August 20, 2006
Greenland: Qeqertarsuaq, 'The Big Island'
20th August 2006 When the sun comes out, with the clouds still hanging low in the sky, the light of the arctic summer is unique. The sky shimmers with mother-of-pearl shades of baby-blue, light turquoise and just a hint of...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 04:32 PM |
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August 19, 2006
More Rainy Days
19th August 2006 Last night, for the first time in 48 hours, the clouds lifted. It was an opportunity to shower and wash my stuff without it feeling futile. Afterwards, I sat at the picnic table outside the campsite and...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:59 PM |
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Rainy Days
18th August 2006 To recap: It’s pissing it down with rain The campsite is full of Germans Not one picture has come out I don’t know why the latter happened. Apparently, the little knob next to the rewind lever wasn’t...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:58 PM |
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August 18, 2006
Town of the Icebergs
OK, so I'm not going to do this in sequence. Too boring. I'm struggling a bit with my English at the moment, so flowery descriptions will have to wait for my BNA writeups... 16th August 2006 I have travelled the...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 11:08 PM |
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August 17, 2006
Greenland: Dishing out the local Wildlife (II)--The Buffet
17th August 2006 (later that day) As soon as people approached the imposing dining room, with its tables, covered in starched linen and silverware, overlooking the iceberg-strewn bay through large picture windows, the murmur of conversation ebbed to a whisper;...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:00 PM |
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Greenland: Dishing out the local Wildlife (I)
17th August 2006 There is a press release pinned to the town noticeboard. The new season's quotas for belugas and narwhals have been set: 285 narwhals (but minus the number caught in the previous year by some of the communities...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 04:00 PM |
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August 16, 2006
Greenland: Photos
Photos are going up on Flickr gradually, but I'm not yet in a position to blog (When I am, my traveljournal will gradually appear, with pictures. It will be back-dated so that the whole trip comes up in sequence. Good...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 06:35 PM |
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August 15, 2006
Greenland: Sculptures of Ice
15th August 2006 We were floating among magic sculptures of ice in the evening light. Ahead, the Sydney Opera House just floated by. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to do this trip on acid in...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 04:33 PM |
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August 14, 2006
Greenland: A Whale of a Day
The ship was equipped with a giant, 101 person life raft which can inflate in seconds. Passengers glide down a sort of rubber chute; at no time does anyone come into contact with the water. Just to make absolutely sure,...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 03:47 PM |
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August 13, 2006
My 'Assault' on the Icecap
Hikers and adventure travellers: No snickering at the back! The air tasted of Wrighley's 'Ice', but this was the real article. An artic breeze washed over me like a refreshing shower. I enjoyed it nearly as much, although it slowed...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 05:50 PM |
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August 12, 2006
Greenland: 'Beach Holiday'
I was wheeling along Greenland's only inland road leading to the icecap. Twenty-four kilometres on a 21-gear mountain bike should be a doddle. Or so I thought, when I set off that morning. A mere two kilometres later, with gears...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 03:49 PM |
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August 11, 2006
Greenland: Flying into the Sunset
Sweat ran freely down my forehead as I finally sank into the seat, gasping from the dash across the terminal from the security check to the departure gate—it had to be over a mile through a shopper's paradise, past gleaming...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 05:52 PM |
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Homecoming
The flight was short, without any delay, as if the previous day's chaos had been a dream. Soon, the patchwork quilt of the English countryside was replaced by the more regular geometric shapes of Danish fields as we descended through...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 04:39 AM |
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August 10, 2006
Airport Chaos: Rollercoaster Ride!
So the next thing I had to do was to contact Atlantic Umiaq Line. I sent an email which Marlene, Inger's holiday stand-in answered: she's forwarded it to Inger because she in turn is due to go on holiday tomorrow....Read this update
Posted by Denni at 07:32 PM |
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Airport Chaos: The Saga Continues
Going to Heathrow made the most sense at this point. I could not get trough to anybody either by phone or online. In addition, there was always the possibility that the airline would say that—as I wasn't available at the...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 06:00 PM |
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Greenland: Airport Chaos II
As expected, communications with BA have broken down. My flight is now scheduled to 'arrive' at 11:42 the following day (11th August). In effect this means that it has been cancelled, but clearly BA cannot get it together to make...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 01:35 PM |
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Greenland: Airport Chaos
Trust the f*cking terrorists to choose today to target UK flights with a major bomb plot. Heathrow is in turmoil. Just as well that I've booked my flight a day ahead—although I thought the problem would be the usual BA...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 11:54 AM |
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August 09, 2006
Greenland: Inventory
Of course the old backpack would have been perfect. It had some funny pockets, but after nearly 2 months on the road, I knew where to put everything and find it again, quickly. The new pack is too small. It...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 01:18 PM |
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August 04, 2006
Greenland: Jitters
I'm seriously getting the jitters about this trip. Sure, it is for less than two weeks, but it feels like a journey to the end of the Earth. I was only half-joking when I described Ilulissat to John: "I'll be...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 04:51 PM |
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July 25, 2006
Greenland: Tickets arrived!
I'm all go! The tickets are here, and not only that—the Pentax WP10 replacement camera arrived yesterday. So, everything is in place and in just over two weeks, I'll be on my way to Greenland. The ticket prices are staggering:...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:20 PM |
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July 20, 2006
Greenland: the heat is on
It is hot. Officially. Iwas laughing when the weatherman issued a 'heatwave warning' on the second day temperatures had climbed beyond thirty degrees, but in the last two days it has been as hot as I ever remembered from my...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:09 PM |
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July 14, 2006
Greenland: nuts and bolts
All set. I'm awaiting the final confirmation from UMIAQ so that I can try to book accommodation in Ilussiat, but if the hostel is full, I can rely on my tent—so long as the ground isn't frozen solid! I have...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 02:42 PM |
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July 12, 2006
Greenland: Equipment Haul
It was a beautiful day for it, and it has to be done, so I caught a lift with my husband on his way to the weekly meeting at Reading University. Looking in vain for the Army surplus shop supposedly...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:31 PM |
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July 11, 2006
Geenland: planning cont.
This was where I was at last Friday (quote from my contact at Arctic Umiaq Line): 'hi denni how about this price dkk 6341 flight copenhaven-kangerlussuaq, boat Kangerlussuaq-Ilulissat on seat, return with flight Ilulissat-kangerlussuaq-copenhagen. best regards Inger' Since then, I...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 02:24 PM |
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July 07, 2006
Greenland: hickups
I have to say my contact at Arctic Umiaq is going out of her way to facilitate my travel to Greenland, but it looks as if I will have to fly to Ilulissat—right over prime whalewatching country—and only spend two...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 02:39 PM |
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July 06, 2006
Greenland: planning progress
Would you go to Greenland for a thousand quid? Even if the trip is only ten days long—perhaps as little as one week, plus a few days in Copenhagen on the way there or back? And with no tobacco run?...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 03:59 PM |
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July 05, 2006
Greenland go? Weeell...
It now looks as if the Dell engineers are going to install the Company's servers (it's a big order—about 1 million dollars' ). This means that John won't get his summer job. He'll still not take his holidays—he has projects...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 09:08 PM |
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July 03, 2006
Summer Travel Plans
John has received a fat bonus. He has also agreed to give up his remaining holiday leave so that he can help the Company set up its new servers in London in August (this has nothing to do with his...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 09:52 PM |
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March 24, 2005
Lagos: Cocktail Capital of Portugal
So this is how I spent the eve of my 40th birthday... at least what I can remember of it....Read this update
Posted by Denni at 04:25 PM |
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December 14, 2004
Portugal Pictures (link)
I've posted a few pictures here: http://boards.bootsnall.com/eve/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=712096715&f=30310371&m=80310973 —The Bootsnall photoalbums are a nicer format and it was easier than uploading the pictures on this blog, but I will use some to illustrate future entries of which there are a few...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:55 PM |
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December 01, 2004
Images from the End of the World
Here, along with the text of a previous entry, are some photographs of Sagres . Sarges was once considered to be the End of the World. Here, the seemingly endless ocean thunders into sheer cliffs over 100 feet high. Across...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 07:09 PM |
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November 25, 2004
Palaces and Churches
This blog is running a few days behind. It seems that no trip, not even a mini-trip, is complete without a) an episode of food poisoning, b) a near-death experience. Mine came when I was nearly razed to the ground...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 02:01 PM |
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November 21, 2004
Port in Porto
Long entry warning This morning saw me trudging up the Castello Hill in Vila Nova de Gaia, across the river from the city centre where the world's greatest port lodges are concentrated. I was heading towards W. & J. Graham's...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 07:06 PM |
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November 20, 2004
Eucalypts and Grapes
Thankfully it wasn't an infection—just the strangeness of it all, I guess, combined with my greed. One of those plates of food would be enough for two—or even four if John wasn't one of them! Tonight was snug and in...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:09 PM |
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November 18, 2004
A sh*tty end to a bad day
There are (very few!) advantages to a polluted beach but one is that I usually find a piece of styrofoam to sit on. I almost wish there was enough of the stuff to carry back to Camp Sh*t—in fact if...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 05:28 PM |
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Having a field-day
The tide is well and truly out: Dolphin Bay is almost drained (you can wade across). This means the dolphins were in waters no more than 2m deep. There is no sign of them now (11:15). A few old men...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 04:47 PM |
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November 16, 2004
Market Day
The old devil overcharged me! —Bus prices here are a bit of a puzzle anyway: sometimes its 1€30 and other times its 1€15 per ride. I handed over 1€50 and received back 5 cents....Read this update
Posted by Denni at 07:16 PM |
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Dolphin Beach
I don't know how long I will stay at Camp Sh*t. It could be some time. After a hard days' dolphin watching, I had dinner in the snackbar again; this could become a habit. Then again, you have to take...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 06:55 PM |
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November 15, 2004
Bacalhau
By the way, John, if you are reading this blog you are welcome to drop me a comment! Camp Sh*t has a snack bar, the sort of place you'd expect to find on a campsite where you might get a...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 01:40 PM |
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November 14, 2004
Camp Sh*t
I have a knack of ending up in the most unlikely places when travelling—mine is the only small tent on what is the crappiest campsite I have ever stayed on. There is no sign of any other travellers, just caravaners...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:53 PM |
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Foodie Heaven
Walking down any highstreet in the Algarve I can't fail to notice the proliferation of expat estate agents. In Lagos, a flat will now set you back 170000€&mdash,not so different from London's suburbs. It makes me wonder: will bullish Brits...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:10 PM |
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November 12, 2004
A Trip to the End of the World
Its a little disconcerting to walk past a Portugese fort in, well, Portugal. The fronts of old churches likewise transport me straight back to Sri Lanka. Underneath the fort there is a little beach with coves in the ochre cliffs...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 10:50 PM |
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November 11, 2004
Driving over Oranges
Before I go any further, I must say this internet caff has the best keyboards I have ever seen: the mini– Virtually Indestructible Keyboard! The clouds that shroud all of Northern Europe had lifted once the plane was in Portugese...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 07:21 PM |
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Faro Campsite is closed...
...I just wish I had known that before trudging, backpack and all, through the dark, deserted streets of Ilha de Faro. Oh well—you heard it here first....Read this update
Posted by Denni at 01:02 AM |
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