Saturday 18 July 2009

Qeqertarsuaq

Qeqertarsuaq means "the large island" which is both the name of the island and the name of the town on the island. Qeqertarsuaq Island is more commonly known as Disko Island.

Nearly everyone went on the hike to "The Valley of the Wind". It is a beautiful region. It takes about five minutes to walk through town. En route we pass a few bicycles. At home they would be under lock and key but here, the very thought seems ridiculous.

On the edge of town there is a gorgeous dark sandy beach. Many grounded icebergs lie just off shore. Sometimes Humpback Whales can be seen amongst the icebergs. The whole area is irresistible to anyone with a camera.
A large number of Greenland's plants can be found on Disko Island. Several of us crawled on hands and knees, field guide in hand, to photograph the many flowers. Just this afternoon we saw: Snow Buttercups, Pygmy Buttercups, Alpine Barstia, Matted Cassiope, Cassiope, Alpine Speedwell, Arctic Poppy, Arctic Cotton, Labrador Tea, Blue Heath, Moss Campion, Alpine Lousewort, Flaming Lousewort, Large-flowered Wintergreen, Alpine Catchfly and Arctic Harebell.