Sarfannguit- A UNESCO settlement on the Arctic Circle

Can you live with 100 neighbors?

Small-town living is the norm in Greenland. If you are lucky or unlucky depending on your perspective, you could run into a town of eleven(11) located in the Disko Bay.  Yes, a town of eleven resident exists in Greenland. However, this does not surprise me. Once, I visited a town of three (3), during my solo travel days, I carjacked my way into my dad's car as he toured Liberia. We made a memorable stop in John's Town( John, his wife, and his daughter). To date, it's one of my favorite travel experiences. It was the best Potatoes Greens and Rice I had on the entire trip. So, I am not surprised these small towns exist in Greenland; I am always excited to visit and observe the unique aesthetic small towns exhibit.

We took a boat ride out on Sunday afternoon from Sisimiut and headed for Sarfannguit. Sarfannguit is inhabited by 100 residents, primarily fishermen and hunters..It's about an hour's ride from Sisimiut by boat. The ability to visit small towns incrementally being touched by modernity helps one to appreciate the simplicity of life. The weather was lovely, and we spotted several whales; and cruised by picture perfect mountains ( I couldn't help thinking how amazing it would be to mountain surf). 

A slope to surf on!

Sarfannguit commonly know as the “living UNESCO settlement” 

In no time we arrived, it was like entering "Silent Hill" without the smoke.

We saw a group of workers, after saying Aluu (Hello) they disappeared before we made up our minds to ask questions. The last beings we saw for another 30 minutes. I was surprised given how small the town was. We assumed the families were out fishing or hunting. That did not stop us from roaming around. 

Captain Dad, headed into Sarfannguit. 

Sarfannguit Superheroes encourage Positivity.

We passed the Sarfannguit fish factory greeted by Sarfannguit superheroes, and ascended the hill to the tallest point. After wandering through the staircase as if on a never ending mission, we landed next to a little playground. Of course, passing by it was not an option for us. Who's the first one on the swing? I was ahead so I got the "best swing", then Likki; hubby ended up with the horse😉!

We noticed several playgrounds which meant kiddos were somewhere. Fortunately, in small towns strangers roaming around is always a curiosity magnet for young and old. It didn't take long before the curtains started swaying. Well... thanks to Likki loudly screaming during a game of TAG. After several attempts to shut him up, there was no return. He woke up the town. Two young boys plopped on their trampoline and asked Likki to play. 

We said on our way back as we wanted to explore with him. Of course, this became a cue for him to state how tired he was for the next 15mins....

 Qaammat Pavilion,  created by the Swedish architect, Konstantin Ikonomidis

Quaint Town

As we descended and headed west of Sarfannguit, Likki ran off to play. The kids were excited to play with Likki, as he explicitly did jumps that were too dangerous. However, they were happy to repeat his moves.

  

We continued exploring the west side of the town; discovered a football field, an outdoor gym(reminded me of Florida) and a lovely puppy turned our guide (she was so cute!!!). She guided us until we got to the power plant. On our way back to the boat we saw more residents. Apart from saying Aluu (Hello) we didn't engage in an in-depth conversation. When I tried to ask questions, I realized no one was willing/could speak English.

A scarecrow made of of plastic bags!

Food for Thought:

1. The only supermarket in town is close on Sunday.
2. There are no private accommodation, camping is permissible.
3. The pavilion is a great place to have a picnic and watch the sun set or rise.
4. If you can, visit on the weekdays when there's more bustling, especially if you have kids.
5. If your kids are into PARKOUR, around the pavilion and on the landing strip there are great places to stretch out their muscles, safety first!