The Salmon Village

I went on a cruise! Surprise!


I was probably known as the crazy boat lady among my acquaintances the last time I was here because I went on a lot of cruises. Just wanted to see as much as I could and there is something pretty captivating about sailing here. This time I went to Kapisillit, a tiny village at the end of one of the fjords near Nuuk.


The weather was as brisk as always, with blue skies and a biting frost. I didn't pack really heavy duty winter clothes because I guess I thought that since I'm staying only few days, it wouldn't be so cold. Yes, that makes no sense, I know. I have come to regret that decision. It was as cold on the deck of the boat as it always is but still so pretty that it's hard to stay inside and keep yourself warm and toasty. I tried not to take so many photos of the mountains because photos never do them justice but it just happens. You can't look away from them and if you have a camera, you just really have to try to take a photo, no matter how useless you know it's going to be.


Kapisillit means the salmon in Greenlandic. The little village has around 60 to 70 people living there, but despite the small population and the remote location, it still has the most adorable little shop, a school and even a type of a municipality house. The shop has a post office, a bakery and it actually is stocked with all types of things you could ever imagine. I still remember somebody telling me they've never seen an avocado in Greenland; well, there were avocados at the shop in Kapisillit! Also soy milk and even the famous Finnish turkisk pebers! It feels strange that somebody actually bothers to ship Finnish candy that far. But it's cool. The school has three pupils and it's just the sweetest thing. I really want to spend a summer month on an island like this! And yes, they have really good connections there, cell phones and internet and everything.



Oh and they also sell ice cream at the shop. It might seem strange but it's actually quite common for people in cold climates to eat and love ice cream all around the year. We in Finland are pretty famous for the amount of ice cream we eat. We launch new flavors even during winter. Ice cream is the best.



I went to the cruise with one of the Finns I met at the festival and as it happens, there was another Finn on the boat as well. Still can't get over how odd it is to suddenly bump into Finns in Greenland. We explored the island and then had a good, hearty lunch at the boat and then went off to explore Qoornoq again. On the way to Qoornoq, a short stretch of the fjord had frozen over. But the captain just charged through the ice and we stood at the deck, watching as the ice cracked and flaked under our legs. It was pretty exciting. I wish we could have gone to the glacier again, but I guess going by boat isn't that great, the small icebergs and the weather has always blocked it from my view when I've tried going there.



The sun came out when we landed on Qoornoq and I staid at the beach taking photos while others went to check out the old church. I already saw it the last time I was here, so I was fine exploring all the wonders that is glacial ice. The texture, the light, the colors, it's just baffling. I never before thought ice and snow could actually have so many different hues but there they are.



I like the small places in Greenland so much. I wish I could do all kinds of art projects here, it would be the best thing ever to take small performances to a tiny abandoned church on a remote island in Greenland. Maybe one day I could do that. I like the easy atmosphere, the feeling of nobody being in such a hurry. It's probably not like that all the time and part of it is probably because a kind of a vacation psychosis where you think everything in a new place will always be new and exciting and you're tricked into thinking you could always feel like you're on vacation there. Obviously you can't. But I guess vacation is always like that. What can you do?