Wednesday – August 9, 2017
Never in a million years did I think I would ever get to Greenland! It wasn’t even on my bucket list. I didn’t know there were towns there or people living in those towns. The ship made its way between the rocky islands in a heavy fog all night and we arrived off the coast of Greenland this morning. Unbelievable!
We looked out to see icebergs floating offshore near the ship. I wondered if icebergs appear on radar in the bridge. People said that 75% of the iceberg is below the surface of the water. The wind was calm and the air temperature was 43 degrees. Best of all, it wasn’t raining!
The Rotterdam anchored just outside the town of Qaqortoq, population 3500, and lowered the tenders. The town was built along the shoreline and brightly painted houses dot the rocky coast above the harbor.
We took a tender into town and explored Qaqortoq. Believe it or not, there was a lot to see:
This is a photo of the only fountain in Greenland. And it was turned on!
Lutheran Church, the Frelserens Kirke was built in 1832.
We enjoyed a good cup of coffee in a cafe with free wifi. After a while two musicians arrived and began to play and sing. I’m not sure whether they sang in Danish or the native Greenland language.
The bright blue building was a supermarket. We went in to see what was available. Everything has to be brought in by ship, so food is expensive.
Several local people came down to the harbor to see all the strangers from the ship.
The Gallivanting Grandma in Qaqortoq, Greenland:
Several years ago, artists were invited to go to Qaqortoq to be inspired by the surroundings and create in natural places. There are 30 incredible pieces of art all over the town.
As we rode away from the town on the tender, I saw snow on nearby mountains. Greenland is solid granite rock with jagged mountains, no trees, some wild flowers, and moss. It’s a harsh rugged landscape.
I had an amazing time in Qaqortoq and I was very happy to have visited the town and have a small look at Greenland culture. We returned to the ship to take a break before going to a six o’clock magic show performed by Marc Oberon. He had won a championship in ‘close up’ magic and he was very good.