Content

Day 1 – Kangerlussuaq, 19 October
Day 2 – Kangerlussuaq (Exploring the Ice-cap), 20 October
Day 3 – Kangerlussuaq (Polar Circle Marathon), 21 October
Day 4 – Kangerlussuaq (Russell Glacier), 22 October
Day 5 – Kangerlussuaq and Ilulissat, 23 October
Day 6 – Ilulissat (Rodebay), 24 October
Day 7 – Ilulissat (Hike), 25 October
Day 8 – Return Trip Greenland – Copenhagen, 27 October
Day 9 – Return Trip Copenhagen – Home, 27 October
Results of the Polar Circle Marathon
A Jolly Poem of the Polar Circle Marathon Race – Gerd Kroupa

Day 1 – Kangerlussuaq, 19 October

In heaven's name, why are we doing this? We're asking ourselves this question for the umpteenth time, with the alarm clock going off at four o' clock in the morning. After all, we need to be at Amsterdam Airport at half past five. And there's still some odd jobs to do, like breakfast, a last time doing the dishes, and cuddling the cats.

But the early hour is not the only reason for asking ourselves this question. In the Netherlands, it is a bit rainy at present, but the temperatures are still extremely high and comfortable for this time of year. And now we're leaving for a place where it is currently -10ºC. Where they have no traffic jams, simply because there are almost no roads. Where instead of traffic from right, dog sleds have precedence. In short, our destination is Greenland. Our mission: to shoot as many beautiful pictures as we can. And, oh yes, run a marathon in between. In heaven's name, why are we doing this?

Thankfully, Anneke has been so sweet to agree to drive us to the airport. As promised, she drops us of at Schiphol exactly at half past five. In these times of terrorism we have some queuing at the passport check, but we reach the gate in ample time for the first part of our flight, to Copenhagen. As it is still rainy and cloudy outside, we spend this short flight catching up on our sleep.

At the gate in Copenhagen, we are welcomed by people from Albatros, the company organizing this trip and the marathon. It seems we're a bit out of luck here, our seats in the plane are in the middle. No chance for a first glimpse of Greenland from the air, then. Our neighbour on the plane does a great deal to make up for that, however. Our Lonely Planet stated that Greenlanders are not very talkative. Either this man has never read that travel guide, or he simply doesn't care. He keeps telling us, proudly, about his home country. About the beautiful hike he did this summer. About how the Greenlandic live. And in between, he asks us all sorts of questions. Where are we going in Greenland, and what are we going to do there? Marathon? On what shoes? And what about the socks? And what are we going to do afterwards? We answer his questions politely. One thing that becomes clear on the four-hour flight is that Greenlanders have a different view on nature and animals than we tend to, in the Netherlands. We're actually a bit shocked when our neighbour tells us proudly about how he shot six reindeer in one day this summer, but we nod politely to his tale.

As the plane begins the landing, we get a first glimpse of the country. We can see the enormous fjord and the ice cap that flank Kangerlussuaq. It's a view like we've never seen before and it's breathtaking. As the doors of the plane open, we can feel the dry, freezing cold. Our neighbour from the plane wishes us “Welcome to Greenland” before disappearing for his connecting flight.

Kangerlussuaq

Kangerlussuaq is a bizarre place. The main feature of the town is the airport. Around the airport, several dozens of barracks are placed. The rest is just mountains with grass and low shrubs; everything is glittering with frost. Now that the sun is shining, it's stunningly beautiful. But it's not hard to imagine that, with bad weather, this would look like the most desolate place on earth, as Dutch writer Jan Cremer once put it.

Barracks	Barracks and Polar Inn	Birch Tree
Digging Bucket	Hans Pilegaard, Albatros Tour Leader	Kangerlussuaq

In the airport terminal – actually a barrack – we're welcomed by Hans Pilegaard, our trip leader. He directs us to our accommodation, Polar Inn (an, eh, barrack), and informs us there will be an information meeting this afternoon. Not much time to catch up on our sleep, then.

Actually, once we enter Polar Inn, it turns out to be surprisingly comfortable. We've got a nice double room with excellent beds, all quite cosy. The “common room” is also quite nice, and there's coffee and tea with biscuits for everyone. As Hans starts the information meeting, a quick introduction round makes clear that we are a small group only. There's about 30 people, some of which are only here cheering the runners on. There's only 20 runners overall. Most are from Holland and Denmark, but there are also people from Spain, Germany, Austria, and even Hungary. Hans gives us a short introduction on the race, but also on the country itself. An anxious question on whether there are any polar bears around is answered with a story. Polar bears are actually very uncommon this far south in Greenland. If they appear at all, it's because they have clambered on an ice shelf in Nordic East-Greenland, then drifted all along the coast past the south point of the country, then gone ashore and walking up north again in an effort to find some food. In all, once a polar bear arrives in Kangerlussuaq, it's bound to be rather weak. And it has only happened two times, as far as Hans knows. Last time the polar bear was beaten to death with an iron bar by the people whose hut it was walking around. No reason to worry about polar bears, then, it seems.

When Hans has summed up the tour possibilities and suggested we do a muskox “safari”, all weariness seems to have been forgotten. Everyone is going, so we grab our lunch and get in a vehicle that is best described as a cross between a terrain cruiser and a bus. It first takes us to a mountain top across the river, Black Ridge. On the way, we get to see most of the town as well: from the supermarket to the post office, from the bowling alley to the swimming pool. There's even a pizza takeaway. But everything is based in – a barrack, exactly. The reason for this soon becomes clear: as there are no roads leading to Kangerlussuaq from other Greenlandic towns, all building materials have to be either flown in our shipped by container freighter. The cost of building anything else than barracks would be prohibitive. And anyway, it's only for housing some 450 inhabitants plus the odd tourist or scientist coming here.

Once again, we're struck by the rather unsentimental view of the Greenlandic on nature and environment. When asked why people keep the motor of their cars running at all times, the simple answer is “because otherwise they can't be sure it will start again”. And driver René tells us how there's a bonus for every fox shot, because they are too many and the rabies risk is deemed to be too high. Greenlanders, it seems, have a mostly practical approach to their surroundings. And we are starting to be understanding of that. There's really no other way to survive in this place.

View from Black Ridge

Kangerlussuaq from Black Ridge

Sondrestrom Fjord from Black Ridge

Unfortunately, there are no muskoxen in sight at black ridge. The view on the town and the fjord makes up for that, though. And René promises to drive us to the other side of the river, where he's sure there are bound to be some animals. He drives us back through the town again, then past the golf track. Never has a green been so brown: it's all sand, not a single blade of grass to be seen.

We're now driving along the river, currently a small stream because there's little melting water from the glaciers at present. It's an impressive sight nonetheless, with most of the river already frozen over. René turns out to be right: there actually are some muskoxen grazing on the other side of the river. Unfortunately, that's a long way away, and all we actually can see, even with binoculars, are moving brown spots in the distance. But see them we did.

Watson River

Sunset over Old-Camp

After we get back to Polar Inn, we finally can seek our beds for a few hours sleep. Then it's on to the restaurant of the only hotel around here, which is actually in the same building as the airport terminal. The food is actually astonishingly good, with excellent service and a nice atmosphere to the restaurant itself. The small size of our group has the advantage that everyone quickly gets to know each other, and it gets to be a very animated evening. Not a bad start to this holiday at all.

Day 2 – Kangerlussuaq (Exploring the Ice-cap), 20 October

Today it's time for the compulsory route inspection. We start the day early, but the weather is fine, everyone is looking forward to this, and is curious what the marathon track will look like.

In the first stretch, it doesn't seem too bad. The gravel road is in quite good condition, and there are not too many steep slopes. We even get a second glimpse of the muskoxen past the golf course, this time a bit more close than yesterday.

Wreck from 1968 Plane Crash

As we drive on, the landscape gets more dramatic. We pass quick-flowing water streams, icy lakes, and in the distance we get a glimpse of the inland ice. Our first stop is next to the remains of an aircraft that crashed here in 1968. Hans tells us that, actually, it is one of only three crashed that ever occurred in the history of the Kangerlussuaq airstrip. It is such a popular airport because of the good atmospheric conditions here: the weather is usually very stable, with few storms occurring. This plane, however, got caught in one of the few blizzards, and couldn't get a clear view on the landing strip, so it had to keep on circling until the fuel ran out. All three pilots lived through it, though, although we image they might have gotten a bit cold walking back to Kangerlussuaq from where they landed.

A bit further on, we make an extra stop near Long Lake. This will be around the ½ marathon point in the race, and it's one of the most beautiful stretches we've seen so far. Next to the road there are two Eskimo stone graves (cairns). These must be a few hundred years old. Hans warns us: if you look into the grave and are so careless to breathe in, you may breathe in the ghost of the deceased and be taken over by his spirit. Or so the old belief of the Inuit says. We decide to not take the risk...

The Road to Nowhere	Landscape	The End of the Road to Nowhere
The Descent to the Ice-cap	Exploring the Track on the Ice-cap	The Track

The starting point of the race tomorrow is right at the border of a small lake, with a view on a glacier all along it. From here, the road gets a lot harder. There are a few very steep climbs here, and sheets of ice across the road that can't be avoided. But the real tricky part turns out to be the few kilometres on the inland ice. First we need to descend a wooden ladder that doesn't look too reliable, and then – ice, ice, and then again some more ice. We walk all along the three kilometres of track on the ice cap, and with every step we're regretting that we didn't bring our spikes. In the very few patches of snow, we have some good grip, although there's some places where you sink into it right up to your knees. But the bare ice is the main problem, it's unbelievably slippery for everyone, spikes or no. A few people actually do a bumpy ride, but no-one gets hurt seriously. The conclusion is clear – the race tomorrow will be heavy, but so beautiful that no-one actually cares. Hayo has no trouble at all shooting the memory card full this morning.

Metal Structure

Old-Camp

Sunset over Old-Camp

After a quick lunch at the border of the ice and a cup of coffee we return to Kangerlussuaq for some rest and dinner. As promised, dinner is a real pasta party, but again the food is of excellent quality. The atmosphere is markedly more nervous than yesterday – everyone is asking the other runners questions on how they plan to run their race. And no-one is really sure. How can you prepare or plan for a race in such bizarre and alien conditions? One thing is sure, everyone decides to have an early night to be as ready as possible for tomorrow.

Day 3 – Kangerlussuaq (Polar Circle Marathon), 21 October

Early in the morning, Polar Inn is already a beehive of activity. All runners want to eat some breakfast, while making last adjustments to their clothing. Once in the bus to the start point, the atmosphere closely resembles something like a school trip.

Of course, we are nervous, but we're also looking forward to the race. People are joking and laughing along the way. If the bus gets stuck somewhere halfway the starting point, that's only cause for more hilarity.

Ready

René with the Starting Gun

Go!

Once we reach the starting point and we get out of the bus, the cold is not too bad. Actually, it looks like it's going to be another fine, sunny day. René takes a position on the hillside with his hunting rifle, which again is cause for many jokes (“Look out, he's going to shoot the last runner!”) The race director does a short speech, telling us to look after ourselves as well as after one another. Then René starts a countdown from three before shooting us away with his rifle. We wish each other good look and start our marathon.

Kim, the Saviour

Thomas Quist

Gabor Legindi

The first kilometres to the ice cap are heavy. Nobody is really warm yet, and the steepness of the slopes is horrible in places. Looking on the bright side, this means everyone is nice and warm by the time they reach the ice cap. It's over some very uneven ground, down the wooden ladder, and then on to the ice for three kilometres. The sun has just peeped over the mountain, which gives the place even extra beauty, and after yesterday we know what to expect from the ice. It makes this stretch of the marathon definitely one of the most beautiful. We are still very cautious on the ice, except for a few participant who have brought ‘Steigeisern' and can run full speed on this stretch. The rest of us takes it a bit more easy, here scratching over the ice, there sinking into some snowy patches. All the while, we've got the feeling that we are privileged to be running in this unique environment. Once we've clambered up from the ice cap, the 9-kilometre point is there, with some hot blackberry drink waiting for us like a godsend.

Now it's time to descend all these slopes we've climbed up to the ice cap. Although certainly much faster, running downhill here isn't much easier; it's almost impossible to brake. At the 15-kilometre point, there's another refreshment post. A steady rain of clothing descends on this post, as the sun is now well above the mountains, and the temperature feels comfortable. We keep on running along a glacier tongue, to the half marathon point. Only three runners will finish here today, the rest is going on to Kangerlussuaq. As a bonus, Long Lake has now come into view, and the steep climb alongside the lake gives us ample time to enjoy the view.

The route continues to the Arctic desert, the enormous sand and silt plain that now glitters, buried as it is in ice crystals. On this stretch we can feel the wind blowing, and for the first time in the race it becomes a bit chilly. The cars carrying the half-marathoners back to Kangerlussuaq pass us here, throwing up the dust so that we can feel it crunching between our teeth for several minutes. But the sight of the mountain “Sugar Loaf” in the distance helps; we know this mountain is visible from Kangerlussuaq, and only about ten kilometres away from the town – and the finish.

Kangerlussuaq

Last part of the Marathon, finally Asphalt

The road winds up to and around Sugar Loaf, and the route is covered in shadow here. It makes for the last cool stretch of the race. Once the road descends, we get to part of the track that we know well, and to the sunshine once again. In the distance, we can see the traffic control tower of the airport. With the sunlight warming our faces, we pass the golf course and the quarry. Once we come to the end of the gravel road, there turns out to be one kilometre left. One kilometre? Oh well, at least it's asphalt road here, which is a relief for the sore feet.

Gorka Leal Irastorza (M2, 2nd overall in 4.13.29)	Maartje van Hees (W1, 6th overall in 4.45.43)	Gerd Kroupa (M16, 20th overall in 6.47.18)
	Local Fan Club

The finish line has been created out of two plane ladders, with a banner between them. Just a few metres from the finish, town children are running alongside the marathoners, shouting encouragement in Danish that every runner understands, no matter the nationality: go on, you're almost there! At the finish line, the whole race management welcomes the runners, together with the runners who have already finished. It's a small but enthusiastic welcome committee. Past the finish line, town children are timidly congratulating the finished runners, but mainly having fun with Hayo's camera. They can't seem to get enough of looking through the lens! Directly next to the finish line is a gym hall with excellent showers, so we can get warm and clean again before returning to Polar Inn to get some well-earned rest.

The Medal

Tupilak

The Medal

That night, a gala dinner has been arranged for us at restaurant Roklubben (the Rowing Club). Here, the cook has conjured up some real Greenlandic food for us: prawns for starters, followed by muskox and finally blackberry cake for dessert. The race direction surprises us by holding a full, but also high-spirited award ceremony. Instead of the usual cups, they have come up with something much more original by way of prizes: real “tupilak”, traditional Greenlandic spiritual symbols carved from reindeer bone. Unbelievably, Gerd, our only German runner, has found some time to actually express his experiences of the day in a poem (in English!), which is received with much enthusiasm by us all.

Northern Lights

As a bonus, the northern lights turn out to be especially beautiful tonight. We all rush out to get a good look at them from the border of the lake. For those who have never seen this it's an awesome sight: curtains of green light are filling the night sky more and more, and somewhere in between we can see bright pink and orange sparks shooting straight up to the zenith.

Although it is an excellent evening, very few of us decide to party on in Nordlys in; most decide to return to Polar Inn and get a good night's sleep to get this marathon out of our legs again.

Day 4 – Kangerlussuaq (Russell Glacier), 22 October

Cotton-grass

Morning Light over Kangerlussuaq and Fjord

Watson River

This morning it's remarkably calm in Polar Inn. Most people, it seems, have decided to pass on the early morning walk to Kitchen Mountain. A small group is going anyway, and it has to be said: it turns out to be a good idea.

The sun is up already when we leave, and temperatures are therefore good once again. The hike starts with a steep climb up the slope, we can feel our already tired joints creaking. But the result is a stunning view over the water in the fjord at one side, and the inland ice at the other. Hans is a true fountain of facts, and keeps telling us odd facts and stories along the way, about the animals and plants that live here, the geology of the country, and the former Inuit traditions.

Arctic Redpoll

Reindeer Hoof and Bone

Muskox Bones

The path leads us over mountain meadows which must be full of blossoming plants and shrubs in summer. All is frozen over now, however. On our route down, we even find some reindeer and muskox bones, which leads to the question why these animals keep their distance if we're trying to get a glimpse of them while they live, while going so close to the village for dying.

Car Breakdown

On the way to Russell Glacier

Watson River near Russell Glacier

After an extensive lunch, it is time for our second excursion today, to Russell Glacier. The start of this trip already causes us some problems; the front axle in one of the cars breaks down spontaneously. Luckily, it happens right next to the Polar Inn front door, so René decides to solve this problem to make this trip not by car, but by the large terrain bus that we have been using previously. He's not sure the bus is going to make it all the way to the glacier, though…

On the way, we can see why René is worried. The road (it's actually more of a path) is all sand, with sharp turns and even steeper hills. The bus is doing all right, although it's tilting this way and that way along the route. Where the path is actually too narrow for the bus, it simply pushes on, making the path several inches wider by its passage.

Russell Glacier

Watson River near Russell Glacier

Thanks to the steering of René, the bus actually makes it all the way to the glacier. This place offers a wholly different view on the inland ice, this time not from the surface of the ice cap, but looking up to it standing at the end of a glacier tongue. It's an impressive sight, a massive wall of ice rising up several tens of metres high.

Sunset

Sled Dog

Dog Sled

We get back to the bus an hour later, with the images of the glacier still burned on our retina. The sun is already setting when we get back to the village. Still, when René makes us the offer to drive past his sled dogs kennel, we all react enthusiastically. René actually has quite a number of dogs. They are all penned in a wide corral, individually chained with a long chain. While René takes his time feeding the dogs, we enjoy our time looking around and petting them. Many sled dogs can not be approached, but these are quite tame and actually seem to enjoy the attention. The puppies that are gamboling between the visitors (the puppies have not been chained yet) are the great favourites of everyone.

Preparing Greenland Coffee

The last meal in Kangerlussuaq

The Hotel Wine Rack

This evening is the last time we can all dine together, and enjoy each other's company. And so it gets to be another lively and enjoyable evening, and we all go to bed feeling content.

Day 5 – Kangerlussuaq and Ilulissat, 23 October

Today, a large part of our group is leaving. As our dealings with each other have been pretty intense these last few days, this is some cause for nostalgia already. Luckily, we have got each others e-mail addresses so we can notify each other when the photographs will be on-line. Nevertheless, the farewell is heart-warming.

Sunrise

Tracks

Sondrestrom Fjord

This morning is overcast and cloudy, and outside temperatures immediately feel much more chilly than in the past few days. We did plan a nice long walk for this morning, but we shorten it drastically, and even then we need the rest of the morning to get warm again. We spend our time mainly reading in the Polar Inn common room. We use the time waiting at the airport to lunch on a hamburger the size of an iceberg.

The Sign

The DHC7 Taateraaq to Ilulissat

Just after noon, we board our plane to Ilulissat. This time, it's a simple, relatively small propeller plane, a Dash-7. It still is able to carry up to 50 passengers, however, and it's a full house. We are lucky enough to claim a seat on the right side of the plane, offering us nice views on the inland ice under way.

View from the Sky

The DHC7 Taateraaq at Ilulissat Airport

When the plane begins its landing, we get the first icebergs drifting out to sea in sight. Even from this high, it's an awesome sight. Ilulissat airport has only a short airstrip, causing the plane to break ferociously after landing – but it must easily be one of the most beautifully situated airstrips in the world. It's surrounded by hills, with a view of the ice-choked sea. When we try to take a few pictures of the plane at this awesome spot, however, it's a no-go: the Greenlandic airport officials are not to be toyed with, and point us directly to the terminal.

Sunset over Ilulissat and Disko Bay

From the terminal, we're taken to hotel Arctic by minibus. This hotel clearly is a different league from Polar Inn. To say that's it's luxurious would be an understatement, but what's really getting our rocks off is the view. From our room, we can see the sled dogs kennel of the hotel owner. Just behind that, there's a view on Ilulissat bay, with the town to the left and icebergs floating in the water to the right. We couldn't think of a more “Arctic” scene. Combined with the setting sun, it's simply breathtaking.

Just before dinner, we get a short introduction on the programme for the next few days of our stay. It's not to be sneezed at: a boat trip combined with a lunch, a tour of the town, and a hike to the ice fjord and Sersermiut valley. We only ask for extending the boat trip with a visit to the icebergs in the bay, and our days here will be more than full with all the activities.

Despite the smaller size of the group, dinner that evening is pretty animated. The restaurant is just as excellent as the rest of our hotel, and we're all looking forward to our last few days in Greenland.

Day 6 – Ilulissat (Rodebay), 24 October

Hotel Room

We are picked up at the hotel at nine o' clock sharp, and driven to the harbour. There, we board the “Luffe”, a small but sturdy motor vessel.

Sunrise over the Icebergs

Icebergs

Although it's still quite chilly, we all remain standing outside while the boat leaves Ilulissat harbour and sets sail for the mouth of the ice fjord. All around us, we can see tiny motor boats being used for fishing, right next to the icebergs. Our captain manoeuvres easily between them, keeping well clear of the enormous chunks of ice that reach up to twenty metres above sea level.

Iceberg	Iceberg	Iceberg
Iceberg	Icebergs	Iceberg

The smaller icebergs prove to be more of a challenge. Here and there, they make up an almost solid floe of ice floating on the water. Each time we get near such an ice field, the captain reduces the boat's speed, an slowly but surely steers his way through it. We can hear the ice creak ominously, and now and then a larger chunk of ice even lifts the boat out of the water for a short time, but we pass the ice fields intact every time. We pass our time gazing at the icebergs, trying to see shapes in them, and now and then getting inside for a cup of coffee, trying to get warm again.

Rodebay Harbour

Rodebay

Rodebay Harbour

After an hour between the icebergs, the captain sets sail to the north, to the village of Rodebay. Rodebay was originally founded by Dutch whalers, and got its name because of the red whale blood that was spilt there. In this time, it's a tiny fisherman's village with 45 human inhabitants and many, many more sled dogs. It's situated at the border of a bay, which forms a nice natural harbour, and which we enter through a narrow passage between two sheer cliffs.

Lunch at Rodebay

At Rodebay, a lunch mainly comprising fish is set out for us. Not every dish is a success, however. The shrimps and halibut are absolute favourites, but the cold whale meat and whale skin do not have any fans. Not really surprising, since the first tastes like raw oil and the last like – well, actually does not have any taste at all. Still, it's a nice opportunity to taste all these types of fish.

Neglected House in Rodebay	Drying Cod	Rodebay
Drying Clothes	Drying Cod	Sled Dogs

After the lunch, our guide Elke shows us the sights of the town. In a certain way, there's not many sights to see, but that is just the fact which makes it so interesting: living here is absolutely different from anything we've ever experienced before. The people living here live, or one might say survive, without many of the luxuries we've become accustomed to. The houses have no tap water, for instance, and electricity is only available by virtue of the tiny local generator. If you want to do your laundry or take a shower, you need to go to purpose-built wash house in the middle of the village. Then there's the supermarket with a tiny post office and of course the fish factory – and that's about all. At the fish factory, the cod is currently drying at the fish racks. It makes for a beautiful picture, but we can't help but wonder what the food hygiene council in the Netherlands would think of the dead raven nailed to the racks to scare other birds away.

It's time to go aboard the Luffe again, and head back to Ilulissat. Steering out of the harbour is a bit tricky, since a small ice field has floated on the low tide into the mouth of the bay, and the passage between the cliffs has become very narrow. The ship worms its way through, though, and we're well under way again. The icebergs haven't lost their fascination yet, and we all stay on deck to watch them, it's a view not easily forgotten.

We would like to end our day eating out in another restaurant that evening, so we call a cab and go out on the town. The receptionist at the hotel has directed us to what is supposed to be the best in town. We never get to find out if it actually is, however: when we arrive, it turns out to be closed. When we ask our taxi driver if he knows any other restaurant in this town, he dutifully drives us to another joint which looks suspiciously like a snack bar. Feeling a bit guilty for having the taxi driver hauling us around town for nothing, we ask him shamefacedly to drive us back to hotel Arctic in the end. Before ordering dinner there, we thank him profusely for giving us the first tour of the town.

Day 7 – Ilulissat (Hike), 25 October

Old Peat Hut

Whale Press

This day we start with a guided tour of the city. Well, city… A town with 5000 inhabitants and just as many sled dogs could be called a city in no other country but in Greenland. Here, it's actually the third largest town in the country. The weather is a bit more overcast today, and the air feels much more chilly accordingly.

First, Elke takes us to the older part of the city, to the wooden Sion church with its atmospheric interior. Right opposite the church is the birth house of Knud Rasmussen, the famous Danish / Greenlandic explorer. It now houses a museum, and there's much more on display than only Knud memorabilia. The Inuit culture, but also the birds of this country, the national costume, and the history of nearby Sermermiut are topics for the museum's exhibitions as well.

Outside the museum, there's a press on display that was used to press whale oil from the cooked blubber. Also, there's a replica of a peat hut. It's hardly believable that these were the common houses less than a century ago.

Ilulissat Harbour

Gutting Fish in the Freezing Cold

But Elke also takes us to see the newer parts of town. The tour includes the fish and flesh market. The smell of the place turns out to be something best not experienced in the morning, and the blood on the floor doesn't help either. There is seal meat on sale, and various types of fish. Outside a hunter with his dog sled is waiting on customers, selling the freshly caught fish straight from the sled, with the dogs still leashed to it.

We walk on to the harbour, where the tiny fisher boats bring in the full nets. To our amazement, the fisherman are actually gutting the fish right then and there, in the freezing cold. Some of them aren't even wearing gloves and are working with their bare hands.

After a few hours walking through the town, it's time for lunch. We make up for our rude departure from the snackbar-like restaurant the night before by having lunch there with the whole group. The food is quite nice, and everybody jumps at the chance to get a bit warm again.

Moss

Plant

After lunch, we strike out on our hike to Sermermiut valley. The path offers some steep climbs here and there, but it's well worth the effort, since it lines the coast and the views on the icebergs are awesome. The soil is coloured beautifully by the plants and mosses that grow here. The sun has appeared from behind the clouds by this time, and it actually gets so warm that we can take a rest just sitting on the rocks and enjoying a broad view on the ice fjord.

Tundra

Frozen River

Tundra

We walk on, crossing a few frozen streams to follow our path further, back to Ilulissat. Elke picks up the pace, because it's already getting late and the sun is setting in the sky. A little further on, she is not entirely sure of the path anymore, either (“We should be able to see the town from here.... can you see anything already?”) However, Ilulissat comes into sight soon enough, and our way is clear once again. We descend to the time via a route which can not possibly be a path anymore, as steep as it is. It makes for an unexpectedly sporty conclusion to the hike. Still, it takes us directly into town. A bonus is that we end up directly behind a sled dog kennel where the dogs are just being fed. The howling is deafening and frightfully reminiscent of real wolves.

Our last Sunset over Ilulissat and Disko Bay

Because tonight is our last night in Greenland, Albatros has organised a “farewell dinner” for us. Enjoying a good glass of wine, we quickly get into the spirit of the evening. We end our meal with a real Iceland coffee. Our waiter comes up with a nice explanation for the high alcohol percentage of this dinner coffee: whiskey (for the harshness of the Greenlandic life), Kahlua (for its sweetness), coffee (not too much.... for the dark polar nights), whipped cream (which stands for the ice and snow), and finally flambéed Grand Marnier for the northern lights.

Later on we can't remember exactly who suggested it, but the group as a whole retires to the bar upstairs, where it's happy hour. So, we happily install ourselves at the bar, where the spirit gets even more rowdy and it becomes a really alcoholically charged evening. A large part of our groups takes this opportunity to drink to each other's safe return trip tomorrow, and our farewells – into the small hours.

Day 8 – Return Trip Greenland – Copenhagen, 27 October

Today's gonna be a short day – literally. In the early morning, we will travel from Ilulissat to Kangerlussuaq, and then further on to Copenhagen.

Elke has come to Ilulissat airport to say farewell, and not for the first time this week we promise to send an e-mail once the photos are on-line.

We leave Ilulissat several minutes early, but that's no luxury in view of the 15 minutes transfer time we will have in Kangerlussuaq. Kangerlussuaq feels strangely familiar to us when we can see all the landmarks we know so well from the plane. We get very little time to enjoy this sense of homecoming, however. We enter the airport terminal via gate 1 and directly walk out of it again via gate 2, to the Airbus 330-200 that's already waiting for us.

From this point on, our journey goes pretty fast. We are lucky that everywhere in Greenland the weather seems to be fine at the moment. We get the most stunning views on the scenery around Kangerlussuaq and, a little while later, on the endless whiteness of the Greenland ice cap. After we have left the Greenland east coast behind us, it's only a few hours to Copenhagen. During that time, we get ample time to enjoy the fact that Air Greenland is the one airline that by default serves its coffee with either Baileys or Cognac (what a brilliant idea!). Meanwhile, the sky around the plane is slowly getting dark. It's like watching a gorgeous sunset while sipping a nice drink – but then from a few miles high up.

When we touch down in Copenhagen, we've gone from winter back to autumn again. It's dark already, and raining. At the airport, we say goodbye to our Austrian, German and Danish friends. Only us “Dutchies” go on to the same hotel here, and on to The Netherlands tomorrow.

Finding the hotel is an issue. At least, it is to our taxi driver. The street at which the hotel should be situated can be found using his navigation system, but he's sure that the exact address does not exist. And he's never heard of this hotel before, he says. After quite a few hints from us passengers and a bit of tampering with the navigation system it becomes clear that he's gone exactly in the opposite direction from where's he's supposed to go, and he turns the car. When we get the hotel in view, it turns out to be a huge building, not to be missed. My faith in male path finding capabilities has been destroyed beyond all repair.

The hotel itself turns out to be, to say the least, not that much of a success. It's quite a lot like the cheap highway hotels you can find in France, except that it's much bigger. And much more expensive. Once we've hauled our heavy suitcase up a flight of stairs (no official lifts, here), it gets even more hilarious. The hotel room offers room for two beds and a small table – barely. There's only just enough room left to place our suitcase. The shower and the toilet are placed so close to each other that you should almost stand in the toilet bowl to be able to take a shower. Taking a shower while taking a leak, or vice versa – it's actually quite efficient.

But oh well, what the heck, it's just for this one night. We go out to get a little bite, and we succeed in that in a small Pakistani pizzeria with an authentic French name. The food is actually quite good value for the money, and the beer comes in actual pints. Not bad, not bad at all, for our last evening together.

Day 9 – Return Trip Copenhagen – Home, 27 October

Our last day on this holiday is mainly spent waiting and travelling. It's difficult to get to the Copenhagen town centre from our hotel for a sightseeing, so we sleep in this morning and take our time getting to the airport. We pass the last few hours of our trip there, drinking coffee and chatting.

After a calm and short flight we arrive at Amsterdam airport again. Since our first moment in Greenland, we've gained 24 degrees. And a wealth of extraordinary experiences that we will not easily forget!

Results of the Polar Circle Marathon

Marathon Men
Place	Overall	Name	Country	Time
1	1	Bjarne Jensen	Denmark	04:03:23
2	2	Gorka Leal Irastorza	Spain	04:13:29
3	3	Carsten Brygger	Denmark	04:16:37
4	4	Joergen Nautrup	Denmark	04:38:57
5	5	Thomas Quist	Greenland	04:40:54
6	8	Andries Huisman	The Netherlands	04:50:33
7	9	Sjoerd-Jan ten Kate	The Netherlands	04:50:34
8	10	Peter Sivertsen	Greenland	04:54:11
9	11	Remon van Goolen	The Netherlands	04:55:47
10	13	Gunnar Frederiksen	Greenland	05:17:26
11	15	Joergen Leander	Greenland	05:34:39
12	16	Jesper Simonsen	Denmark	05:34:41
13	17	Peter Fredberg	Denmark	05:52:57
14	18	Jeroen Kleijn	The Netherlands	05:58:57
15	19	Gabor Legindi	Hungary	06:23:04
16	20	Gerd Kroupa	Germany	06:47:18
17	21	Jan Hendriks	The Netherlands	06:56:34
18	23	Sandor Hendriks	The Netherlands	06:57:06
Marathon Women
Place	Overall	Name	Country	Time
1	6	Maartje (Anna) van Hees	The Netherlands	04:45:43
2	7	Kim Baner	The Netherlands	04:49:35
3	12	Margit Ringheim	Denmark	04:59:35
4	14	Kamma Skaarup	Denmark	05:28:50
5	22	Marina Marcovich	Austria	06:57:05
Half Marathon Men
Place	Overall	Name	Country	Time
1	1	Tjerk van Beersum	The Netherlands	02:04:03
2	2	Per Frost Henriksen	Denmark	02:47:00
Half Marathon Women
Place	Overall	Name	Country	Time
1	3	Hetty Gunters	The Netherlands	03:16:12

A Jolly Poem of the Polar Circle Marathon Race – Gerd Kroupa

The Marathon-run was a famous way,
The sun was shining the whole day!
On Ice-cap I was slipping there,
Felt me like dancing Polar Bear!

Then I ran mostly slow alone,
Only with ice and snow and stone;
With spiky shoes a real fight,
Slipping from left to right!

When in my dreams I am so sinking,
There stood a man, in hands some drinking!
A muskox stood on the route
And clapped his hands, I felt so good!

At thirty (km 30) I think serious,
I was rather delirious!
I saw a hill, high and so far,
O Jesus, hang me on a car!

On Sugar Loaf, there stopped my knee,
A Fata Morgana I believed to see:
Mountain bikes and no biker in the near!
All clear???!!!

Then I see the golf club-house with finish line,
However error, km thirty-nine.
Then came the finish and the end of my patience,
My many thanks to this organisation!!!

PS
And the end of this song:
To run is not wrong!!!

Greenland & Polar Circle Marathon 2006