Nuuk, Greenland
Pictures, November 2, 2019
Post, January 12, 2020
In Old Nuuk . . .
Behind the statue of Hans Egede
Hans Egede was the Lutheran missionary who founded Nuuk in 1728.
His statue faces the harbor, but his city was built on the rock that can still be seen everywhere.
Behind the Red Church
The red church, the Cathedral of Greenland, was consecrated in 1849.
Behind the church a few old homes still exist, although the views of the fjord have led to the construction of many new homes in a much enlarged neighborhood.
At the edge of this neighborhood, next to the fjord . . .
Is “my” home
Down a cement weather-beaten stairway is my bed and breakfast.
Malena of Tupilak Travel arranged for Hanne, who was looking after the house while Loritha and Poul were out of town, to meet me at the airport and bring me here. By chance Hanne is a Danish librarian who has worked in Greenland for years. (Yes, we librarians are everywhere!)
Hanne gave me an introductory tour of Nuuk and gave me the key to my basement apartment.
My little apartment. With views like this (from the basement!) you can understand why the neighborhood is so popular.
These pictures of my little apartment should show you why I was so delighted.
(Click on the first image of the gallery. Once the first picture is up, you can watch the action by clicking (tapping) on the arrow that appears on the right edge. Click through the image set. Move forward and backward. Then you can click on the small [X] in the upper right corner to return to the main line blog.)
I made my coffee in a French press each morning. Drank it watching the boats in the fjord.
Loritha and Poul’s Home
The warmth and love of a home
You may have met Loritha, with her granddaughter Paarma, in my initial blogger’s note. Paarma helped translate for us.
Here is the heart of Greenland.
Modern meets tradition. Paarma shows me a joyous home.
There is a television – but no Internet! (Such a hardship! I had to go to the downtown bar to feed my devices!)
This is their everyday home. I was an unexpected guest so there was no tidying up, no special decorations.
Thoroughly modern.
Thoroughly traditional.
Memories of four generations.
Well done. I guess I was assuming that most Greenland homes would typically be dull decor and much more spartan.
Thanks Dan. I think Nuuk is much different from the small settlements and the tiny Inuit villages. I’m hoping for another trip when I can better deal with the expenses and logistics of visits to the icecap and more remotes villages.
Cool! A lovely warm home. A good trip!
Yes, and so much fun seeing you when I got back!
Such a warm home.. clearly filled with love. Your apartment looks like a fairy tale space. And I love the red church. Magic surrounds you
Thanks Pat! I still carry a stone you and your ladies gave me and remember.
What type of heat was in the apt?
It looks like a comfortable set up and the view was outstanding
Hot water, not steam, radiators. They were very effective. I was a bit surprised. Of course, hot water radiators were used throughout Iceland but Greenland gets no volcano heat. In Nuuk and some smaller cities, icecap melt water provides electricity from hydro power – about 70% of Greenland’s power is generated this way. But the heating systems I saw were similar in both countries.
Really neat! Your little apartment is quite comfortable with a marvelous view.
Thanks Karen. My little apartment was a highlight of my trip. It was actually classified as a bed and breakfast! In the European style, a B&B provides the fixings and you make your own breakfast. Coffee from the French press with my own iceberg – but no internet! – was a highlight of each day!
All the comforts of home, plus icebergs!
Of course – don’t you miss icebergs while you’re in California?
Are you sure they didn’t have Noah Webster stand in for that statue of Hans Egede?
Loved the pictures of the house interior. No tidying up you say? It looked so clean and well organized. They must not have any household dirt in Greenland!
Hey, we have some cool stuff in our house, too, and we would love you to take some pictures. Just give us a couple weeks to get the dust off everything!
Thanks for sharing your great adventures.
Barry,
So nice to view a home in Greenland through your eyes. Coffee and views with icebergs….how magical. Great way to start the day. I flew up to Barrow, now Utikiavik, from Fairbanks. You would enjoy the city. You may have been there. Thanks for sharing.
Carol Reid
Carol – Ugh! I had a flight to Barrow out of Prudoe Bay cancelled because of weather! Next time I’ll make it. – barry
Hi Barry, great pics. Thanks. What is the library that Hanne works in? I am a librarian too :). So of course, very interested! As in Greenland architecture and interior design. We have just purchased an Aframe house, so looking for ideas 🙂
Hi Kim. I also am a librarian :). A long time ago I was a professor of Library and Information Sciences specializing in library automation, online searching and digital libraries in the first days of the World-Wide Web. I then worked at the US Library of Congress digitizing materials for our website. I retired 7 years ago. When I was in Greenland Hamme was retiring and she returned to Denmark shortly after I left Greenland. So I can’t help except to say that Greenland is a wonderful country! Best Wishes, – Barry