Friday 31 July 2009

Sisimiut

Our approach to Sisimiut was through a grey overcast morning but the weather gods continue to smile upon us. Just as we neared the harbour the sun broke through. For the rest of the day we had sunny blue skies. Perfect weather for a stroll in Sisimiut to visit the museum or for one of our excursions such as the historic hike to Tele Island or a short boat ride to visit the ghost town of Asaqutaq just outside of Sismiut.

As a point on interest, Sisimiut means "inhabitants by the fox burrows". One would have to assume that at one time there were plenty of Arctic Foxes near Sisimiut! It was founded in 1756 as a mission and trading post and was called Holsteinborg. Today Sismiut is the 2nd largest town in Greenland supported largely by hunting, fishing and tourism.

Our day in Sismiut ended with a terrific synchronized kayaking demonstration right beside the ship by two Greenlandic kayaking experts. Elias and Emaanooroq showed us many of the 36 different ways to roll a kayak.

Sisimiut in the sunshine puts a smile on everyone's face!!