Steam/Sulphur fields Iceland

LLYGAD LLŶN 3
Since my last entry in August, I’ve been out of circulation as Gwyneth and I took the opportunity to visit the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland.
The Faroes, midway between the Shetlands and Iceland is a collection of 18 islands, 17 of them inhabited. The population ranging from 22,000 on the main island Streymoy to 2 in nearby Koltur. The capital Torshavn, when we docked on a Sunday, reminded me of Pwllheli in the early ‘60’s. Not the architecture which is Scandinavian, but the mind-set. Every shop, café and restaurant that Sunday morning appeared shut, the reason being that nearly 90% of the population of the Faroes are Lutheran and regularly attend Sunday services. Their main industry is fishing; they’re a fiercely independent nation with their own language Faroese, derived from the old Norse, their own culture and Parliament since Home Rule in 1948.
Our next port of call was Akureyri, Iceland. I’d visited Iceland previously in 1968, then it seemed to me a Northern outpost of civilisation. Very few tarmac roads and the interior of the country so empty and desolate one needed, as a visitor, a pass to venture into the wilderness of hot springs, volcanoes and glaciers. I was told that camping in some of the remoter corners of Iceland, one would see someone on average once every seven years!
Not any longer, the rapid expansion of tourism and the advent of the 4-wheel drive, have made Iceland much more accessible. However, it’s well worth a visit to see the sulphur and hot springs, glaciers and expansive scenery.

Harbour/fjord Greenland

The approach by sea to East Greenland is dramatic. There is firstly a discernable lowering of the air temperature as the ship leaves the benign influence of the Gulf Stream to enter the cold Greenland Current. Then comes the sighting, on the horizon of the icy mountainous terrain, and barely discernable at first, small white translucent dots. As we approach, these dots become white ice islands with waves breaking along their shore. I was astonished and captivated by the number, variety, colour and the sheer size of these icebergs. Some no bigger than a kitchen table, others much larger than Caernarfon Castle. This parade of ice islands extended to the horizon and hugged the rocky inhospitable coastline.

Iceberg in harbour approx 100ft high

Our port of call Tasiilaq, Greenland , seemed like an outpost of civilisation. It’s the largest town in East Greenland, dependent on fishing and increasingly on tourism. Dogsleds are still an important form of transport during the winter; consequently the summer is holidays for the huskies. During this time they are only fed once every 4 days with raw seal meat, but given water every day, in winter this practice is reversed.
Tasiilag is a town of some 1800 inhabitants living in brightly painted Scandinavian style wooden houses scattered on the mountain sides and around a deep fjord which acts as a natural harbour for the town. The harbour had its complement of icebergs, during the beginning of August the entrance to the fjord was blocked by a large iceberg which prohibited vessels from using the harbour. The population of the town consists of a mixture of native Inuit and Danish. Denmark administers Greenland, consequently one presumes that a high proportion of government officials hail from Denmark. The Inuit, the majority of the population have their own language, which surprisingly is substantially different from the Inuit of West Greenland.

Sailing away past ice berg

From the view point of the hill above the town one could see the Valley of Flowers. In this valley was located the town cemetery, each grave was marked by a white wooden cross and festooned with colourful plastic flowers. Unusually these crosses did not bare the names of the deceased, I wonder why not?
We left Greenland mid afternoon to cruise, once again amongst the ice castles of the sea on our way back to Iceland.
Next month it will be business as usual, as the Council starts on a new round of meetings. I’ll also be looking at how local businesses have fared in what’s been a very poor summer.

Cymerodd Gwyneth a minnau seibiant bach diwedd Awst a dechrau Medi ac ymweld ag Ynysoedd y Faroe, Gwlad yr Ia a Greenland.
Mae’r Faroes tua hanner ffordd rhwng Ynysoedd y Shetland a Gwlad yr Ia, yn gasgliad o 18 o ynysoedd gyda phobl yn byw ar 17 ohonynt. Ar Streymoy yr ynys fwyaf trigai tua 22,000, ond dim ond 2 ar yr ynys agosaf, Koltur. ‘Roedd Torshavn, lle angorodd y cwch dydd Sul yn atgoffa fi o Bwllheli yn y ‘60au cynnar. Dim y bensaernïaeth, sydd yn Scandinafaidd, ond y meddylfryd. Nid oedd ‘run siop, caffi, na thŷ bwyta ar agor, y rheswm, mae bron 90% o boblogaeth y Faroes yn Lutheran ac yn mynychu gwasanaethau’r Sul. Y prif ddiwydiant yw pysgota, maent yn genedl falch ac annibynnol, gydag iaith eu hunan, diwylliant a Senedd ers 1948.
Y porthladd nesa oedd Akureyri, Gwlad yr Ia. ‘Roeddwn wedi ymweld â Gwlad yr Ia yn 1968, ac yn debyg i bendraw’r byd. Yn brin iawn o lonydd tarmac a chanol y wlad mor ddiffaith a gwag fel ‘roedd angen ymwelwr ganiatâd arbennig i grwydro ymysg y mynyddoedd tanllyd, y dyfroedd chwilboeth a’r mynyddoedd rhew. ‘Roedd yn debygol na welwch ond tua un person bob 7 mlynedd os ‘roeddech yn campio yn rhai o’r llefydd anghysbell yng nghanol y wlad.
Erbyn hyn, nid yw hyn yn wir. Mae datblygiad twristiaeth a’r 4-wheel drive wedi agor Gwlad yr Ia allan. Serch hynny, mae’n werth gweld y ffynhonnau dwr poeth, y glaciers a’r golygfeydd godidog.
Mae nesáu at Greenland yn ddramatig. Yn gyntaf mae’r tymheredd yn gollwng fel mae’r cwch yn gadael dylanwad cynnes y Gulf Stream i mewn i oerni'r Greenland Current. Wedyn gweld mynyddoedd creigiog a gwyn y wlad ac yn raddol dotiau bach gwyn sydd yn cynyddu’n fynyddoedd gwyn anferth yn nofio yn y môr. ‘Roedd yn brofiad syfrdanol gweld y nifer, lliw a phensaernïaeth yr icebergs yma. Rhai cyn lleied â bwrdd cegin, ond eraill yn llawer mwy na Chastell Caernarfon. Ymestynnir golygfa yma tuag at y gorwel ac ar hyd yr arfordir.
‘Roedd y porthladd Tasiilag yn teimlo fel pendraw’r byd. Y dref fwyaf yn Ddwyrain Greenland, yn ddibynnol am ei fywoliaeth ar bysgota a fwyfwy ar dwristiaeth. Un o’r prif ffyrdd o symud o gwmpas yn y Gaeaf yw sled a chŵn. Fel canlyniad mae’n wyliau ar y nifer fawr o huskies Tasiilag yn ystod yr Haf. Yn ystod yr Haf mae’r cŵn dim ond yn cael bwyd o gig morlo amrwd unwaith bob 4 diwrnod gyda diod o ddŵr bob diwrnod. Yn y Gaeaf mae’r drefn yma’n cael ei wrthdroi.
Mae Tasiilag yn dref o tua 1800, y boblogaeth yn byw mewn tai pren wedi eu paentio a lliwiau llachar ac o bensaernïaeth Scandinafaidd. Maent wedi eu gwasgaru ar lethrau’r mynyddoedd cyfagos ac o gwmpas y fijord sydd yn gweithredu fel harbwr naturiol i’r dref. Yn yr harbwr ‘roedd nifer o icebergs ac ar ddechrau mis Awst nid oedd yn bosib cael mynediad i’r harbwr oherwydd yr iceberg fawr ‘roedd yn cau ceg y porthladd. Mae’r boblogaeth yn cynnwys cymysgedd o Ddanaidd a Inuit (Escimos). Denmark sy’n llywodraethu Greenland, o ganlyniad ‘rwyf yn tybio bod rhan fwyaf o weinyddwyr yna yn Ddanaidd. Mae mwyafrif o’r boblogaeth yn Inuit, mae ganddynt iaith eu hunain sydd yn wahanol iawn i iaith Inuit Gorllewin Greenland.
O’r bryn uwchlaw'r dref cafwyd golygfa o Gwm y Blodau, yna ‘roedd y fynwent i’r dref. Ar bob bedd, croes wen a thoreth o flodau plastig, ond dim enw ar yr un. Pam tybed?
Gadawodd y cwch yn y prynhawn hwyr i nofio ymysg y cestyll gwyn yn y môr ar ei ffordd i Wlad yr Ia.
Mis nesa yn ôl i’r drefn, gyda’r Cyngor yn cychwyn ar gyfres newydd o gyfarfodydd. Byddaf hefyd yn cael cip olwg ar sut mae busnesau wedi ‘neud ar ôl yr Haf sâl.