I always felt the pull of snow, ice and mountains. I decided to travel to Greenland and to Iceland in the summer of 2010. I chose to travel by ship and by car to meet the people of these lands. I met Greenlandic people almost every day and participated in many cultural activities - I listened to choirs, musical groups, saw dance performances, admired traditional costumes, and was invited to kaffemiks – home-made cakes and coffee in community halls and in homes in small settlements. My heart will be forever filled with the joy, optimism and warmth that I experienced while in Greenland. I was also enchanted by the tall sharp peaks, deep valleys, endless glaciers, and of course the icebergs. So many icebergs.

In contrast, Iceland was a shock to the senses. Whereas I was expecting Greenland to be 'the end of the world’, yet instead never felt far away from Canada, I felt much out of my element while in Iceland. Recovering from a recent economic collapse, and from the ashes of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption earlier in the year, Iceland was quiet and strangely empty. While driving the secondary roads around the island I would often spend several hours before encountering another car, seeing another person, or even passing a lone sheep.

When visiting the larger towns, I met Iceland’s lovely people, so welcoming and cordial. Iceland’s beautiful vistas, unpredictable weather and splendid glaciers enchanted me. I was bewitched by the remote fjords of the North - West and East. And I found the lush green pastures in the South of the country so rich and surprising.

By the end of my journey I had sailed 2,480 nautical miles in Greenland, and while in Iceland I had driven 3,440 kilometers around the country. I flew 15,589 miles from Vancouver to Reykjavik, to Kangerlussuaq and Copenhagen and home to Vancouver. This month-long travel was time well spent, and a beautiful way to mark a significant milestone in my own life.