The not so plain Great Plain (Narsarsuaq)

Member Name: NemoDog

Product:	Narsarsuaq
Date:	03/09/09 (50 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to see everything

Disadvantages: Not a lot to do

Narsarsuaq meaning 'the great plain' is the gateway to South Greenland. Greenland is a mountainous country so this flat area has been utilised with the location of Greenland's International airport.

I can still vividly remember my first glimpse of a tiny village with a single road, as the plane banked sharply and began to descend rapidly towards the water and icebergs below. It can be a difficult airport to land at if the cloud ceiling is low; many planes are re-directed to Iceland!! We were lucky we just got in.

The airport is adequate, not what you would expect for an International Airport but it seemed to do the job efficiently. There is a small cafe, shop and some tourist information and a small area to sit and wait in.

Its not a big place and it won't take you long to explore but it is worth taking your time.

Most people will end up here because they are travelling on somewhere else by helicopter or small plane. We were heading to Nanortalik to start a sea kayak expedition. We had a couple of hours before our helicopter transfer so we went off to explore. There is one road in the village. It starts at the harbour and ends at the old Military hospital.

During World War II the Americans used the area as a landing site for planes heading to Europe. They also built a large hospital, which was used to house wounded soldiers from D-Day and later allegedly from the Korean war. It's well worth a walk up to 'hospital valley' to see what remains of the hospital - only a chimney is left standing, a solemn reminder of the occupants who were once treated here.

Walking the other way takes you past the Hotel Narsarsuaq, which has wireless Internet access; you can exchange currency (as there's no bank), gift shop, sauna, solarium and fitness room. The shop is well worth a look with some lovely handmade carvings made of bone and antler. I've never stayed there but friends who have said that it was really nice.

There is also a Museum, which was opened in 1991, and has a large collection of photos and artefacts from the American base "Bluie West One".

There is also a section about the Norse (Viking) period in Greenland. Well worth the small admission fee.

Next to the museum is a café where we sat outside and admired the wonderful views out across the fjord to where a cruise ship was moored. It was fun watching the little boat ferrying these tourists across and then watching them march up the road then back down waving their guide books to get rid of the flies. Yes the big downside can be the flies, just like being back in Scotland with the dreaded midge!!

Reaching the end of the road you are at the harbour where there are some fishing boats, but mainly boats that operate as tour boats, which take tourists to the Qooroq Fjord, where they sail close to the glacier. Look out for icebergs floating past.

On the other side of Erik's Fjord lies the sheep-holding station Qassiarsuk, where you can see historical Norse ruins and reconstructions of a Norse longhouse as well as Tjodhilde's Church. The farms here have a few sheep and field where they grow animal fodder for the winter.

With a population of around 200 people employment is mainly at the airport or the Hotel. I found all the locals I met very friendly though most keep themselves to themselves. I was shocked at the housing, small wooden buildings some in better states of repair than others.

I'd definitely like to go back and perhaps walk a bit further up into the mountains through what they call flower valley. I feel that it's certainly not a place that you would stay in for long. It is definitely a place that you pass through but not in a bad way.

Summary: A place steeped in beauty and history