Qaqortoq, Greenland

This morning we docked in Qaqortoq, South Greenland's largest town with about 3,000 inhabitants. We were divided into groups of about 15 to 20 for a walking tour with a local guide, one of the highlights being a visit to the harbor front open air market where seal, freshly butchered reindeer, fish and bagged vegetables were on offer. The reindeer's antlers sat on the pier as a reminder that this was fresh this morning.

Today was the first day at school; the ship delayed its departure so we could see the ceremony welcoming each student to school. One by one they called each student's name and they came up with their family to shake the teachers' hands and receive a flag of Greenland. The tradition is to throw coins and candy as each kid comes up front so there was a mad scene as lots of children ran through the crowd to gather their bounty. Many were traditionally dressed and beaming for the camera.

from the ship's expedition log:

Day 6 - August 12, 2013 - Qaqortoq and Hvalsey, Greenland

By by Christian Walter, Historian

 

Co-ordinates: 60° 43’ 82” N, 46° 02’ 10” W (noon position=alongside in Qaqortoq)
Weather: Partly cloudy
Air Temperature: 10,4° C
Pressure:992 hPa
Wind:7,6 kmh

The bow-thruster’s sound at 6 a.m. was a give-away that we were very close to the harbor of Qaqortoq. Normally we stay at anchor in Qaqortoq, but today we would make use of the very small pier – this would be the last opportunity to bunker for Silver Explorer, and as a result we would just have to step off the ship to be in the center of town.

Qaqortoq has only 3,200 inhabitants (including the surrounding small settlements), but still is Greenland’s fourth-largest town! Founded in 1775, several of the older colonial buildings still grace the town center and are in use as a museum, a restaurant, or the bakery. One of only two fountains in Greenland can be seen here, and the old church is nearby. 

Qaqortoq’s unique feature is the “Stone and Man” project that was carried out during the summers of 1993 and 1994. The local artist Aka Hoegh had proposed to use some of the local stones and rock-faces in their original positions and change the hard granite into a permanent outdoor gallery. 18 Nordic artists came and gave the rocks their own specific marks.

During our very informative walking-tour, JJ, our local guide, mentioned that today would be the first day of school for the children, and this marks a major event in their lives. Both boys and girls would dress in the traditional Greenlandic costumes, as would many of their parents. Since this was to happen after 12:30 p.m., and would coincide with our official departure time, Robin conferred with Captain Maggie, and both agreed that instead of leaving on time, we should see this as a welcome change to our program and itinerary. Accordingly, all guests were informed that we would stay until 2:30 p.m., and many took the opportunity to see the youngsters and their parents coming to school. Many of the relatives of the children had come as well and were taking pictures. While we used (normal) cameras they mostly used their smart-phones!

Apart from having unusual photo-opportunities, we also observed a very special way of celebrating: relatives of the boys and girls being called to meet their teachers for the first time were throwing candy and coins into the air - much to the joy of the other kids (and grown-ups), as they were eagerly searching for the “gifts” that had fallen onto the spectators.

Before I joined my fellow travelers at the school, I climbed the hill behind the cemetery in search of the same look-out that had been used for the painting I had shown during yesterday’s recap. I managed to get a good view of the town, but several modern buildings were partly obscuring the older buildings.

On the way down to the school, I had noticed a sign indicating that a local workshop was open, and visitors welcome. Three locals were carving narwhale tusk, reindeer antler or stone into small pieces of art: a seal, an Inuit, a Polar bear, and earrings were visible, with other pendants or figurines ready to be taken to a shop – or to be sold directly. As the prices were quite accessible I reserved a small seal for myself and left in search of the local bank or an ATM. Both were pointed out to me at the local tourist office, and after purchasing the seal I was able to indicate this shop to others – who were equally as pleased, and bought several items.

My last money was spent on postcards and stamps, and just before it was time to get back onto Silver Explorer, I had finished writing the postcards and posted them.