Saturday 30 May 2009

Ivittuut


There are three places in Greenland that are good for spotting Musk Oxen, one of them being Ivituut, the "Grassy Land". There is certainly one spot that is perfect for being chased by Musk Oxen, and this is behind the Ivittuut Mineral Museum... No kidding, we had the Oxen right in the backyard of the building, forcing us to a couple of interesting evasive maneuvers. Finally, the hairy creatures felt somewhat outnumbered and took off. So we could focus on the morbid beauty of the ghost town that once hosted the world's largest mine for Cryolithe. This snow-white mineral was once essential for the effective production of Aluminum. Needless to say that the importance culminated towards the end of WW II. Well, the rush is over, and all that remains is a 250 feet deep hole, a scenic conglomerate of abandoned houses and an excellent museum with an outstanding collection. So we spent the best part of our day in Ivittuut - in sunlight, of course. Now it's time to go fast and far over night to Nuuk!