Posting the original email “blog” that I started during this trip…

It’s day two of the East Greenland 2015 Expedition. I seem to have fallen behind on my handwritten journal so I decided to blog instead. But then I remembered I don’t have a blog, so I decided to email it to myself instead. And since I am sending it to me, I decided to share with anyone who was even remotely interested in the expedition, Greenland, The World or me.

I hope to have daily musings but if you prefer not to receive these emails, just let me know. I will not be insulted, upset or surprised. Seriously, please let me know and I will happy to remove you from the list.

We spent yesterday at sea, sailing north from Reykjavik, southwest Iceland, to Scoresby Sund, Greenland, the largest fjord in the world. Everyone onboard will be together for the next 17 days as there will be no city or port to disembark. We will be focusing on the remote and seldom-visited eastern coast of Greenland. The ship had previously traveled to the west coast.

The Expedition officially kicked off with a briefing by the captain, an introduction to the 14-member expedition team and safety briefings. The captain began with showing us the itinerary and then ripping it in half – a good image of the flexibility which will be required for this journey. The expedition team is composed of the leader, logistics specialists, kayak guides, anthropologist, archaeologist, naturalist, artic guides, geologist, Greenland specialists, videographer and photographer.

I attended an introduction to photography workshop with Raul Touzon, a National Geographic photographer. He spoke about the elements of a good photo, it is SMPL – subject, moment, place and light. We are lucky enough to be put in the right place on this trip and I will be trying to capture the moment with the right light and special subject in under 500 shots per hour ;)

We awoke this morning sailing into Scoresby Sund (first two photos attached), and I took 50 photos from my balcony with just my robe and slippers. It is about 30 degrees, crisp, clear and beautiful. Around 10:00 there was a polar bear sighting. Mark ran to the top deck and saw it swimming amid the ice floating in the sea. I was taking advantage of having internet connectivity and missed this one. We then attended a lecture on sea ice, its formation and the vital role it plays in the regional as well as global climate. We all need to reduce our carbon footprint. There is amazing life under the sea and we are all interconnected in the world. So, use a reusable bag today and save a rubber tree.

We signed up for a photo hike and natural history hike but alas, the ice prevented the Zodiacs from reaching shore, so the hikes were replaced with Zodiac cruises around the glaciers. I’ll take it. While we were waiting, Mark took a dip in the pool on the 11th deck (photo attached). Just kidding, it was not Mark but there were people swimming – see snowcapped mountains in rear.

Off to my Zodiac, more to follow tomorrow.