Two days later, and a few dollars more expensive… but my flight from Greenland to Iceland was as quick and simple as I could have possibly asked for. My Airbnb host dropped me off at Nuuk airport, I checked my bags, I grabbed a latte, and our flight was delayed.
I read my book, accidentally tried to board the wrong plane (thank you, gate agents, for catching me!), boarded the correct plane, went through the quickest security check I’ve ever encountered, and… then we flew.
Over mountains and ice flows, glaciers and oceans.
Tuesday, 07-May-2024, through Thursday, 09-May-2024
I caught COVID.
After my sunrise hike, I felt low energy… which is normal, after sleeping 2 hours and then ascending a mountain in what felt like hurricane force winds, well below freezing.
The next day, I was a bit tired and congested… again, kinda normal.
The day after, I was fully congested. Okay, I’ve got a cold. Neato.
On Monday evening, while packing to fly out, I did a quick COVID test. It came back positive. I did a second test. Also positive. Okay, so that settles it. Good news – I don’t have a cold! Bad news – I do have COVID. Fuck.
I tried to sleep on it, to decide what to do. I didn’t have a major fever, so… maybe I could fly with a mask? I was planning on effectively isolating myself in Reykjavik anyways… so maybe it would be okay?
I slept fitfully, and when I woke up at 6am, I couldn’t fall back asleep. It didn’t feel right to fly with COVID. I checked the CDC recommendations, and the EU recommendations, and Sweden’s recommendations, and looked at my body temp, and… Decided that I shouldn’t fly. I rebooked my flights, then extended my Airbnb in Nuuk, and then confirmed that there wouldn’t be issues with my reservation in Reykjavik.
Then I went back to sleep. I was able to sleep better, after that decision.
I went to the grocery to get some food, took a nice long walk, ate lots, and took the time to relax and rest. Tuesday was a rest day for me – both mentally and physically. I let myself watch stupid youtube videos, and I kept my adventuring to light walking along the boardwalk, and to and from the grocery. Wednesday I’d focus on the trip work that I had planned to do anyways… but Tuesday was spent maintaining my mental health.
Wednesday I awoke nearly 100%. No fever, minimal congestion… still a bit tired, but nothing horrible.
I made the right decision, I guess.
Still, I laid low and took it easy. I did some trip work, wrote lots of blog posts, and took a nice walk around town to help clear the lungs and move the blood. I repacked everything that had gotten unpacked, and made myself some dinner.
It was relaxing, and healing, and a good opportunity to practice pivoting.
I can’t remember the first time I went to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston – Sort of like my stuffed bunny, Bunnder, I’m pretty sure that the MFA has been a part of my life for as long as I’ve been alive.
No surprise, then, that one of the first places I visit in a new city is the art museum!
Nuuk’s art museum is small – it’s actually less of a national museum, and more akin to a private gallery that’s expanding outward to the national scale? At least from what I could tell – there were a few signs discussing that specific fact, and that seems the best summary to my recollection. Which is interesting, since I also have a tentative memory that the MFA started in the same way – as a private gallery, that accumulated extra pieces and national renown over time, building into the juggernaut that it is today.
Nuuk’s art museum was absolutely lovely, regardless of the context and history. It had an excellent mix of Greenlandic and mainland European artists, with the very interesting curation that non-Greenlandic art was signified by a larger golden frame… making it quite easy to differentiate the two types of artists.
Adding to the fun of this specific day and this specific museum… I was the only visitor in the building. Normally that would make for a quietly reflective, yet solitary, atmosphere… but in this case, it meant that I got what amounted to a private tour by the docent on staff! She explained a lot of details, walked with me through some of the exhibits, and gave a wonderful amount of backstory to quite a few of the pieces… even helping me pick out cards and books for people back home, and keeping the Museum open a bit late to do so!
As with the National Museum, I’ll let up on the words here, and let my camera tell the rest of the story. Enjoy!
