8th – Dogs and (more) whales

We all gathered at 0730 to go to breakfast together before leaving to visit Dave and his sleigh dogs. Dave, like last year, was a great story teller and talked about the principles and practical execution of dog sleighing. It was also part of the plan to do the Ididamile ride but now in carts as opposed to sleighs used in the winter – for obvious reasons. Unfortunately, due to the heat – I’m guessing 25-30°C at the time – he refused to let the dogs work as he pointed out they are built to work at -30°C. As he stated “Not even if the queen of England came by and wanted a ride!”. Instead we got to come into the pen and walk among the dogs and give them all the scratches they wanted – and they wanted lots!

We returned to Churchill where we had and 1½ hour break before lunch, so I went down to the beach in the hopes of seeing anything interesting. I managed to see a swimming polar bear in the distance (had I been there ½ an hour earlier I would likely have seen it pass right by the beach), multiple belugas, terns and the occasional seal.

Far out, but probably the most out-of-the-water beluga on the trip.

A non-flying fly.

After lunch we had app. 3 hours off until the next point in our itinerary, so our guide & driver took us out of town on the hunt for wildlife. We ended up primarily seeing birds; a few bald eagles including juveniles, ravens and a harrier.

Young bald eagle (they get the white head at around 4-5 years).

Returning to town once again we went out in zodiacs for an 1½ hours to get closer to the whales. We started off, though, with returning to the point at the Prince of Wales Fort where we got to see a single polar bear and not much else, before going up the river to the estuary where the whales were all over and we just drifted along and looked at all the whales when they came up for air. There were quite a few juveniles among them that could be recognized by their grey coloration, they don’t turn fully white until they reach an age of around 7.

Polar bear butt (and - I assume - the rest of the polar bear hidden behind).

Belugas.

Young beluga before getting its white coloration.

It was amazing to see how fast the weather changed. When we were heading out it was still sunny and warm, but when circling the point at the fort the mist suddenly rolled in and within 10 minutes the visibility dropped to less than 100m. At one point when going to the estuary we could see no land or markers for a while which felt pretty disturbing. This behavior wasn’t a rare occurrence so our driver didn’t hesitate at any time when navigating.

Returning to land we went to have diner and in the meantime the mist had rolled up through the town and everything looked quiet and eerie. When leaving for the hotel we were informed by our guide it was perfect polar bear weather so she highly recommended us to take the bus back even if it was less than a 5 minute drive. At this point the streets were mostly abandoned – it was around 2100 and the recommend staying inside from 2200 – as to confirm it was definitely safest to stay away from streets and especially back alleys. 

7th – Bears and belugas

At 10 we were picked up and brought to the Polar Bears International House where we received a presentation on polar bears; life, habits, reaction to change in climate and environment, etc. As opposed to last year they served cookies during this visit!

Lunch was a brunch buffet, a nice change to the usual ordered meals. After the meal we left to go out in a boat to cross the channel to get to the Prince of Wales fort where we did an hour’s walk and we told about its history and usage. It was a couple of 100 meters walk from the boat with several stops along the way for a few talks – and arriving at the fort we were hit by heavy rainfall. It didn’t last long – only a few minutes – but in that time we lost visibility and got very wet. There were discussions whether to return to the boat but the rain subsided and we stayed for a bit longer as originally planned.

A pair of terns.

... not a tern.

Being in bear country there were lookouts and patrols spread out around us and we had a guard with us at all times. It was standard precaution, especially now that it turned out one had been spotted in the forts vicinity. It could be seen when standing at the fort in the distance, and while we had the downpour it actually got up from the rock it was partially hiding behind and walk around for a bit before laying down behind another rock and disappearing from view.

Returning to the boat we were supposed to do a one-hour beluga cruise. The whales were surfacing all over so you couldn’t not see them buy just looking over the waters. So instead we started out by heading out to where the bear had been spotted – but instead we found two separate bears in the area. We spent maybe half an hour with them – one was just lying down while the other was moving around – before heading out to try to get close to some belugas.

A not quite adult cute-but-will-kill-you polar bear.

Getting close to the animals wasn’t particularly difficult, but seeing anything but their backs when they arched above the waterline was close to impossible. Fortunately, there were plenty of arctic terns around to distract from the failed attempts to get a good face shot of the whales. 

Arctic tern.

A peak of a beluga.

Returned to land – and the hotel – we had a short rest before dinner. During dinner a couple in the group talked about that the previous night they had gone down to the beach and in the process seen a snowy owl. I decided right there and then to try and do the same that evening, but all I ended up getting was more belugas, terns and a bonkers amount of flies and mosquitos. 

6th – White animals

Lingering jetlag let me wake up a few minutes before my alarm went off which made the start of the day a bit more pleasant than I had planned. Got ready and had the breakfast pack we were given last night before meeting with the group in the reception at 0600. We returned to the airport, did a very short check-in and eventually flew north to Churchill. It was a slightly odd plane; it was a 3+3 but the front half was made for freight so there were only seats in the rear half of the body. But with the limited traffic to Churchill optimizing the freight/passenger transport this kind of setup makes perfect sense. 

Other than a 15-minute delay the 2½ hour flight was uneventful and on arrival our luggage was collected by the travel company and we boarded a minibus – our home away from home during our stay here.

We passed by the polar bear holding cells where we got to see the traps they use to catch the bears that get too close to the towns and settlements, followed by a short drive around town until lunch right across the road from our hotel.

What happens to a tree exposed to constant winds?

While driving around we stopped by the beach where a local guide (who had joined us at the airport) had a little talk about something I don’t remember anything about. But when sitting in the bus half-listening looking out the window I realized that what I thought was waves looked suspiciously not like waves. I noticed others in the bus also looking out at the water but didn’t react to what they saw so I assumed first I was wrong – but with a closer look I realized that I was not. I grabbed my camera and on my way out of the bus the guide confirmed that yes – what we could see close to the shore was in fact a large pod of beluga whales. When realization hit the rest of the bus everybody piled out to have a look and photograph the view.

Because it's not only wildlife in the cold north.

After lunch we visited the Itsanitaq Museum and the Parks Canada Visitor Center. The former contained a large collection of carvings from the Inuit people, from Pre-Dorset to modern times. At the Visitor Center we were given a presentation by a local girl who talked about the fur industry in and around Churchill and how her family had been involved as the local Inuit people had been heavily included in the trades. 

Local corona restrictions.

Following this we checked in to the hotel, had dinner and went to rest.

Until the phone rang at 0100 as northern lights had been spotted. Within 5 minutes we were all piling back into the minibus and drove down to the beach. It wasn’t massive, but it was definitely there. It was also at that point I had to accept the fact that I hadn’t taken northern lights into consideration so I hadn’t packed the equipment necessary for such a situation – not even a tripod or gorillapod! A bunch of blurry photos – but it’s there. 

4th – 5th of August – Getting to Winnipeg

Flying out and leaving home was as easy as usual especially after a direct connection between Copenhagen and Toronto had been established. It was surprisingly small plane for the distance; a 1-isle A321 Neo, BC was 1+1 or 2+2. It was absolutely no problem; I was just a bit surprised and expected a larger plane.

Arriving at 1500 I had planned with a friend to meet after settling in at the hotel, so when we were getting close to landing I sent her a mail updating her with the current situation. That jinxed it, of course, because less than 5 minutes later the captain informed us that due to a thunderstorm having passed through the area we were put in a holding pattern above the airport. The plan was to stay there for half an hour and another 15 minutes to get down but it took close to an hour before we managed to land, having been queued up behind numerous planes also waiting for the thunderstorm to pass. 

The original reason for returning to Canada so soon since the last time is because I have been invited to a wedding outside Toronto (and that voucher I won during my last visit). The wedding gift is two bottles of Danish whisky; wrapped in bubble-wrap, a plastic bag thoroughly tied so it’d hopefully keep the bag dry if any of the bottles broke along the way, everything wrapped in a towel before putting it all down among the clothes in my bag. I was fairly confident that they would be fine, but my heart skipped a beat (or more) when I picked up my bag in Toronto and realized that it was wet. It took a lot of internal convincing to make me settle down and acknowledge that everything outside was probably wet due to the thunderstorm, and had it been due to the whisky it would have been able to smell it – which I couldn’t. Safely arrived at the hotel a few minutes later (staying at a hotel located near the terminal train is really convenient) I unwrapped everything and confirmed that everything was in order. Phew!

An hour later I got picked up by my friend and we ended up in a nearby steak restaurant for a delicious meal before returning to the hotel. It was so much fun meeting up again after 6 years. 

The following morning I left all the wedding-related luggage at the hotel before returning to the airport and flying out to Winnipeg to meet up with the travel group the same evening. We started with an early dinner where we were introduced to our guide and a rough introduction of the tour itself before we a couple of hours later boarded a bus looking like a trolley that took us on a 2½ hour tour through Winnipeg. It was quite interesting despite having a historical focus but I found myself nodding off several times – through that was likely just due to the jetlag hitting and not the tour itself.

Our tourbustrolley.

We walked through a back road where an artist had painted northern wildlife on multiple buildings.

Returning to the hotel I prepared myself and my bags for a very early morning and crashed in bed.

9th – Leaving Lisbon

Having a flight at noon it still gave me time for breakfast at the hotel before leaving for the airport. Everything went smooth; the metro was a direct connection to the airport, check-in and security was uneventful and had a moment kicking back in the lounge before boarding and flying home.

Lisbon is such a nice city; there is the obvious new and modern buildings, but reaching the city center you have these beautiful old buildings. While some of them look run down the large majority seem well maintained and you get some great views walking the streets. While the weather was nice, it might have been a bit too nice, especially on race day. I hope to not run in that kind of heat again. It was fun to try, but I won’t be sad if I don’t get to do that again. In any case, second of my 5 Superhalfs runs was hereby done.

Coming home, seeing the bridge/tunnel between Denmark and Sweden, with Denmark in the top part of the photo.

Full album can be found here.

8th – Lisbon half marathon

When the alarm went off I got out of bed, got dressed, and left for the metro & train to get to the starting area.

Hah. Who am I kidding?

When the alarm went off at 0730 I snoozed it a couple of times before I grumbling trotted to the bathroom before getting dressed and leaving for the metro. A couple of stops later all the runners got out, bumbled around confused in one big group until someone, with the rest of the group following like lemmings, went up and out where we saw the train station across the street. Success!

Because the run starts with crossing the 5th of April Bridge from the far side only trains are able to cross it before noon, so that is the only way to get there if you are located in the city. As the train naturally was crowded I ended up in a hallway between two carriages making it impossible for me to see anything outside during the ride across. 

On arrival there was another 15 minutes’ walk from the station to the starting area. The sun was out at full force at around 0930 and the few shades found along the way were already filled by people who managed to squeeze into the already crowded spots. The starting area itself was just a big empty space with surprisingly few portapotties, so when I arrived there was a steady flow of people going to and from the bushes along the sides, men and women alike. There were no corrals or waves, and getting ready for the start I realized the 5:00-pacer was far up ahead, and with the crowd already gathered I would have no chance of ever getting to him before the start.

When the start went off at 1020 it had gotten warmer (mid-20’s) and the 5:00-pacer left almost simultaneously with the 4:30 and 4:45-pacers. What’s the point of having them if they don’t spread out?

The first 5km, with the exception of a few 100m, it was all downhill – but due to being stuck in crowds of slow runners and selfie-obsessed people wanting to document the view of the city (granted; it wasn’t bad) and running on the bridge I had to do a lot of swerving and sudden changes in pace (because it’s absolutely fine to just stop in the middle of everything to take photos!) I lost more than a minute on the first kilometer. After that I managed to get a bit away and things loosened a bit up and the remainder of the downhill part went so much smoother. But it was such a frustrating start.

From then on the course was flat. We ran east until we hit the 7,6km mark, did a 180 degree turn, ran until reaching the 17,1km mark, did a 180 degree turn again and 50 meters before hitting the HM mark we turned and finished at Centro Cultural de Belén – where the expo was located – and the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. Reaching the flat part of the course there were water posts every app. 2km. As opposed to other runs you were given 1/3 liter water bottles instead of small paper cups. It felt like a bit of waste, but in the increasing heat you quickly realized that it was all needed. Perfect for a combination of drinking and pouring it over yourself (buffs were handed out near the starting area and I ended up using one on my head to try and protect it from the sun – it had the unexpected bonus of retaining the water I poured out over myself thus prolonging the cooling effect). I was happy to see that firefighters had set up a couple of places on the course and spraying the runners as they came along. Any cooldown was appreciated. According to the forecast when returning to the hotel the temps were around 28°-29°C and with no clouds or shade on the course the sun was most definitely felt along the way.

My face is a perfect representation of how it felt running in the heat.

Unfortunately, despite running parallel with the coast for most of the run we didn’t really see much for the water; main roads and train tracks were between us and the sea, and on the opposite side it was mostly infrastructure, a few parks or large buildings. So the course, while flat, wasn’t the most interesting. On the other hand; had we been running through the old parts of the city it would have been a horribly hilly experience, especially in this heat, so I guess I prefer the less charming, at times somewhat narrow, course we ran instead. 

The bag we received when crossing the finish line contained a bottle of water, a banana, a protein drink which tasted absolutely atrocious and the medal. It took me a while to realize the latter – I saw no one handing out medals and it wasn’t because I had missed it as almost no one else were wearing one, either, and it took a bit of digging before realizing that it had just been included with everything else. I was a bit disappointed, though, that you couldn’t get more water to drink and there were no snacks apart from the banana. 

My finish time ended up being 1:46:35, not quite reaching my goal of 1:45. Even without the terrible beginning I wouldn’t have made it, and considering the good conditions the weather definitely had something to do with the performance. Of course the official numbers weren’t accessible until later as the tracking site crashed during and after the run. Who would have thought they would see a lot of traffic at that time?

8378 people completed the half marathon; 5491 men and 2887 women. Overall I came in as no. 1550 (top 18,5%), among men I came in as no. 1407 (top 25,62%) and in my age group M35 I came in as 244 out of 755 (top 32,32%). So in spite of being slow compared to my goal my result relative to the other runners is probably among the best I’ve had so far – the Royal Parks run where I got my PR is the only one I can think of where I managed to get a better relative result.

Taking the train and metro back to the hotel went surprisingly smooth. Being among a bunch of hot and sweaty runners inside a confined space was wonderful, and I can’t imagine it was any better for all the ordinary non-running passengers. After a quick shower I went down to a café around the corner (called Hygge Kaffe) and got a smoked salmon bun and what turned out to be a huge slice – chunk, rather – of apple pie. Resting for the remainder of the afternoon before going out for what was a disappointing paella and a traditional cod ball with cheese which was a nice end to the dinner before retuning to the hotel and kicked back for the rest of the night.

Always nice with a small piece of pie.

5th – 7th of May – Lisbon, pre-run

As usual the flight was as uneventful as such a flight can be. The second leg did get delayed for an hour; the first half hour was due to technical difficulties, the second was due to missing our window and got put at the back of the queue in a crowded air. But as soon as we were off everything went smooth.

Arriving in Lisbon and taking the metro to the hotel was easy, and after checking in I spent a short moment resting and recovering from the flight before leaving and trying to get a feel of the area in the diminishing light. I found myself ending up waterside in the central part of the city – as intended – and the timing was unintended near perfect as I got to see the sun set behind the 5th of April Bridge. The entire construction is very dominant and basically looks like a smaller version of the Golden Gate Bridge. I had a walk down along the water and beach, but I soon retuned to the hotel – a return that ended up taking half an hour – to rest for the remainder of the night.

5th of April Bridge in the sunset.

The following two days, Friday and Saturday, I spent wandering the city and encountering constantly appearing hills. I started off going to the runners’ expo, which was also the location of the run’s finish line, to pick up my bib and t-shirt before exploring the surrounding area. Having the expo approximately 8 km from the hotel there was plenty of distance to zig-zag my way back to the city center.

Buildings covered in tiles.

Padrão dos Descobrimentos, statue built in 1940 to mark the 500 year anniversary of Henry the Navigator's death.

With the expo being west of the center, I went east on the Saturday. Without knowing for certain it did feel as if it was way more hilly here than in the western part. Having walked around a bit and getting lost multiple times I ended up at Castelo De S. Jorge, the castle of Sao Jorge, a large castle overlooking the central part of the city. Entering and walking around on the walls gave some stunning views of the center of Lisbon and surrounding areas. And with clear weather there was nothing obstructing the far away views – except for the occasional tree towering over the castle’s walls.

View of central Lisbon from Castelo De S. Jorge.

Lisbon is a nice and beautiful city; old buildings line the streets in the old part of the city and while some of them look like the safest thing to do is to tear them down, many of the better-maintained buildings are either painted in bright colours or are covered in tiles – making them almost look like huge inside-out bathrooms. Some of the streets are very narrow, and combining that with the hilly environment the city gets a very special (in a good way) feel. Leaving the old center it gets less erratically hilly, the streets widen and get a more modern size, and building turn more and more ordinary.

The weather is really nice, especially if you’re not planning to run a half marathon. Around noon the temps were up in the 25-27 degree area, and with practically no clouds and only very little breeze, it gets hot and priority ends up being walking on the side of the road with the most shade. Unless you are out at a time where your shadow is less than 20cm long, then you’re pretty much out of luck unless you find a tree. My timing could be better; wanting slow and relaxing mornings I don’t get too much time outside in the cool morning air before getting hit by the sun and heat. No wonder the locals seem to disappear until mid-afternoon. Also, after these two days parts of my skin is getting a bit itchy.