Greenland 2011

After a while my stomach requested a second breakfast, so we checked out the various snack bars. Nothing seemed to convince us, but sat down in a selfcatering sandwich bar fetching some soup and a mug of coffee and rested our feet at one of the last empty chairs. During our search for food we had discovered an interesting rest area, which we returned to after our meal. Lots of interesting sort of seets were to be found there. Some comfortable, others with integrated hifi system, some benches to stretch your legs and take a nap. On a screen they imitated a fireplace. A grandpiano stood in the center of this area and a few passengers sat down on the music stool and played a few songs. This place was a truly nice treat for those, who had to wait for a while. My sister slept and I listened to music till my cellphone told us that it was time to go to the gate. A nine-hour-flight was lying ahead of us.

12 September 2011
Flight from Amsterdam to Vancouver:
Greenland

We left Hamburg at about 9 am. The plane flew above a clouded northern German and Dutch landscape and started to land at Schiphol airport (Amsterdam) about 30 or 40 minutes later. A strong wind blew from the North Sea and gave the plane a good shaking. I could sea the waves rolling in on the beach. It would have been good day to enjoy the surf during a stroll, but it was a less relishable day to dive down to the airstrip.

We must have landed at the farthest corner of the airfield for the plane drove another half an hour to reach the terminal. Well, it did not matter. We had three hours to kill on the airport before boarding our plane to Vancouver. In such a case it is really nice that Schiphol Airport is so huge that you need to walk at least 30 minutes to reach the gates for long distance flights. Grabbing our handluggage we headed for the shops. My sister was looking for a camera bag for her new camera, that had just arrived two days before our journey should start. I was testing headphones but did not find one, of which I liked the sound.One of item available at every souvenir shop fascinated me most of all. You could get tulip bulbs for a variety of blossoms and colours.

I took seat on a window place. It took a moment to sort out my legs and make myself as comfortable as possible in the extremely tight space. It was an old machine where you even could not store away the arm rest. The plane started and while we flew over the cloud covered North Sea and Atlantic I explored the rich selection of music, games and films on the tv screen infront of my seat. It has been many years ago that I have been on an oversea flight. The last time they still had a big screen at the front of the plane and showed two or three films during the flight. The new options were a nice luxury. Moreover we were blessed with a very nice board service. The flight attendances helped a lot to make us feel comfortable and the food was delicious.

But the highlite of the flight was when the clouds were lessening and I could see the world below. After a short glimpse of Iceland followed a clear view on the snow world of Greenland. I love the polar regions, so the next hours turned out to be a fabulous sight-seeing flight for me. Vast glaciers topped bleak brown

mountains and ended in the water. Icebergs drifted in the deep blue sea. A massive icefield ended at the horizon. It was even more impressive than my flight over Spitzberg in 1997. I could not take my eyes of this fascinating landscape. It was like huge birthday gift, though I had no birthday that day.