Friday, July 25, 2025

Day 20 Cruising Prince Kristian Fjord, Greenland

When we chose this cruise we didn't do any research.  It simply looked like a great itinerary with places I've never heard of, and I'd certainly never heard of Prince Kristian Fjord.  In fact I knew very little about Greenland so I had no expectations.  It has been a real eye opener.

The captain announced that we would be entering the Fjord between 7am and 7.30am this morning so we were dressed and had chosen a vantage point in readiness for our entry.  Even from a distance the towering granite mountains are impressive.  They soar over 1200 metres high. 




The entry is through a quite narrow passage and we notice immediately the blue water has become smooth.  It's so quiet.  The ship is moving at a leisurely pace so that we can enjoy the majestic scenery all around us. It is a sensory overload. 
We hear the waterfalls before we see them.  Some are just trickles down the side of the cliffs and others are huge. 



The ship turns a corner and we see a settlement nestled in a protected area.  It is the only permanent settlement along the entire length of the Fjord.  The houses are typical Nordic style that we saw in Nuuk and Paamiut. We wonder how they stay warm as there are no trees for firewood. 

Countless active glaciers calve directly into the fjord, sending icebergs of all shapes and sizes drifting lazily through the sound.  The soaring cliffs have been carved and shaped by those glaciers, over millions of years.  Some of the mountains are jagged while others are smooth.  Regardless, they are a thing of beauty. 



The captain announces that as we are well in front of schedule, he is going to detour into a "bay" for us to get a glimpse of another glacier that he calls "No Name Glacier" 😁.  We were underprepared for what we saw and photos just cannot show how impressive this glacier is.  It's not as big as others we have seen but it was a thing of beauty.  The captain turned the ship 90 degrees to port side and then 90 degrees to starboard so that everyone could get a perfect view of the glacier.




The texture and colour of a glacier is the thing that gets me and to think they are a continually moving object leaves me speechless.  Mother Nature at her very best.
The day is icy cold but no wind.  It is cloudy with intermittent showers that have kept us, for the most part, inside.  It took us almost all day to traverse the 100km long Fjord and now we are back into the Atlantic Ocean and heading towards Iceland.  














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