Ummannaq

This morning we woke up to overcast skies as we approached Ummannaq. Today is the northernmost day of the Disco Bay cruise and we are further north than my hometown Tromsø. This is above 70° north meaning that it’s virtually no difference in day and night. The sun is just circling above your head. I had signed up for a boat trip. Full day and it would deprive my visit to the settlement we had anchored just a few cables off… So – this boat trip better be good. The smaller boat of the two – 12 passengers took off for about a one-hour cruise amongst majestic icebergs. During the time we sailed the landscape we passed became stranger and stranger. I have seen something similar in Devil Island in Antarctica – There is also a resemblance to the Atacama Desert in Chile. But the setting, with ice and glaciers makes this absolutely surreal. We landed and started hiking. It could just as well been Mars to me… I took some pictures. Look at them – I can’t explain. On our way back to the ship we stopped for a while in a small bay, just underneath a cliff with an impressive waterfall. The captain turned off the engine and we relaxed on the deck. In the distance we heard the snow buntings whistle and we saw one black guillemot, two black ravens and some gulls. Not a very impressive bird life, I thought. After a good break we had sailed just a few minutes when one of our fellow Scottish passengers shouted out: What is that??? I looked over at the quite monotonous cliff face and suddenly I spotted something that I didn’t even dream of seeing on this cruise: A Greenland Falcon. This is a very, very beautiful bird of prey. I got very exited.