Despite being a Danish possession, Greenland struck me (surprising me) as a lot more American than European.
For starters it’s population is ~90% Inuit, the Norse settlement from the 800s having died out inexplicably around 1450 and a large wave of migration of the Thule people from Alaska and Canada, efficient fishermen and hunters, occurring in the 1300s.
The Danes got here in the 1700s, claiming the territory by way of their 13th century union with Norway. A tad tenuous.
This should in no way be read as an endorsement of claims by President Trump.
The capital Nuuk, the Greenlandic name (formerly Godthåb in Danish, meaning “Good Cape”), has similar socioeconomic problems to other modern Inuit settlements, including alcoholism, but not to any great extent that I saw. Greenlanders are delightfully friendly and welcoming.
Maximut, where I spent a fun filled afternoon with the locals, describes itself as a “beer hall”. It reminded me of a rowdy Irish pub, with some revellers needing to be taken home prone in the back of a ute. Maybe there is more than a hint of Alice Springs here, but the Danes pump a lot of money into the place particularly in education, construction, fishing and tourism. All Greenland’s peoples are EU citizens. That has probably saved the ice-covered hinterland from being dotted with oil wells and mines.
It is high summer here at the moment. The temperature roared up to 11C one day. The rest of the time it was 4 - 7C. I braved a swim in the Labrador Sea but only made it waste deep. It is cold enough to kill you if you plunge in.
Greenland is a truly beautiful place. The kind that is dangerous because you could easily fall in love with it and then you’d be stuck living in the middle of nowhere without much to do. Still, I’ll risk it and return to explore its hiking and fishing.
Where I slept: Hotel Aurora: Cosy, basic, conveniently located on the edge of town.
Where I ate: Godthab Bryghus: Cheery vibe, good beer and food.
