Tag Archives: International Adventures

May20

The city of Nuuk, in the country of Greenland

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Thursday, 02-May-2024 through Tuesday, 07-May-2024


Nuuk is amazing, and I love it here.

It’s bitingly cold, to start out with, and staggeringly clear. Someone must be looking down on me with favor, because the weather my whole time here was indescribably perfect. It never got above freezing (or really even approached within 5 or 10 degrees of it), there were barely clouds to be seen, and the wind was constant… but not inhospitable.

I love the cold – I was a mess of happy grins from the moment I stepped off the plane in Iceland, and stepping onto Greenland tarmac did nothing to dissuade that elation. As with smaller airports, there was no real terminal to speak of – we simply hopped down the stairs, and then walked to the main building with the singular baggage claim. The cold air pulled all the chaos and stress from my body immediately, and by the time I was met by my AirBnB host I was ready to start right into my adventure, regardless of the lack of sleep I’d gotten on the flights.


Over the next few days I’d walk anywhere between 2 and 11 miles, taking my time to explore the city and experience as many amazing food options as I could find. My Airbnb was at one far corner of the city, but the entire city is barely over 2-miles across… so pretty much everything was within a nicely simple walk… a brisk and cold walk, that never failed to put a grin on my face.



For attractions – those will get their own blog posts, as they tend to have quite a few photos associated with them.

For food – I was able to do quite a bit of culinary exploration. As a quick summary, we’ve got (in the order that I found them):

  • Centrum Grill – A small spot with burgers and hot dogs
  • IGGU – Hip and Chic, has pizza and nachos and amazing vanilla milkshakes
  • Cafetuaq – The first spot I found that served Greenlandic fare! Excellent breakfast / brunch cafe, very much worth a visit
  • Cafe Mamaq – Simple and quick pizza slices
  • Cafe Pascucci – The cool spot to have breakfast, all the exchange students I met loved it. Great breads / pastries, and a full menu that I didn’t find myself until too late
  • Killut – Amazing Greenlandic fare, though it definitely wasn’t a cheap option. Very much worth it, though, and I had everything from shrimp, to snow crab, to whale skin and Reindeer stew
  • Cafe Esmerelda – This place had everything. Pizza, soups, pasta, smoothies and milkshakes. It was amazing, and I’m 100% glad I visited
  • Cafe Unicorn – Fancy, but down to earth, with some amazing Greenlandic food! Unfortunately they didn’t have whale steaks when I went, but I’d definitely recommend going to check out their mixed grill



Outside of food, and specific larger attractions, what adventures did I get up to?

Well, there’s a climbing gym! Totally unexpected, but I got invited by the friends I made in town, and was able to get a few quick routes in! The gym itself was interesting – everyone said “Ohh, just go to the kindergarten”, so I assumed the climbing gym was… next to it? Or something? Not so much, in fact – the kindergarten actually has a gym inside of it, and when school isn’t in session, non-children are allowed to climb! Weird.

There’s also a Library, that hosted a performance art piece about Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands! I didn’t understand much of it, since it was done in Danish, but the theme was exploring how to reconcile the three cultures in a way that limits discrimination while embracing the diversity of the unique cultures. It was presented as video, sculpture, poetry, and interpretive dance – A little more experimental than I’m usually a fan of, but it was definitely a fun experience and I’m super thankful for the opportunity!

May12

The process of leaving – Part 9

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April, 2024

Closing out the store is almost like a ritual. Shut off the lights, shut down the equipment, sweep the floors and clean the counters, and lock the doors.

Closing out my apartment was a bit less of a ritual, but it felt a bit more somber.


I took it slow and steady, as I’ve done with pretty much everything else in preparation for this trip. I packed my things. I cleaned as I went. The international movers came, and took my most important things with them. My friend and I rented a uHaul, and took everything that I was going to sell out from the apartment. I brought the remaining middle-ground things to the storage unit. Lastly, the disposal folks came by and we threw out everything remaining.

I went through each utility, line by line. I called, cancelled, and told them that I was moving internationally and wouldn’t be able to transfer service. It went smoothly, and kept me busy enough that (for the most part) I was able to focus on the tasks at hand.

It was emotional in between the tasks.

I’ve mentioned, but seeing my home turn into a generic apartment was really tough on me. The photos coming down was the hardest part, and lasted the longest, but that didn’t mean the rest were any easier. I rode the emotions as best I could, keeping my to-do list in mind and making sure to grind through it as best I could… while liberally reaching out to friends and family when I started to sink into deep sadness.

Friends and family helped a lot – when going through emotionally tumultuous times, I absolutely reach out to the life rafts around me.

What else to say about this?

I cancelled the utilities one by one. I worked with the apartment management company to ensure everything went smoothly, thanking everyone profusely for the amazing home they’d helped me maintain for these 3 years and 11 months. I was friendly and grateful, and in turn they helped me make sure everything went smoothly… and even helped me ensure I didn’t get caught in a few common traps that they knew people oft-times would.

I’m sure I missed one or two things, but I’m cautiously optimistic that they won’t be too challenging to fix on the road. Time will tell, but I can cleanly say that I felt a strong wave of closure and loss when I locked that door and gave away the key for the last time… but that sadness was strongly flavored with optimism and hope for the next grand adventure.

May8

The process of leaving – Part 8

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April, 2024

I’ve made comments on the emotions of leaving – how sad I am to be walking away from an amazing life that I’d built in Oregon, and how hard it is to un-anchor myself and float free on the tides of this emotional rollercoaster we call life.

It’s been hard for me, taking the steps to move on, but I would be remiss is I didn’t mention the upcoming mental hurdles that I expect to face… getting on the road is a huge step, but it’s not the end of the story by a long shot.

Years and years back, when I left Massachusetts for Venezuela and the New Zealand, I was giving a great piece of advice by a fellow adventurer, “You’ll get homesick sometime in the first few weeks. It’ll hit you like a ton of bricks, and will break you if you let it. Prepare for it – Have some memorabilia from home, find a way to watch some cartoon, and stay inside for a day. Let the emotions wash over you and pass through you, and you’ll be fine.”


In preparation for that, I have some options that I’ve packed and prepared.


I’ve brought some snacks along for the ride – coffee, snacks, that sort of thing. Keep me fed, keep me happy, even if I can’t get access to the infinite cafes that I’m sure I’ll find.

I’ve uploaded some movies and shows for myself – Adventure Time has been my stalwart companion throughout all my adventures, and I’ve finally found a complete box set. I uploaded it to my laptop, and I’m ready to go.

I have my music – I’ve confirmed that Spotify works abroad, and even if it doesn’t I’ve got some various songs downloaded just in case. I have two pairs of headphones (one big, one small) so I can keep the tunes coming.

I’ve some some workout gear, so I can keep myself moving even when I’m not walking all around a European city. I’ll be away from the heavy weights that I’ve been focusing on for the last few years, so this will be a great chance to keep the muscles fit while embracing a lifestyle away from a desk of a set of weight plates.

Lastly, I have a stuffed puppy. A beanie baby that Bri gave me as a gift when I had my wisdom teeth removed.