Qaqortoq - Hvalsey, Greenland - 12th August

Overnight we had moved the short distance to the town of Qaqortoq and, when we woke up, the ship was moored at the quay. I went up on deck to take some video and photos of the town. We learned that it is the fourth largest town in Greenland with a population of about 3,500. It is a very attractive town with the houses painted in various colours. The 3 towns larger than Qaqortoq are Nuuk, the capital, Sisimiut and Ilulissat.

Below is one of the tankers re-fuelling the ship. Our captain had explained to me that the boat needed enough fuel to get to Churchill and back to Greenland, as there was no fuel of the correct grade in Churchill.

The small marina in Qaqortoq.

 I took Wendy a cup of tea and some croissants before we went to the dining room for porridge with Craig and Joy. At 10am, we all disembarked for a guided tour of the town.

Our guide, J..J., was a student who was currently studying in Denmark, but had been on a three year student exchange to New York, so his English was perfect. His name was actually Jakob. As he stood in front of the first set of stone carvings, we thought he could have been the model for the face on the left!

We walked round the town looking at the many stone carvings done by local artists and also some by sculptors from Scandinavia. The houses were painted in different colours and some had large paintings of the Inuit hunting for seals.

There were quite a few bugs, and many of the group had mosquito nets to wear over their heads. At times I wished I had one as well! Here is our expedition crew member, Claudia, and a 'well-protected' Gil from Australia.

We visited the fish market, where Robin Aiello talked to us about the fish and meat on sale which included leopard fish, reindeer and seal meat. 

 

I didn't think the seal meat was very appetising!

We also visited the church which was built in 1832 and inside, hanging from the ceiling, was a model boat, very reminiscent of the one we had seen in Oulu Cathedral, Finland on our drive in 2011.

We walked past the school and went into the small museum. We discovered that at 1pm, there would be a welcoming celebration for those children who would be attending school for the first time. We met up with our captain, Maggi, and several of us asked if we could stay in Qaqortoq to see the traditional event at the school. So, using her radio, she called up Robin West on the ship and they agreed to delay our departure.

We had enough time to visit the tourist office before going to the school at 1pm. We bought some locally made artefacts, which we intend to put in the summer room in Sussex. We then went back to the ship to have a quick lunch of cheese and biscuits.

The school event was very enjoyable with the headmistress welcoming each child individually. Quite a few of the children, and their parents, were dressed in traditional clothes. The women and many of the girls had brightly coloured ponchos made of beads and trimmings of seal fur with white boots. In contrast, the men wore plain white shirts and black trousers.

 

 
As each child went forward to be introduced to their teacher, they received a Greenlandic flag. Then parents and friends threw coins or sweets into the air and all the schoolchildren rushed around trying to collect as many as possible. This ceremony is known as the "Silver and Gold".

Sixty children were introduced, so the welcoming went on for quite some time! We all felt very privileged to have witnessed this special celebration in Qaqortoq.

We walked back to the ship and sat on the aft deck having coffee as the boat left the quay for the short trip to Hvalsey, where we would be taking Zodiacs to a dry landing site close to where the Vikings settled in the 10^th century.

 Back on board, two happy ladies.

One last look at colourful Qaqortoq as the boat left the quay.

 Craig and me looking as though we are enjoying ourselves.

We reached our anchorage at Hvalsey and while we were waiting to board the Zodiacs, I took this photo out of our cabin window of Kara 'relaxing' at the controls of her Zodiac. It's what you call 'putting your feet up'!

At around 5pm we boarded the Zodiacs for the ride to the shore where we disembarked at a small quay.

The site has the remains of a small Viking settlement consisting of a few shelters for animals, some housing and a church.

Joy and Craig resting on the ruined walls. 

Me, in a pensive mood, reflecting on the cost of the cruise!!

 

We walked above the settlement and looked down into the fjord where the Silver Explorer was at anchor.

We were guided by Rapa Nui who gave a very detailed explanation of the history of the site. Also acting as group guides were Juan and Peter Damisch.

 

At the end of the walk, we stopped on the beach for Robin Aiello to talk about some of the marine life that inhabits the waters and shores of Greenland.

We then took a Zodiac back to the ship and had our evening meal with Richard and Peggy from San Francisco.

Tomorrow is our last day in Greenland. I think most on board would like at least one more day here, but the Canadian Arctic beckons!