First and foremost I love, love, love reading all your responses and feedback. I hope to catch up on blogging and be able to respond individually but I don’t see that happening until the airplane ride home. But please know that your emails make writing my emails so much more enjoyable. One recipient, whose name we will not publish (Meryl Trachtman) admitted to being a Steeler’s fan. She was having a problem seeing the photos properly. Then she resent it to herself and the photos were fine. Someone out there is assigned to set up a real blog for me to use, I am just not sure who it will be. Hmmm, who do I know that loves traveling, photography and technology?

Yesterday was our first stop in an inhabited place, if you consider a population of 450 people inhabited. Considering we have 180 passengers and 220 crew members we pretty much doubled the population of the town/village/settlement or whatever you want to term it. Ittoqqortoormiit (pronounced i-dokko-door-miit) literally means the place with big houses. Located at the entrance to Scoresby Sund, it is East Greenland’s most northerly town.

The majority of the brightly-colored houses were red. When our Greenland specialist questioned the locals on why that is (in Greenlandic), the response was, “the supermarket must have had red paint.” Which makes sense as the village only receives two supply ships a year, once in August and once in October. When the ship arrives, the town has a big celebration, closing school and setting off fireworks.

There are no “tar” or paved roads, I believe there are only two cars owned in town, as most travel by 4x4s and dog sleds. The 4x4s speed rapidly around town and clearly have the right of way over pedestrians. We were properly warned to stay out of their way, thankfully, as they flew by us all day long. I was only able to get a photo of a parked 4×4, no way could I have gotten close enough to photograph one in action.

Sled dogs are precious to their families. Although they are not pets, many will feed their dogs before themselves and the dozen or so needed will often cost more than their house. If you stand between the dogs they will attack each other to earn your respect. However, if you stand between them their owner will likely attack you first. They are tethered outside in the summer months but once everything freezes over, the dogs become their way to travel anywhere.

There is one doctor, one church, one one-room museum, one grocery store and one school. The schools go up to grade 10 and there is currently one student in that class so they will combine some of the grades together. Education is important to the culture and many go abroad to Denmark to study, with most returning to Greenland once graduated.

We actually saw sunlight for the first time which made everything in Ittoqqortoormiit even more beautiful to us. I am sure the drone felt the same way.

Some photos from around town: a house, the dogs, the schoolhouse (with the ship’s drone taking off) and the church (with a person walking by talking on a cell phone which surprised me as the rates are really, really high here).

Some shots of the people, who I always asked permission to photograph. Almost everyone was excited to oblige.

The children and a sign in gift shop (one of the only things we saw in English).

And finally, the supermarket, which always amazes me as a curious insight into culture. The final photo was a man in an office in the back of the store on a computer. Clearly must be the owner and seems to enjoy the fruits of his labors. I did not ask his permission for the photo ;)

Signing off until tomorrow, hopefully.