So this is what icebergs look like! That was my first thought when we reached the Greenland coast. I’m pretty familiar with Svalbard’s glaciers, and they are stunning. But nothing compares to the huge glaciers of Greenland!
This was my first visit to Greenland, so I was very, véry excited. We started in Svalbard and sailed across the Greenland Sea. This is the area where Harp and Hooded seals live, and I really wanted to observe them in these waters. We managed to sail along the pack-ice and found much more ice than we had hoped for.
With some delay, we finally reached the Greenland coast. Quite a strange feeling, to visit a new place like this. I realized I already knew I would come back before I even got there; a feeling that has only grown stronger after this first expedition.
This was not a photography trip, but I spent as much time as possible out on deck of the big boat. Wildlife is scarce here, especially during this time of year. But we were treated with beautiful light, the autumn colours of the tundra and of course huge icebergs! Twice, probably three times the size of our boat. Unbelievable!
My most exciting experience was when we sailed into the Scoresby Sund, surrounded by enormous icebergs,. No sounds but for the buzz of the engine of the slowly proceeding boat … Until suddenly, out of nowhere, flocks of pink-footed and barnacle geese started to appear, flying low and honking loudly. For days we hardly saw any wildlife, and now these big flocks flew over. They signalled it was time to go south, the cold was coming! Crazy birds, flying all this distance to come here to breed. Well, maybe not so crazy. I guess I could spend my summers here as well.
The Greenland landscape was very impressive, I can’t wait to go back. I was thinking of organizing a photo tour to the west coast of Greenland in September 2016, for just 24 photographers, on a sailing ship. Who wants to join me? 😉
I want to express my sincere gratitude to Sergey and Aleksey Anisimov from Global Arctic Awards who made this trip possible. It was great meeting you, Sergey! Спасибо Сергей!
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