Arctic Expedition: Greenland Day 3 - Alpefjord & Gateau Point

Arctic Expedition

Alpefjord & Gateau Point

Previous: Blomsterbugten & Nanortalik ( Musk Ox hunting )

Photo Album: Alpefjord & Gateau Point

Video: Alpefjord (Glacier cruising) & Gateau Point ( folded time )

Alpefjord & Gateau Point – Cappuccinos Glacier & Folded Time

The day started with pure calm—no wind, no waves, just a serene fjord morning. We’d cruised smoothly overnight and woken up parked right in front of the Sermeq (Serfstrom) Glacier in Alpefjord. Not a bad view to enjoy your first coffee with.

Right ahead of the ship, the glacier terminal stretched straight across the fjord like an icy wall, lit with the promise of sunshine later in the day. Turns out it wasn’t just one glacier, but a whole team of them—multiple flows converging into one big frozen finale.

We hopped into the zodiacs for a long, leisurely cruise around the glacier face. A few impressive icebergs drifted nearby, and we admired the towering slopes across from the glacier—dramatic and jagged, like something straight out of a Norse saga.

After a landing on a beach made entirely of glacial silt (read: soft, squelchy, and ideal for testing your boot grip), we continued cruising slowly along the cliffs. Melting ice from above had formed a few delicate waterfalls that tumbled down the rock faces like silvery threads.

As we glided along, the guides pointed out clear signs of glacial retreat—something we’ve seen before in Svalbard too. A quiet, sobering reminder of the climate shifts slowly unfolding around us.

Back on board, the sun had made its appearance, and the top of the glacier now glowed with a brownish “cappuccino” topping—layers of rocky debris scraped off the mountains and carried along by the ice. Naturally, that called for a real cappuccino break too. And pizza. On the bow. Because why not? Arctic cruising done in style.

As we sailed on, a thin fog drifted low along the fjord walls, adding a moody, cinematic layer to the afternoon.

With such a great day, the chef decided to serve us a wonderful pizza lunch at the bow, so we could watch the fjord flowing by under the sun.

Later, we attempted a landing at Gateau Point. The wind had picked up, so the zodiac ride over was a bit bouncy—let’s call it “refreshing.” Once ashore, we explored the strange, warped landscape where geological forces had been busy over the past few hundred million years. Twisted, folded rock layers lay exposed, showcasing a rainbow of sediments squeezed up from ancient seabed.