How I fell in love with Nuuk, the city of my heart

Today was my last day of uni here in Nuuk. It's also the last day for two of my roommates, Maria and Regine. I'm so thankful that I still have two months left here as I'm really not ready to leave this place. To celebrate the end of a great semester and to make use of the amazing weather, I decided to go for a walk after getting home from uni. There was still two hours left of daylight, and I could tell that the light for the sunset was going to be incredible, so I decided to head down to Noorliit by the shore, one of the best sunset spots in the city.

Everything about that walk was amazing. I literally had tears in my eyes when looking at the beauty in every direction. That walk inspired me to write this post. So here's the story of how I fell in love with Nuuk, a city I had low expectations of prior to moving here.

I always knew that I wanted to go to Greenland for a semester during my bachelor's degree, and since the only university in the country is located in Nuuk, the nation's capital, that was where I headed.

I have to admit that I was a bit worried before coming here. I knew little about the city, and I hadn't heard many good things about it. Mostly negative opinions on how the city is run-down, small and boring. So my expectations were at an all-time low. But as you might have guessed, they were wrong. So very wrong.

To be honest, I didn't think much of Nuuk in the first month or so. I liked the city much better than I'd thought I would, but it was no love at first sight. I just enjoyed being there with my new friends and I cherished the incredible mountain views. But the city itself hadn't yet taken over my heart. I was even worried about having my family come here for Christmas and New Years, as I was afraid they might not like the city. That we should've journeyed to Ilulissat or South Greenland instead.

Actually, it took me leaving the city to find out how I really felt about it. As Maria, Charlotte, Ali and I sailed away from Nuuk, on our way to a week-long trip up north to Ilulissat on September 28th, I felt sad to leave the city behind. I knew it was an irrational feeling at the time, since I'd be back there a week later, but for the first time, I got a sense of how I will feel when I eventually leave Nuuk for good.

That was when I realized that I love Nuuk. I had fallen completely head over heels in love with the place, the people, the landscapes, the views, the lifestyle, everything.

Nuuk has the perfect amount of city surrounded by mountains and ocean. I love being able to be spontaneous with my friends as nobody is far away from anyone here. Everything is within walking distance or just a quick bus ride away. I have everything I need close by; plenty of supermarkets with vegan foods, bars and cafés, clothes shops, a library, the university, the climbing club etc. And at the same time, there is nature in every direction. Incredible, wild nature. The ocean is just a five-minute walk away. The mountains I see everyday when I look outside my window. And the weather is amazing most of the time. I don't even mind the short days in the winter, as the sun usually shows its face during those hours. The nights are lit by vibrant northern lights and a sky full of stars. Even when it's cloudy, Nuuk is charming. Also during the worst snow storms. I swear, nothing can make me dislike this city.

Life here is a constant adventure, and I'm loving every minute of it.

Now I have a favourite country in the Faroe Islands and a favourite city in Nuuk. I'm a torn person - torn between my two favourite places in the world, my family in Denmark and England, and my constant urge to travel. But since I can't be in five places at once, I will have to choose. I only have this one life on Earth, and I'm lucky to even have the possibility to choose. To choose where I want to be at all times - that's an incredible privilege that I am forever thankful for. I don't know what the future holds for me, if I'll ever settle down and where it will be if I do. In this 24th year of my life, I'm just happy living between Nuuk, Denmark and the Faroes, and travelling to other places as well.

For now, I'm settled in Nuuk for two more months, before I return to Denmark once again. I'm excited to see how this love story will unfold.