Summary of article in Billed Bladet #12, 2011.
Herlige dage ved isfjorden - Lovely days at the ice-fjord.
Written by our correspondent in Greenland Henrik Salling.
This article covers the first half of their visit including the now famous dogsled trek.
The family stayed at Hotel Arctic in the town of Illulissat. The town is famous for having more sled-dogs than humans. In other words this is a town where there are a lot of traditional hunters.
The view from the hotel is pretty special as it overlooks the fjord and as ice constantly breaking, the view never remains the same for more than a few hours.
With the early Spring temperature at minus 24 degrees C the family had sensibly been fitted with complete seal-skin suits and followed very closely by a number of the locals they went out to the waiting dog-sledes.
Our Marie said: "It's utterly fantastic. You cannot imagine how it is here. Joachim had tried to explain to me how it is here. But it cannot be explained. That you have to experience with your own eyes".
The trek lasted four hours and when they returned la Marie said: "It has been utterly wonderful and when our feet frose a bit (*) we ran next to the sled".
Felix, who rode with Marie, was pretty wasted after the journey and only said: "It's been super-fun".
The fair Marie added: "Felix has been so good during the entire trip and it's been a good experience for all of us".
By then Joachim and Nikolai caught up with them. Joacim with ice in his eyebrows and eyelashes, amusing his Marie, who had prudently kept her goggles on.
Joachim had been on a similar ride three years ago, so he's seasoned in the polar regions. He told us: "We've had a bit of warm cocoa during the trip and that has been utterly perfect.
Marie and Nikolai also had a close look at the dogs. The spans were pulled by fifteen dogs. - Perhaps a bit too close, as Greenland dogs are
not pets! They are trained and more than willing to attack a polar bear, giving the hunter time to grab his rifle. In the Sirius Patrol they are put down at age five. By then they are considered too old for pulling a sled.
They sleep happily outside during blizzards and left to themselves they would probably have killed the dogs Marie visited at the vet hospital recently.
You may remember how Frederik a few years ago used his whip very competently on his pack of dogs, making it clear
who is in charge.
The visit to Greenland is partly a honey moon trip presented as a gift from the Greenland administration and part official.
Princess Marie said: "It's a bit like being on our second honey moon. Just better as we have our boys with us". (**)
Apart from the view from the hotel the sky was lit up at night as the aurora was going at full glare.
In the evening after the sled ride there was an informal dinner at the hotel and it was here belle Marie was presented with her Greenlandic national costume.
Nine local women has spend several months sewing the costume.
The next day it was time for another experience. The family left the hotel and went onboard the ship Alequ Ittuk in order to sail to Isefjorden and to sail as close to the icebergs as possible considerind the safety precautions. The temperature had risen to a balmy minus 21 degrees C.
There is incidentally a picture where Marie has an almost spooky resemblence with Mary, in fact I thought it was Mary until I read the caption.
(*) DK lesson.
Marie used Copenhagener dialect here, presumably picked up from Joachim. When your feet are cold, you say: My feet are cold. That is translated to Copenhagener dialect to: I'm cold/freezing around my feet = jeg fryser om fødderne.
While a Jutlander, like myself and indeed the locals near Schackenborg, would say: I freeze my feet = jeg fryser fødderne.
(**) Weeell, I'm not sure I would have appreciated having our children with us on our honey moon.
- Eventhough the oldest was, sort of.
