Friends Of The Observatory

NORTHERN LIGHTS/GREENLAND NIGHTS TRIP ITINERARY Please check back regularly for additional information.

The aurora borealis, or northern lights, is among nature’s most awesome sights. In order to heighten the success of hunting them down, you must travel above the Arctic Circle; you must go when the Midnight Sun has set and both the shadows and the nights are long. You should go during solar maximum when the Sun’s increased activity creates the most advantageous conditions for their appearance. And you must spend enough time on your quest to allow for unfavorable weather to pass. Still, there are no guarantees. Scientists expect a peak in the solar maximum this year, and Friends Of The Observatory intends to be in place for a spectacular auroral display. We are going to GREENLAND for our adventure! I would like to invite you to join Dr. Ed Krupp, Director, Griffith Observatory, and me for the trip of a lifetime this fall. Dr. Krupp will be providing astronomical interpretation on the aurora, the Moon, the stars, and Inuit tradition in addition to the locally-guided activities described below. We will have the opportunity to see the northern lights every clear night from our hotel in Ilulissat, which is a dark sky environment.

IN ORDER FOR THIS TRIP TO BE A “GO,” WE MUST HAVE A MINIMUM OF 15 PAID TRAVELERS. SPACE IS LIMITED. TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE PLEASE CONTACT LISA ANDERSON IMMEDIATELY AT

landerson@friendsoftheobservatory.org

The deadline to secure our Greenland reservations is Tuesday, May 6, 2013, so please contact us right away.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=w5jzrrYio6QksM&tbnid=eAPstRO2blroWM:&ved=0CAgQjRwwAA&url=http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches/mintaure-ecosystems-on-the-ice/&ei=8UCAUYuyE-33igLc74DgCA&psig=AFQjCNFzUl7646KNJa_C5nCTEaj9gyuZPA&ust=1367446129349494

GENERAL INFORMATION: Trip details will be updated as they become available. DATES: October 8, 2013 through October 15, 2013. We depart Copenhagen, Denmark at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 8, 2013. My research indicates that you must leave Los Angeles no later than Sunday, October 6 and overnight in Copenhagen. We arrive back in Copenhagen around 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 15, 2013. COST: $6236.00 per person. $462.00 single supplement. Because the cost will be billed in Danish krone (DKK), it is subject to conversion rates at the time of billing. This cost includes:

Roundtrip airfare from Copenhagen to Greenland.

All flights and transportation within Greenland.

Double occupancy in the best hotels Greenland has to offer.

Most meals and beverages, including three-course dinners each night. No alcoholic beverages are included.

Daily excursions with private guides. Bring your own binoculars, cameras, telescopes, and warm clothes DAY 1 Tuesday, October 8, 2013 L, D

9:00 a.m. departure from Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland via Air Greenland (approx. 4 hours)

Accommodation at Hotel Kangerlussuaq

We will have a welcome presentation by our local guide: “World of Greenland – Arctic Circle” (approx. 45 minutes), at our hotel. Then we will have a sightseeing tour around Kangerlussuaq (approx. 2 hours). Kangerlussuaq is a former American air base, but today it is the main airport of Greenland. The guide will share exciting stories, starting with the origins of the base, from the Second World War to the Cold War, into a modern international airport. The area around Kangerlussuaq has Greenland's longest road, and here we will visit several interesting places and experience the great Greenlandic nature. We will drive to the harbor to enjoy views of the beautiful fjord. We will also visit the village kennel where we'll get better acquainted with Greenlandic sled dogs. We will have ample opportunity to photograph the stunning nature during the scenic drive.

3 course dinner at hotel DAY 2 Wednesday, October 9, 2013 B, L, D

Morning excursion to the Ice Cap Point 660 (approx. 5 hours) Powerful 4WD-vehicles will take us through an incredibly beautiful landscape, through mountains, plains and semi-desert valleys. Near the Ice Cap, we drive to the scenic Russell Glacier and through a fantastic moraine landscape. At the end of the road, we walk to the Greenland Ice Cap and onto the

vast ice sheet. We spend some time exploring this world of ice before returning to our vehicle. There is a good chance of spotting reindeer and musk oxen.

Afternoon visit to the American aurora research station, Sondrestrom Incoherent Radar Facility, better known as Kellyville.

Evening dinner is a Greenlandic buffet at Restaurant Roklubben. This incredible feast includes over 30 different dishes made almost entirely from Greenlandic products. Dishes include shrimp, fish, smoked musk ox and reindeer, mattak (a dish typically made from the fatty skin of the narwhal and beluga whales), scallops, fried musk ox, and reindeer; homemade cake and much more.

Night excursion for the northern lights (app. 2 hours) On this excursion, we head out into the landscape where artificial light does not prevent us from seeing the spectacular northern lights. Afterwards, the guide will tell us more about the phenomenon of northern lights and the myths it has created throughout time. Also, our guide will show us how to 'make' northern lights while preparing the incredibly tasty Greenlandic coffee for us to enjoy.

DAY 3 Thursday: October 10, 2013 B, L, D

In the morning: Tundra and wildlife tour (approx. 2 hours) Kangerlussuaq has incredibly beautiful nature and is home to the massive musk ox. We will drive through the stunning tundra landscape in our 4WD truck and the guide will fill us in on the various wildlife in this area. The musk oxen live in the wild in the area around Kangerlussuaq. Whether we can come close to musk oxen, or simply look at them from a distance, is not predictable. But the guide always brings binoculars, so there is a very good chance of seeing these amazing animals and other wildlife in the area. Don't miss this exciting opportunity to explore the stunning nature and wildlife around Kangerlussuaq.

Afternoon: Flight to Ilulissat where we have accommodations at the 4-star Hotel Arctic, reported to be the best in Greenland. At the hotel we have a welcome presentation from the local operator on the “World of Greenland – Ilulissat” (approx. 45 minutes).

After this we have a guided culture-historical walk and private museum tour (approx.. 3 hours). Ilulissat, also called Jakobshavn, was founded in 1741, and today it is the third largest town in Greenland with more than 4500 inhabitants. During the walk through the old colonial part of the town, the guide will tell about the town history, the Greenlandic culture and modern life 300 kilometres north of the arctic circle. We visit the fishermen at the harbor and have a private, 1-hour museum tour.

3 course dinner at the hotel

DAY 4 Friday: October 11, 2013. First quarter Moon. B,L,D

In the morning, we will walk to the abandoned settlement of Sermermiut and the Icefiord (approx. 2 hours): Beautiful icebergs are the setting for the old settlement of Sermermiut about ¾ of a mile south of Ilulissat. For 4000 years, different Inuit cultures lived in the settlement, and today you can still see their relics. Hear the story about Inuit life and traditions before Europeans came to Greenland; see the ruins and feel the permafrost with your own hands. The historic places will be pointed out, which can be difficult to find. We return via Kællingekløften.

In the afternoon, we take a boat trip among icebergs (approx. 2 ½ hours): More than 40 million tons of

ice flows into the fjord each a day. The result is gigantic icebergs which can be more than 109 yards above the water’s surface. These giants stand at the end of the fiord, so we may sail among them. The icebergs are beautiful in every kind of weather.

3 course dinner at Restaurant Mamartut

DAY 5 Saturday: October 12, 2013 B, L, D

After breakfast, we take a boat trip to Settlement Oqaatsut with lunch at Restaurant H8 (approx. 5 hours): Small isolated settlements are very special in Greenland. They have Internet and flat screen TVs in the settlements, but the everyday life has another pace. Just one generation ago most Greenlandic people lived in the small settlements along the coast. Today the majority live in the towns, but Ilulissat still has 4 vital settlements. Oqaatsut/Rodebay was the haunt of Dutch whalers through centuries. Today whales are still dragged ashore in the old settlement. The settlement is situated a very scenic 9 ½ miles north of Ilulissat. It has 45 inhabitants and its own school, church, and grocer. It even has a small restaurant called H8 where we’ll have a lovely lunch in the old colonial building. There is an option to take a 12 mile hike to or from Ilulissat. y.

3 course dinner at the hotel

DAY 6 Sunday, October 13, 2013 B, L, D Day at leisure DAY 7 Monday: October 14, 2013 B, L, D

Today we go on a Whale Safari by boat (approx. 5 hours): It is a great experience to get close to large animals like whales. There are 15 kinds of whales in Greenland; three of these stay in Greenland during the winter: the narwhals, the beluga, and the bow-head whale (also known as the Greenland right whale). The blue whale and the Orca

killer whale are rarely seen. Constant radio contact between the fishermen and the hunters is our source of information about the whales and their whereabouts.

Farewell dinner at the hotel, 4 courses DAY 8 Tuesday: October 15, 2013

Today we begin our journey home with a flight back to Copenhagen with a stopover in Kangerlussuaq. We expect to return to Copenhagen around 9:00 p.m.

Lunch at restaurant at Hotel Kangerlussuaq