absorb the beauty in the most proper way.

I was in awe, completely silent, just having enough abilities to take photos of this place.

When we were done, I made a plan to do it once again before I leave. This needed to be repeated.

Later I heard from a local woman that such excursions should not be allowed because they are incredibly dangerous. These large icebergs, which measure often over one hundred meters over the sea surface, can easily crack, collapse, flip a ship and kill everyone on it. This is not a rare occurrence.