A Trip of Ice and Fire - Day 8 - Farewell to Greenland

6/17/17, “Farewell to Greenland”

Nuuk Airport, Greenland, Kingdom of Denmark (GOH)

The time has come for me to say farewell to Greenland, and it has been an amazing week here, not even a week, five days, less than 120 hours.  The plane that will take me off this island of ice has just touched down at this small airport.  When I got in the taxi, it was just “Airport,” no need to specify which airport or even which terminal.  I love this country.  It is, without a doubt, my favorite place in the world.

Maybe, one day, when I visit northern Scandinavia or Svalbard, something else will displace the island of ice as my favorite place in the world, but I know that henceforth, I shall call nothing fair unless it be The North’s gift to me.  My fellow Tolkien fans should catch that joke, especially in light of the title of this entry.  I will excuse those who prefer the tropics.  They have chosen the evening; but my love is given to the morning.  And my heart forebodes that it will soon pass away.  [Full credit to J.R.R. Tolkien, "Return of the King" for inspiration*]

Nordkapp, Longyearbyen, St. Petersburg, those are the names that will always be on the back of my mind as my travel over the foreseeable future turns away from The North, but my heart will always belong here, in The North.

After I closed last night, I endured a procession of drunks coming in and out of the smoking lounge, both Inuit and Danish drunks, but most of them did not speak English, so it was an interesting experience.  After I published my photos, I went upstairs and passed out, waking up naturally after four REM cycles.

I went down for breakfast, which was almost exactly the same as yesterday, but I ate less, not wanting to feel lethargic again.  I had my cold plate.  Then I had a waffle with a hot plate as I read about the history of waffles.

Reader, did you know that waffles actually evolved from communion wafers?  The first waffle iron was used to make wafers for communion, and then, over time, the batter and thickness changed.  I had no idea.  After my hot plate, I packed and headed out for a brief walk.

I lit up my last Bolivar and walked to the water, where I took my last ceremonial picture in Greenland.  I then spent the last of my Danish Kroner banknotes buying reindeer bone souvenirs.  I managed it perfectly, leaving me only coins.  I walked back to the hotel, finished packing, and got dressed.  That was it.  Time to go.  Farewell to Greenland.  I took a taxi to the airport and checked in quickly.  I then went outside and lit up an Oliva, sitting down on the bench, where I proceeded to write this entry, which I will now close, as we will soon be boarding.

Reykjavik, Iceland

It seems as if this bad weather is reaching acros the entire northwest Atlantic.  All of Greenland was covered in fog, it’s raining here, and even New York is experiencing thunderstorms.  None of it shows any signs of letting up, and it is put pay to my plans to celebrate the white night part, as does the fact that I will have to wake up by 6 AM, and I did not want to pull an all-nighter, especially in the rain.  The weather has dampened the last stage of this trip, but I will take that into consideration when I do the final reckoning.  For now, I just want to briefly reflect before I recount the rest of the events of the day.

The theme of my travels, as my reader now well knows, is familiar within the unfamiliar and experiencing the unfamiliar within the familiar, and that has happened this trip.  Being in Scandinavia, in The North, it’s all familiar, but there are many unfamiliar things about each country, which makes them each unique in their own way.  On the other hand, while each country itself presents unfamiliar locations, the familiar parts always make me feel at home.

The Inuit communities in Greenland are not much different than those in Canada, and Scandinavian culture is more the same than different across the region.  The craggy cliffs and ice and mountains and fjords that I so love are found in Canada and Greenland and Fennoscandia all the same, even if they are most dramatic in Greenland.  Even looking at pictures of Longyearbyen, which has already stolen my heart, that, too looks more the same than different.

Only 9 countries have land above the 60^th Parallel: United States (Alaska), Canada, Denmark (Greenland), United Kingdom (Scotland), Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.  It is a small list, and the cultures of each country are both the same and different, but the land looks much the same.  The fjords of Greenland look like the fjords of Norway, and Reykjavik looks like Helsinki.

I have not been above the 60^th Parallel in each of those countries, but I look forward to it.  I will go to the islands of Scotland, to Svalbard, to Lapland, to St. Petersburg.  I will visit all of those places on day, and I look forward to seeing the fjords and mountains that I so love, to seeing the midnight sun at Nordkapp, to eating cold cuts and jams on bread for breakfast, to all the experiences that make The North my favorite place in the world.  As I have said, my love is given to the morning.

As for what happened since I closed this morning, I finished my cigar and went in to the terminal, where boarding soon began.  The boarding process seemed to take too long, and I couldn’t tell if it was slow, being delayed, or if I was just impatient.  I soon understood.  Since this was an international flight, we needed to through security, and first they need to get that set up, then it was slow process to have us go through security one-by-one.  I could not bring my water on board, so I asked them to empty my water bottle.  They had to bring it outside to do it, and I watched the water bottle like a hawk as it happened.  I got it back, and, ironically, they seemed not to care about the can of butane I had in my bag.

I fell asleep almost immediately as soon we took off, waking up around 2 PM Greenland time, 4 PM Iceland time for lunch, which consisted of water, a ham sandwich, and a chocolate bar.  We were due to land an hour later, but something was off.  After an hour, we were still at cruising altitude.  There was a thick cloud cover, and I started to worry.  Half an hour later, after much stress, we landed.  This put pay to my plans to go to the Blue Lagoon, so I started trying to figure out how to get into town.  I had sticker shock when I saw how much a taxi would cost, double the cost of taking a taxi from my office to JFK, and it was about the same distance.  I could take a shuttle bus, which was still outrageously expensive, but a sixth of the price of a taxi.

My bag was one of the first ones out, and, although we were still in the EEA, there was a customs checkpoint, only with random screening, though.  I was randomly selected, and the agent asked from where I was coming.  I told her Nuuk, and she was visibly shocked.  She asked why I was going there, and I told her tourism.  She asked when I was leaving Iceland, and I told her tomorrow.  She lost interest in me at that point, and I was free to go.

I headed to the bus, and I was at my hotel about an hour later.  I checked in, enjoyed the view from my window, relaxed a bit, and then headed out, lighting up an LFD and walking around the harbor.  I wanted to have dinner at the seafood buffet, and I made my way over there.  They said they were fully booked for the evening.  There was outdoor seating, and I asked if I could just sit outside.  They said I could sit outside, but I couldn’t eat.  That was odd.  It was a buffet.  I should have been able to just eat standing up.  Were they worried about running out of food?

I retrieved my cigar and continued walking around, now considering the top-rated restaurants on TripAdvisor.  It was down to two options, and the one that seemed more appealing, Ostabudin, was a short walk, so I headed over there, stopping at some souvenir shops to spend the last of my Icelandic kroner, losing my cigar to the wind outside on of the shops.  I got to the restaurant and asked if they had availability.  They did.  I said I would be back in 20 minutes, as there was one more site I wanted to see.

I walked up the road to Iceland’s most iconic landmark, the Hallgriur Church, with its statue of Leif Erikson in front.  Born in Iceland, he can be credited with bringing Christianity to the Greenlandic Vikings.  I took my ceremonial picture, bought an oversized replica, and headed back to the restaurant.

They sat me, and I knew exactly what I wanted for a started, but I struggled with choosing the main course, eventually settling on salted Icelandic cod, a fitting last dinner in The North.  For my appetizer, I got the grilled minke whale steak.  Yes, whale.  Yes, the giant marine mammal.  I needed to try it before I left.  First they brought the bread and butter, which I once more salted in accordance with the northern tradition, adhering to the ways of the old gods.  Yes, that is a reference to “A Song of Ice and Fire.”  I had a local Einstock Pale Ale to drink, which went perfectly with the meal.  Then came the whale.  I had never seen meat so rare.  I was practically salivating.  One bite, and I was in heaven.  It tasted like the reindeer, but better.  I wished it had been my main course.

Next came the cod, which seemed like a letdown by comparison, but it was still good.  I always do like salted cod.  For dessert, I got the skyr mousse with blueberries and a glass of local schnaps, the same one I had about a week ago.  After dinner, it was starting to rain, and I knew my evening plans were kaput, so I lit up a Black Diamond and walked to my hotel.

There was a smoking shelter outside the hotel, which protected me from the rain.  I was met by an interesting fellow, who turned out to be the hotel’s carpenter.  He asked for a cigar, so I gave him a Prensado.  He disappeared and repeared some minutes later, now wanting to smoke the cigar, so I helped him prepare it.  He took a few puffs and, used to smoking cigarettes, asked how many hours a cigar like that takes.  After a few minutes, he put it out and said that he would save it to smoke throughout the rest of the year, just having a little bit each month until he was finished.  Okay then.

After my cigar, I lit up an Ardor and proceeded to write this entry, which I will now close so that I can get to my room and publish, and post my photos, an try to get three REM cycles before I have to wake up for breakfast.

*For reference, here is the passage from "Return of the King" in its entirety, in my view the single greatest literary passage ever written:

And before he went to his rest he sent for Gimli the Dwarf, and he said to him: ‘Gimli Glóin’s son, have you your axe ready?’

‘Nay, lord,’ said Gimli, ‘but I can speedily fetch it, if there be need.’

‘You shall judge,’ said Éomer. ‘For there are certain rash words concerning the Lady in the Golden Wood that lie still between us. And now I have seen her with my eyes.’

‘Well, lord,’ said Gimli, ‘and what say you now?’

‘Alas!’ said Éomer. ‘I will not say that she is the fairest lady that lives.’

‘Then I must go for my axe,’ said Gimli.

‘But first I will plead this excuse,’ said Éomer. ‘Had I seen her in other company, I would have said all that you could wish. But now I will put Queen Arwen Evenstar first, and I am ready to do battle on my own part with any who deny me. Shall I call for my sword?’

Then Gimli bowed low. ‘Nay, you are excused for my part, lord,’ he said. ‘You have chosen the Evening; but my love is given to the Morning. And my heart forebodes that soon it will pass away for ever.’

In my analogy, the tropics are meant to represent the Evening, just as Queen Arwen Evenstar does, while The North represents the Morning, just as Lady Galadriel does.