Reykjavík Grapevine - 19.06.2009, Blaðsíða 38

26
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 8 — 2009
Travel | Destination
Nuuk by Sea
You can’t stop me motherf*cker, ‘cause I’m on a boat
The sun shone, and the water was calm
and shimmering. Of the handful of days
I spent in Nuuk, this was by far the most
pristine. It was on this gorgeously per-
fect Greenlandic morning that Piitaaraq
and Theresa, of Nuuk Tourism, took us
out sailing on the Spar 5, captained by
Michael and unofficially co-captained by
Maria, a young Greenlandic artist.
The six of us departed from Nuuk’s
Atlantic harbour, excited to be on a boat –
if only T-Pain were there. From the deck
we took in sweeping views of Nuuk’s pen-
insula. Blocks of apartments and colour-
ful wooden homes staggered over the
rocky seashore, shrinking to specks and
then to nothing as we sailed away from
civilization, deeper into fjords. Soon we
were surrounded by capped mountains,
their grandeur putting into perspective
just how small we are and how vast the
world. The sun continued to shine as our
ship and packs of playful seals created
the only waves on the glassy surface.
» Showing off the goods
After sailing for little over an hour we
dropped anchor and, three at a time,
clamoured onto the floor of a small row-
boat to go ashore. One of the many excit-
ing tourist packages that Nuuk Tourism
offers is Fly-fishing Camp, a week-long
excursion for avid fly-fishers to a pair of
cabins set on the shore of an inlet, a short
walking distance from three prime fish-
ing rivers. This package, and the alterna-
tive that ferries fishers back to a Nuuk
hotel each night, is geared toward those
with their own equipment and experi-
ence fly-fishing. I would spring for my
own equipment if it meant enjoying a
week at such a serene and pristine natu-
ral haven. Piitaaraq said it best when,
walking between the cabin and river,
he sighed “time stands still here.” This
piece of land – remote, secluded, and ex-
pansive – was like heaven.
Here’s a fun little anecdote: the execs
of the now bankrupt Glitnir bank enjoyed
a week of f ly-fishing with Nuuk Tourism
in the summer of 2008. However, unlike
other fly-fishing enthusiasts and run of
the mill tourists, these guys solicited the
company to pimp their fishing trip with
a swank helicopter to shuttle them and
their buddies around at will. You know,
because money is no object.
» Fishing and Village Life
Back on the boat, we sailed mere minutes
from the site of the cabins, dropped an-
chor again and set about fishing in the
60+ metre deep waters. Within seconds
of dropping my line I felt a bite. I gave
the rod a tug and started to reel the line
in. After what seemed like hours of reel-
ing and pulling back, watching the long
rod bend and curve from the weight of
whatever was on the end of the line, I
peered down below the surface of the wa-
ter. Two large orange fish - ocean perch,
I later learned - snared on the hooks of
my fishing line struggled as I reeled in
the remainder of the line and hoisted
them above the surface. The speed at
which we were catching fish over the
next hour was almost comical, prompt-
ing the Grapevine photographer to joke
that our hosts had hired divers to put fish
on our hooks so that we tourists would
be impressed with the experience. In any
case, we were.
Before heading back to Nuuk we
visited the small village of Kapisillit.
This tiny collection of colourful wooden
homes climbing the steep hill away from
the seashore was surprisingly lively for a
population of only 70. Children ran and
laughed and screamed, young mothers
pushed their babies around in prams
with puppies bouncing along behind
them, soaked from a swim in the chilly
water. It was idyllic, really, and to stay in
the small town’s hostel or hotel (because
they run one of each) would surely be a
worthy and pure experience.
» Nuuk Tourism will show you a good
time
So, this superb day I have described here
isn’t actually a tour that you, an enthusi-
astic tourist in Greenland, can take part
in (unless you can convince some locals
to take you for a ride). It was set up by
Piitaaraq and Theresa so that my com-
panion and I could see the goods in the
(sadly) limited time we had at our dis-
posal. That being said, the good people of
Nuuk Tourism do offer a range of seem-
ingly wicked activities that you can par-
ticipate in, from hours-long city tours to
weeklong camping and fly-fishing pack-
ages mentioned earlier, whale-watching
safaris and sea-angling excursions.
www.nuuk-tourism.gl
Fly and discover
Action-packed day tours 2009
www.airiceland.is
websales@airiceland.is / tel. +354 570 3030
Air Iceland is your West Nordic airline, a customer-driven service
company responsible for scheduled domestic flights and flights
from Iceland to the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
Air Iceland offers a variety of day tour packages, in Iceland
and to Greenland, which include flight, bus transfer and
guidance. All these magical locations are but a short,
comfortable flight from Reykjavik.
Come fly with Air Iceland
BORGARNES
STYKKISHÓLMUR
SNÆFELLSJÖKULL
DRANGAJÖKULL
FLATEY
NESKAUPSTAÐUR
BLÖNDUÓS
SIGLUFJÖRÐUR
BOLUNGARVÍK
HRÍSEY
FAROE ISLANDS
AKUREYRI
EGILSSTAÐIR
VESTMANNAEYJAR
ÍSAFJÖRÐUR
VOPNAFJÖRÐUR
ÞÓRSHÖFN
HÚSAVÍK
GRÍMSEY
Blue Lagoon
Geysir
Gullfoss
Jökullónið
Kárahnjúkar
Krafla
Hallormstaður
CONSTABLE POINT
Greenland
ILULISSAT
Greenland
KULUSUK
Greenland
NUUK
Greenland
NARSARSSUAQ
Greenland
AKRANES
REYKJAVÍK
KEFLAVÍK
ÍS
L
E
N
S
K
A
S
IA
.I
S
F
L
U
4
65
67
0
6.
20
09
Contact Air Iceland or
travel agent for reservation.
Nature’s Hot Spot
Vestmannaeyjar
8 hour Day Tour
Lake Mývatn
Mývatn
12 hour Day Tour
In the Footsteps of the Fishermen
Eskifjörður
10 hour Day Tour
Highlights of the North
Mývatn
12 hour Day Tour
Beyond the Arctic Circle
Grímsey
2 or 5 hour Evening Tour
A Different World
Greenland – Kulusuk – Ammassalik
2 night Hotel Package
Remarkable Greenland
Greenland – Kulusuk
8 hour Day Tour
Birds and Blue Waters
Ísafjörður
12 hour Day Tour
CATHARINE FuLTON
JuLIA STAPLES