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Lens-Artists Challenge #407- Celebrating the National Day

/ Leya / 40 kommentarer

Patti leads this week, and I was happy to find the prompt to be Celebrations! In Greenland they celebrate their National Day on June 21, and we were there. It is always fantastic to see how other countries and nationalities celebrate. This time it didn’t look much like any other National Day I have attended.

In voices clear and strong, the songs were performed by a small but well trained choir.

Then, there was an hour of sermon and more singing in the beautiful Zion’s Church in Ilulissat.

On marching in, some of the people wore the traditional clothing in red, white and black. When we visited Greenland in 1982, everyone wore the national dress for the visit of Queen Margarethe. In former times the Inuits only wore clothes made from animal hides or skins. When the Europeans came, and began to trade using glass beads in the 17th and 18th century, these beads gradually were incorporated in their festive attire.

After church, everyone gathered on the shore, and many small boats arrived… There was anticipation in the air! What was everyone waiting for… ? Some kind of competition or performance was expected.

We didn’t know exactly what, but finally one participant was spotted, and someone told us that first out would be kayak rolling.

He started preparing…and soon they were ready for the show. It was this man and a young girl performing. The water held approxiamtely 2 degrees C and they rolled for half an hour…

It was a big day for the young woman´s mother as well. She stood right beside me so I could admire her elaborately made seal boots. She coached her daughter on when and how to do different, difficult rolls – which the girl performed to perfection. ”My daughter!” the mother smiled at me, shining with pride.

The last activity was the seal hunt. After the kayak rolling, the motor boats roared and headed out between the icebergs. The one who came back first with a seal would win a rifle. We didn’t stay to see the results of the competition, because this event could take a couple of hours or more – and we were hungry. Rumours had it they might have hidden a seal already caught somewhere…so cheating was maybe allowed!

Tradition still means much to the Inuits, and we were so fortunate to get the opportunity of joining in this day. An adventure to be remembered, and the many smiling faces too.

Finally, this young couple made it the perfect day to get married!

A huge thank you to Anne for letting us rest in a summer daze. and to all of you for the terrific responses! Also a huge thank you to Patti for the fun challenge and for giving me the opportunity to show pictures from Greenland’s National Day.

Please remember to link to Patti’s original post and to add the Lens-Artists tag!

Finally, we hope you’ll join us next week when Egidio leads us once again. Until then, please stay safe and enjoy your week.

Lens-Artists Challenge #406 – Summer Daze

/ Leya / 19 kommentarer

First of all – huge thanks for sharing your many interesting adventures last week! I finally found about 15 of them in the spam folder…but I did find them! Loved the variety and that you shared adventures from long ago too. I could recall the feeling of adventure from my own youth – that original feeling doesn’t come easy nowadays… Age and life experience has taken away part of it. We have to take that.

This week Anne has got some really good tips on how to enjoy, or cope with, the summer heat…please visit her lovely site for more daze inspiration!

To me, summer means late nights and early mornings, the only time when it’s not too warm. My absolutely best temperature is 23 degrees C – unbelievable to some, but that’s when my body works the best. When we stay for a longer time at warm places, the body gets gradually used to it after a while.

When evening comes I might go biking in the soft air…

Or walking by the sea to watch the youngsters fishing or swimming.

Early mornings we can take the canoe down to the lake, watching the great herons lift from both sides of the canal.

In the middle of the day, we all stay in the shadow, reading or playing games – or just relaxing with our dog. Except for my husband, who always has loved the sun and can sit in a chair just letting it wash all over him.

The best thing is a short, cooling swim. The water temperature seldom rises above 20 at our summerhouse. This year, I haven’t jumped in the water more than once – 11 degrees is far too cold for me!

A warm thank you to Anne for letting us soak up the summer daze this week – next week it is Patti’s turn to lead – see you then!

Thursday Thoughts – Wildlife in the Landscape

/ Leya / 4 kommentarer

The northeastern part of Greenland is the world’s largest national park. Climate change is a great danger to flora and fauna here. We know that the fastest warming is in this area. I captured some photos of the most frequently seen flowers, and not surprisingly they are mostly white and very small.

Labrador tea ( S.skvattram)

White cotton grass.

Not sure…alpine bartsia? (S. svarthö)

Round-leaved wintergreen (S.Pyrola)

Woolly lousewort ( S. Ullspira)

Let’s finish with a bird – a lapland bunting. At sea there are other birds, but they will have to wait.

In the header – surprisingly a Fritillary came along. But it was also the only butterly we saw!

Thursday Thoughts – Faces to Remember

/ Leya / 26 kommentarer

A gallery of faces I will remember from Greenland. From Ilullissat, Kangerlussuaq and Nuuk. The poor musk ox was unfortunately dead, but we saw two in real life…very far away though. I got them in my binoculars, but the camera didn’t make it good enough. On the plate we had them every other day – and they were delicious.

I hope you enjoy.

Lens-Artists Challenge #405 – Adventures in Kalaallit Nunaat

/ Leya / 117 kommentarer

I am all for adventures, and I think many of you are too! So, this first week after our break, I want to welcome us all back, and, to adventures we remember – from long ago or lately have experienced. Big or small. Personally, I think every day is an adventure, but indeed some feel a bit more vivid and easier to describe. And that goes for the adventure I am going to share with you today.

You can show adventures from one place only or from more places, and I am convinced adventures can be told in fewer images than this…but please try to stick to a maximum of 10 pictures.

This June, we went to Greenland, a country we fell in love with it at first sight in 1982, when we were young. Those memories are still with me, and on reviewing old slides from then, I was hooked again.

So, what adventures await you in this beautiful country? I will take you on a short visit to some of them. Luckily (!) we were stuck for five extra days in Greenland due to fog, so the dogs and the boardwalk wouldn’t have been pictured here on the ordinary trip.

Of course this is all about water and ice…but, should that not be your cup of tea, I still hope you are inspired for the challenge!

As there are no real roads in Greenland, (the first ones were built in the 1950’s-60’s) every Greenlander owns at least one boat and one snowmobile. Many Inuit people own a dogsled as well, and some 5-10 dogs to do the job.

During summer, the dogs rest from their hard work, and live in colonies on big slopes – grass or stone. The grown-ups are all chained, (they are no ”house dogs”, and prone to fighting) but the young ones are totally free to roam their environment. Indeed an interesting experience to see them on ”vacation” in the summer. I had a collegue who owned 15 huskies, and he built a sledge with wheels so the dogs should be easily excercised during the warmer part of the year. According to knowledgeable people, the dogs are happy as long at they are held outdoors.

Nature is of course the greatest adventure in Greenland – icebergs in the fiords and gigantic glaciers. Eqi glacier (above), is 200 meters high and 4 kilometers wide, and the boat in the picture is waiting a kilometer or two away from it – just in case the glacier decides to calve. You lose all perspective close to these giants!

As we travelled mostly by boat, whales were often sighted – we saw several humpbacks spouting and diving. I never got a really good shot of them, but here are two friends diving together.

You should of course go hiking and just take in the breathtaking landscape. You will never know what is hiding over the next hill or behind the next corner – but surely it is a new adventure! Not all hikes include climbing, this was a very friendly, boardwalk one.

Kayaking is popular in Greenland – a silent and contemplative sport. In the old days the Inuits hunted from both kayaks and canoes. I guess every family have at least a couple of kayaks. And, just as with the motor boats, the were very skillfully handled!

And then, finally, my favourite adventure –

– going on a midnight sun tour among the impressive icebergs – unforgettable. Cheers with thousands of years old ice in the glass!

I hope you have had a great break from us (!) and that you enjoyed my adventures. Now we are looking forward to seeing new or old exciting adventures from you!

A big thank you to Beth, and don’t forget the Lens-Artists tag when you post! As usual, stay well and be kind!

Anne will lead next Saturday – see you then!

Thursday Thoughts – Remember Balto

/ Leya / 11 kommentarer

The Greenland sled dog is one of the oldest breeds in the world. And among the strongest – with a mental competence described as a ”desire to go” despite the tough climate and hardships along the way. During winter time, they move up to 10 000 kilometers. So, the summer rest is well deserved!

Their summer camp lies between the houses, where the open spaces are filled with little huts and dogs, sleds and snowmobiles.

When walking in the area, every now and then an elegant dog is watching you from the roadside. But they never approach you – they are all working dogs.

Most of the older dogs are chained, but the young ones are free to run and play.

Sleds and snowmobiles stand waiting for the snow…

..while the dogs sleep and relax to regain strength for the next season.

In 1925, the sled dog Balto (a Siberian Husky) became an international hero when he led his team over ice and snow, through heavy snow storms, carrying life saving medicine for the people of Nome, Alaska, that was struck by a diphteria epidemic. I read the book and saw the movie, and I guess some of you did too. You cannot but admire these dogs – and their mushers!