Goodbye Greenland and Nuuk
The Unexpected Security Check at CPH Airport
The Biggest Disappointment Was Waiting for Me…
Back to Graz
Bonus

Goodbye Greenland and Nuuk

For this trip, my goal was not to enjoy special activities or visit as many attractions as possible. Instead, I wanted to experience the luxury of doing nothing. That is why I was completely satisfied with just three nights in Nuuk.

Here are the links to the other articles in my Nuuk travel series!

Part 1 (Departure–CPH), Part 2 (Arriving in Nuuk), Part 3 (Exploring Nuuk), Final Part (Returning from Nuuk)

My return itinerary was:

Nuuk (GL774, departing at 7:45 AM) → Copenhagen (CPH) → Austrian Airlines OS996 → Vienna → Graz

However, there was one problem.

As I mentioned earlier, delays and cancellations are not uncommon on flights to and from Greenland.

I only had a two-hour-and-15-minute connection in CPH, so honestly, it was quite a gamble.

To make matters worse, when I arrived at the airport, there was a very long line of passengers waiting to check in their luggage.

I suspect that Nuuk Airport has seen a rapid increase in passenger numbers in recent years, while its baggage-handling capacity has not quite caught up yet.

Sure enough, the plane took off about an hour late.

Fortunately, perhaps thanks to favorable winds, we managed to make up some time and arrived only about 40 minutes behind schedule.

In the end, I was able to make my Austrian Airlines connection without any problems.

I was lucky this time, but if you want a safer itinerary, I would recommend staying overnight in Copenhagen and continuing to other European cities the following day.

The meal on the return flight consisted of an omelet and something that looked like a chocolate cake. It was delicious as well.

I was also lucky enough to get a window seat on the return flight, so I spent some time looking out at the interior and eastern parts of Greenland.

The interior was covered in snow, and I assume this area is permafrost.

The eastern coast apparently has a harsher climate than the western side. Unlike Nuuk, it was a world of snow and ice, and I could see plenty of sea ice floating in the water.

I heard that eastern Greenland is a popular destination for adventurers.

The Unexpected Security Check at CPH Airport

After arriving in Copenhagen from Nuuk, you will most likely arrive at Gate B0.

Although it is part of the B gates, the route is completely different from that used for regular intra-EU flights.

You follow what appears to be a corridor for airport staff and are guided toward the baggage claim area.

What surprised me was that

you have to go through another baggage X-ray screening here.

I had never experienced this while traveling by air within the EU, so I was a little surprised.

I assume this is a procedure specific to flights arriving from Greenland.

After completing the screening, you return to the regular AB gate area, but it is surprisingly far away and takes about 10 minutes to walk.

Therefore, considering:

the additional security screening after arrival
the walk to your connecting gate

I would recommend allowing about 20 extra minutes compared with a normal intra-EU connection.

The Biggest Disappointment Was Waiting for Me…

However, the biggest disappointment of the entire trip was still waiting for me.

My flight to Vienna was operated by Austrian Airlines.

To be honest, this was the flight with the lowest level of service during my entire trip.

The flight attendant in charge kept a grumpy expression throughout the flight and did not seem to hide her irritation. The atmosphere throughout the cabin became a little tense.

I thought, “Well, everyone has bad days,” but then something happened when she started handing out water.

She was handling the plastic bottles quite roughly, and I remember thinking,

“That looks like she’s going to drop one. I hope she’s careful…”

And then she actually dropped one right at my seat（笑）.

To make matters worse, the water inside spilled directly onto me.

Fortunately, I had instinctively braced myself because I thought something might happen, so I avoided getting soaked. Still, my clothes got wet.

I had no choice but to take off my jacket and put it in the overhead compartment. Then another incident happened.

Apparently, the overhead compartment I had used was reserved for the crew. When the flight attendant opened it and found my clothes, she immediately threw them into the compartment next to it, as if saying,

“Why are these in here?!?”

Of course, I admit that I was at fault for putting my clothes in a crew-only compartment.

However, while the compartment next to it was clearly marked “Crew Only,” the one I used had no such sign, so it was very difficult to tell.

And more than anything, I couldn’t help thinking to myself:

“But I only took my clothes off because you spilled water on me in the first place…”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

During this trip, I had my first-ever experience of having to turn back because of a technical problem with a Greenland flight. Even so, the staff were extremely polite and reassuring throughout the ordeal.

Ironically, I never expected Austrian Airlines, which I had assumed would be the most reliable part of the journey, to provide such an ending.

Back to Graz

Despite all those little incidents, I arrived at Vienna Airport as scheduled at 7:25 PM.

I then took the 8:00 PM ÖBB train to Graz and arrived home safely at around 11:00 PM.

Nuuk is not a city where you find one famous attraction after another.

However, it has landscapes that are difficult to find anywhere else: rocky terrain without a single tall tree, colorful Nordic-style houses, and seas where sea ice slowly drifts along.

Even in summer, daytime highs are around 10°C, and the weather is comfortable with a long-sleeved fleece. Even when Europe was being hit by heatwaves approaching 40°C, Nuuk felt like a natural summer retreat.

In addition, it stays bright even after 10 PM in summer, and the city is extremely safe, so you can comfortably enjoy walking around at night.

Rather than a destination where you pack your schedule with activities, Nuuk is a place to enjoy the luxury of doing nothing.

For anyone who wants to step away from the busyness of everyday life and spend some quiet time, I think Nuuk is an incredible destination. I would love to return to this natural refrigerator the next time Europe is hit by another heatwave.