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| Greenland Kayak Sisimiut (click image to enlarge) |
During the night... hmm... can one say, "the night" when it never gets dark in the summer? Anyway, during the night the weather changed. This morning it was a little cooler at 5˚C and completely overcast. Nevertheless it made for very good hiking conditions and I was beginning to get low on sunscreen anyway.
We arrived in Sismiut at 10:00. 15 minutes later the first excursion for the abandoned village, Assaqutaq, departed from Fram. The overcast conditions added to the eery atmosphere in the ghost town. It was easy to imagine the village full of people.
Shortly after, at 10:30, the hikers going on the long hike to Palaasip Qaqqa Mountain departed. The summit was obscured by clouds. We wondered what it would be like going into the fog and if we would be able to make it all the way to the top. It turned out to be magical. The hikers ascended through the cloud layer and into the sun. It was like sitting on top of the world looking out over a vast expanse of fluffy white clouds, 360˚ around you.
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| Greenland Kayak Demonstration (click image to enlarge) |
Throughout the day there were several departures by small boat for Assaqutaq. Hiking groups went on the historical hike to Tele Island. Most people took the opportunity to explore Sismiut on their own. Many people, chose to visit the fine museum which is well known for its excellent exhibits on the Paleo-eskimo Saqqaq culture.
At 15:45 everyone was back on board the ship. Just before we left we were treated to an outstanding demonstration of kayaking skills right beside the ship. There are about 35 different ways to roll a kayak: with a paddle, without a paddle, with a short paddle, paddle behind your back, with one hand, etc., and we witnessed many of those methods. We all wondered how comfortable it was in the ~6˚C water! B-r-r-r!!
In the late afternoon there was time for lectures which were presented in English, German and Danish. As usual there were also informative sessions about our plans for the morrow.
At 21:45 we attended a fashion show that was probably quite different from any other fashion show in the world. In the MV Fram fashion show it is the Expedition Team and some officers (including the Captain) that model the clothes. These were definitely not professional models.