You might think, that Uummannaq is a sleepy place, nothing could be more wrong as that. It is full of country life, fishermen are coming and going, families arrive by boat for shopping or visiting relatives, the cafe is always full and has an outdoor seating area where greenlanders enjoy their coffee and of course soft ice (the locals seem to be addicted to soft ice?!). Youngsters in sneakers and the latest fashion from the major outdoor clothing brands stroll through the streets with Bose headsets and dyed hair.
Seeing this I do not understand how an economy based on halibut, seals, whales and reindeer can support this way of life, but it seems to work. We enjoyed getting such a glimps of rural life as exotic as it is.
Uummannaq is built on the steep slopes of a mountain, very often on bare rock. It is the town of wooden stairs. Most houses can be accessed only by using a maze of stairs, some are public, some are private. Again a very different approch to urban planning!