Voyage North - a photo essay: (12) Sisimiut

After Maniitsoq, we sailed north to Sisimiut, very nearly the furthest north that we visited on this trip: 66.9 degrees north (just north of the Arctic Circle at 66.5 degrees north). However, it is a year-round ice free harbour (the furthest north in Greenland) and Sisimiut is a major shipping port in north Greenland, as well as being the country's second largest city.

We saw the familiar painted wooden buildings (and the familiar rather murky misty morning weather), and signs of new buildings on the bedrock to replace those becoming unstable on the warming permafrost:

The bay offered whale watching opportunities and the town itself is large enough to afford panoramic views. Top right (below), the large blue building is a supermarket on the main street; it was interesting to notice how 'unfamiliar' it was - compared, of course, to the UK - and how it took a while to 'get your eye in' to recognise the street architecture, and instantly focus in on what you might be looking for. Bottom right is the city's graveyard - this time in the middle of the city, but otherwise similar in appearance to the one we saw in Tasiilaq.

As in all the other towns, we found the 'old church' and the 'new church'. The Old Church, below, is now part of a multi-building museum complex. Sisimiut has a long history, with evidence of early Inuit settlement as long as 4500 years ago. In the colonial era it was settled by the Dutch and later by the Danish who ousted the Dutch. The museum has excellent archaeological and historical displays as well as reconstructions of early dwellings.

The New Church is built on a high rocky outcrop and below it is its Chapel of Rest, used between a death and the funeral. I had spotted these little cabins in other places but this time I asked someone what it was.

This church left me thinking that Greenland should require a rewriting of the parable (Matthew 7):

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

This should now read:

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the atmosphere warmed and the sun beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the permafrost. And the atmosphere warmed and the sun beat on that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

This (below) isn't a chapel of rest! This is a house securely constructed on its lump of bedrock, with useful storage down at street level . . . but look at how many steps you have to climb with your heavy shopping; the available bedrock isn't conveniently flat, but is lumpy, steep and hilly. This issue can also be seen depicted in the first photo collage (above).

                                                                                                                   

And to finish Sismiut, a few 'nature notes'. Another town, another dog pound - but, this being a much bigger city, this area is known locally as Dog City, and it is quite extensive. We saw one puppy who seemed to have been injured and was getting around on three legs, holding one back leg off the ground. I asked if veterinary care would be given . . .  and the answer was: 'Probably not, it will most likely be shot'. Others - as below - looked healthy and well cared-for.

Growing wild in patches around the town: two gardeners' nightmares - mare's tail and dandelions - but it seems that the arctic climate prevents them becoming rampant nuisances.

And a juvenile snow bunting