Issue 115 | August 2018 | 65Scan Magazine | Special Theme | A Spotlight on GreenlandWeb: http://www.hotelarctic.com
Facebook: Hotelarctic
Instagram: @Hotelarcticpiece of advice before readers go on a
booking frenzy: “Make sure that you have
enough time in each place – some people
regret only scheduling two days or so in
Ilulissat. It takes a while to settle in and
get used to things like midnight sun, or
having very little light but the northern
lights during winter,” he advises. “The
weather is also a little unpredictable and
you might encounter storms or fog. I’d
recommend about five days to account
for those factors. And also because you’ll
fall in love with the place.”
Bjerregaard retires at the end of the
summer at the tender age of 76. He has
no plans to move from Ilulissat or slow
down completely. “Why would I? They
say that culture derives from nature,
and I’ve grown to love the Greenlandic
culture and attitude to life: ‘be open to
change, and trust in fate and each oth-
er’; ‘don’t take yourself too seriously’;
and ‘take life one day at a time’. That’s
what I’ll do. I want to continue to be part
of Ilulissat and to welcome new people
to its splendid nature and community.
My wife, who is Greenlandic, owns one
of the shops in town, the GlacierShop,
so we’ll focus on that and take it day by
day.” The couple have, however, decid-
ed to donate their nine sled dogs to a
local orphanage. “It’s the right thing to
do. But I’ll miss them. It’s a fantastically
therapeutic thing to be out with the dogs
on the endless, awesome ice.”
Erik Bjerregaard.