Tuesday 7 July 2009

Qullissat and Eqip Sermia

Neptune has been smiling upon us with all of this favorable weather. At 7:30 we landed at the abandoned coal mining town of Qullissat. It was an eerie feeling to wander around all of the abandoned homes, most of which are still in terrific condition. It's almost as if everyone walked away just yesterday. In it's heyday, Qullissat was the largest town in Greenland. However the coal mine was not profitable and was closed down in 1972. Rising majestically behind Qullissat are the most stupendous cliffs. Once again the scenery is breathtaking.

At 17:30 we landed just across the bay from Glaciar Eqip Sermia. there was a lot of calving happening this evening. Constant cracking and booming sounds accompanied our time on shore. At one point very large waves washed high onto the beach as a result of a large calving. Those of us that climbed up the mountain were treated to amazing views of the glaciar, icecap and of course, the MS Fram.