DAY 9: THE BLUE MUSSELS — Norse Theme Parks

TRAVEL LOG ENTRY 9: BRATTAHLÍD

On our last day in Greenland, Captain Storch dropped us off in Brattahlíd, where we would begin by filming the distinctive bronze statue of 'Leif the Happy', the famous Viking explorer. Leif was the son of one of the most famous Vikings ever born: renegade Icelander, Erik the Red, who built a huge farming estate here and made himself Greenland’s head honcho.

**Ruins at Erik the Red’s settlement (rocks in front of blue building)**

Both father and son named places they had discovered: Erik named this island ‘the Green Land’ because of its lush green pastures. And Leif, who reportedly was the first explorer to land in North America (possibly because his ship was blown off-course), named it ‘Vinland’ (Grape Land) because of the abundance of wild grapes growing there.

Next steps

So far, all the sites on our to-do list had been relatively easy to film, as they were well off the beaten track. But even this late in the tourist season, Brattahlíd was quite busy. It's difficult to film with bunches of tourists milling about the place!

When we were finished, we walked through fields of lazy sheep to film a unique, layered rock formation that reminded me of the mountain ranges that so often appear in good-old American westerns.

Where’s Ole?

We stood quietly, admiring the view, but 'Adventurous Ole' decided to go climbing. Expecting him to come back reasonably quickly, we moved on. Still within earshot, we suddenly heard him yelling for help from halfway up a cliff. Luckily, two German hikers came to the rescue, talking him down very slowly, step by step. Whenever he went missing, the first thing we’d say was “Where’s Ole?” This was starting to become a habit!

In the pit

Our next stop was the yard at Erik the Red's estate, with its weather-beaten ruins and partially restored buildings. We filmed the rebuilt Pithouse with its turf roof (dug down deep, to keep the heat in), as well as the reconstructions of the church and longhouse. All in the open air with views of the fjord.

**NTP game pieces looking very much at home!**

Gone again

Later, while we waited for Storch to collect us, Ole decided to go on a new adventure, this time to forage for blue mussels! And we were actually glad that he did. Storch had given us the run of his house for the night, so we put this little harvest to very good use in a surprisingly tasty soup.

Time’s up

Before long, this world-class experience would be over. We’d have to say farewell to a far-off wilderness, and hello to fun-loving Copenhagen.

Before signing off, I'd like to thank our hardworking film crew and say a huge thank you to the land-living, sea-loving Greenlanders who helped to make this journey such a success.

All the best from all of us,

Peter Franklin & Co.