It takes me some time to accept that summer is truly over. I tend to be slow with transitions of all kinds; this is a writer’s curse, because our work takes us, always, into the past. How clearly can I remember the feel of a poppy’s fat petals against my skin? The way they rustled…
Yoko Ono: Post 2 of 2. Out at the island of Videy, we walk to the Imagine Peace Tower. A local choir is sings until Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon arrive. Yoko says a few words, then calls out “I love you!” A few call back, “We love you!” Then we hear John Lennon’s voice…
Small boats come and go all day and night from the harbour in Ilulissat. Fishermen often head out on their own, sometimes to set the lines, sometimes to pull them in. Any given morning there will be a couple of dozen men sitting at the dock and baiting their hooks, 500 at a time. It…
Goodnight from the land of blazing skies. Many Greenlanders grew up afraid of the aurora. Some children were told that they could come down from the sky and grab you. One man shared what he was taught: if you whistle at the northern lights, they will decapitate you. Sweet dreams. It has been wonderful to…
Portrait of Climate Change. Home grown potatoes in Ilulissat, Greenland. Ole Gamst-Pedersen, the curator of the art museum grew them himself. “This wouldn’t have been possible ten years ago.” Not quite the gorgeous pastels of @zarialynn that help us see how precious ice is, but I’ve never met a potato that gave me so much…
One of the things that makes Copenhagen so fabulous is a very tall steeple wrapped in a golden staircase. Walk up, up, up and here you are. The canals open towards the salt water which soon becomes the North Atlantic that has led so many people over the centuries towards Greenland. These harbours below used…
It’s a different kind of Arctic connection than what we have explored before, and it’s very interesting so far. We’re in Copenhagen to learn about the colonial relationship between Denmark and Greenland, and we’ve begun with an evening tour of the city centre. You might recognize Nyhavn from a Danish postcard. Tonight it’s bustling with…
The first of many beautiful encounters in East Greenland. Synchronized humpback whales. Lovely lovely. #meetthenorth #lindbladexpeditions #greenland #eastgreenland #humpbacks #humpbackwhales #bbctravel #oceanviews #oceanlove #arctic #north
Post 1 of 2. If you want the smooth and refreshing look of a waterfall in Iceland, you might have to get up close. There were 1.3 million tourists in this country last year, and that number is growing. So pick your spots to find your solitude. Our next shot zooms it out. #meetthenorth #lindbladexpeditions…
The first person I interviewed in Iceland last year gave me some good advice: find somewhere that catches your eye and take time to connect with your intuition. She called it ‘innsæi,’ the sea within. So I chose a waterfall at the edge of a farmer’s field, and we spent the afternoon exploring it. I…