Expected weather: Hi 48F, Rainy

Seas: Calm

Population: 3050 / 56,421

We were back in The Restaurant for a late, leisurely breakfast this morning. As we expected to be off the ship during lunch, we ate a little heartier than usual. The food was good but there were a couple of misses this morning in food service delivery. Paula had requested berries with her yogurt, and they weren’t brought initially. Dave ordered oatmeal and it took several minutes before they brought the fixings (raisins, cinnamon, etc.) for it. I overheard a man at the next table a little later in the same predicament and stating that the morning before, he gave up and ate his oatmeal plain. They really should bring those items immediately with an oatmeal order. We also had to wait quite a while to flag the waiter for a water and coffee refill. It appeared they might have been a person short in covering the service adequately at the time we were there.

It was really foggy as we approached the Greenland coast, but Paula captured a beautiful sunrise earlier this morning from the Explorers’ Lounge which she graciously shared with me.

A little bit of information about Greenland that I researched or learned in the port talk yesterday. I think almost everyone knows that Greenland is considered the largest island in the world. Being from Texas, I can relate to hearing that Greenland is three times the size of Texas. However, 80 percent of Greenland is covered by an ice sheet up to 10,000 feet thick – that is hard to comprehend! Several waves of Inuit peoples migrated to Greenland via and ice/land bridge in the Northwest starting 2500 years ago. Icelandic explorers probably became aware of the islands near Greenland in the early 10^th century. The first Europeans known to establish settlements in southwestern Greenland were led by Erik the Red, who was exiled from Iceland around 980 AD, and he is credited with giving the country its enduring name of Greenland as the coastlines are quite green and he wanted to attract more settlers! After about 500 years though, the Norse settlements mysteriously were abandoned.  Greenland and Iceland both were part of the Kingdom of Denmark for centuries. The Greenlanders were finally given self-rule in 2009, and Greenland comprises 90% of Denmark’s land mass. With fewer than 57,000 people – Greenland is the least densely populated land mass in the world.  They use the Danish Krona as their currency.

As we approached Qaqortoq, we started seeing “growlers” – mini icebergs! These are so cool!

We arrived mid-day in the quaint town of Qaqortoq. We booked both the included “Qaqortoq Walking Tour” and the optional “Great Greenland Furhouse”. Never had I ever dreamed of visiting Greenland until we saw this itinerary and booked it. I looked forward to learning how people have survived in this environment for so many centuries. We received a very basic tourist map of the town as we went ashore for self-exploration. There was supposed to be a Viking Lecture & Folk Dance at the Community Hall, Singing at the Old Church, and a Kayak Show. We went to the Old Church, and I guess the singers had laryngitis today as the performance was cancelled. We wandered through a large grocery store, and I found a couple of interesting items far from home! With so many imported goods, you can imagine the cost of living isn’t cheap.

The sun tried to peak out and we actually got quite warm walking around to find some good vantage points for photos. However, without the “cultural activities” there wasn’t a whole lot to do in this town of 3,000. While waiting near the tender area for the guide to the furhouse, it got quite chilly again and started clouding up. By the time we came out of the furhouse, it was raining, but not terribly bad and we were appropriately dressed for it as we walked back to the tender.  

I was glad we added the furhouse tour so that we were able to gain some understanding of the local Inuit culture and history. A young local woman met us at the tender dock and gave us a lot of background on the way to the furhouse about a half mile away. Qaqortoq is home to the region’s only two high schools (one regular, one specialty). Students leave their home communities to come here to attend high school, then may go to university in Nuuk (the capital of Greenland) or in Denmark, typically.

The Inuit had been fending quite well for themselves until WWII, when the rest of the world “discovered” it and the Danes decided the Inuit peoples needed to be indoctrinated into Danish culture and came in and took the young kids off to Denmark to be educated. Of course, they started losing their native language and culture. And, of course, they were told they could no longer hunt the seals, musk ox, or polar bears which had provided them food and clothing in this difficult climate for centuries! In the mid-80s a movement began to allow the Inuit to preserve their way of life. The furhouse we visited is the only one in the Arctic and was begun in 1985 to facilitate saving this aspect of Inuit culture and livelihood. They make many products which are sold locally and exported to Europe. The Inuit have never hunted for sport and never killed mother seals or pups. In fact, they believed that they would be punished by “mother earth” if they did so. They utilize all parts of the seal except the gall bladder. There are six seal species in Greenland: harbor, ringed, sattleback, harp, hooded, and blueback. The sattleback seals are the largest and may weigh 900-1100 pounds! All, except harbor seals, may be hunted. And, yes, the Inuit hunters today, either take the meat home or sell it at the local fish market before selling the pelt to the furhouse. Nothing goes to waste. Seal soup is the national dish, but we didn’t get to try any! They are very attuned to keeping the seal populations in balance and not over-hunting. I’m very glad we took this tour and were able to hear the perspective of the local peoples.  

Our guide’s commentary reminded me very much of the stories I heard from Dave’s mother about when the white man entered their Hopi village and took her parents away to be “re-educated” as young children.

This was our first tender port, but with several more to come, we should be adept at this process by the end of our cruise! Luckily today, the seas were very calm and the transitions were very easy.

We got back in time for Afternoon Tea which was a welcomed treat as we had missed lunch while ashore.

Afterward we relaxed, cleaned up, and headed to The Restaurant again for dinner. The World Café was having “A Taste of Italy” tonight, but roasted lobster tail was featured in The Restaurant. After our lobster pound visit the other day, the three of us who can consume seafood had a lobster craving. Dave and I both had the Cajun Seafood Gumbo as a starter. I’m not sure if it would pass muster by a true Cajun, but it was very tasty, and we would both get it again. We all three thought the lobster was good, but a little tough. For dessert, I ordered the Chocolate Lava Cake. It was very good, but the “lava” didn’t flow as I expected. Of the three chocolate desserts I’ve had, this one slightly missed the mark – but that didn’t stop me from eating all of it!  

After dinner, we stopped in the Atrium again to listen to Sasha play piano for about 30 minutes. She was playing hits from a variety of musicals and movies tonight – from Oklahoma! to La Cage aux Folles to Dr. Zhivago. The Viking Vocalists were performing West End and Broadway hits in the Star Theater tonight. But, instead of being in a crowded theater with 400 other people, we basically had an intimate, private concert with maybe 20 other people scattered around the Atrium! Although the seas are relatively calm tonight, I can imagine trying to play with the occasional movement of the ship. I once played a piano that wasn’t properly locked down which started slightly moving on me across the stage – that wasn’t fun! So I have much respect for the musicians and indeed all the staff doing a terrific job in a somewhat unstable environment.

It appeared that we were underway well ahead of schedule tonight and will be in our next Greenland port of Nanortalik tomorrow morning early. We are doing the included excursion “Nanortalik and Its Fascinating Museum”, then it’s onward to the main event – Iceland!