The Northern Isles Day 8
The Northern Isles
Day 08 - Thursday, July 17, 2003 - ms Rotterdam - At Sea & Qaqortoq, Greenland
Late morning wake-up – 8 AM. We took our time getting ready, puttered around and then at 9 AM we went to breakfast. I ate a bagel also as we knew we would not be eating lunch as we would be onshore.
At 9:30 we returned to our room and got the computer to send a few notes and for Gennie to do her grades for the University of Phoenix. How nice to have a computer and not have to physically do it.
At 10:15 we entered the fjords, the entrance to Qaqortoq (White Place), a community of 3100 people, the majority being decedents of the Inuit (Eskimo) (Indians).
We saw some small icebergs as we entered and would continue to see them as we moored. They are about 500 yards from the ship. The water and the outside temperatures are about 45 degrees. We walked the upper decks, some wind, taking pictures of the fjord and the barren landscape.
At 11 AM I had an hour appointment for a reflexology - foot massage. Lee worked on both of my feet while Gennie watched. There was a CD of nature sounds playing in the background, the room was warm and the massage was so relaxing I fell asleep. It felt very good and my foot felt better after the session.
At 11:55 we left the 9th deck and went to meet Bob and Susan who were waiting for us. Together we went to the Queen’s Lounge to get a boarding ticket. We had to wait close to 1:30 hours to get on a tender to go to Qaqortoq.
There were only two tenders in operation and they were loading about 60 people per vessel so we were group #28. People were not happy with Holland America and booed the cruise people when they spoke.
Once we left the ship they took us to the city’s pier, let us off and we wandered throughout the community. This is a Thursday but many town citizens were watching us as much as we watched them.
I saw some Inuit children sitting on a rock and asked if I could take their pictures. They said yes very quickly and after I took a shot I showed it to them. I then knew that the Inuit who live here were willing and smiling subjects.
I took a lot of photos from babies to elderly village people. Once they saw themselves, they smiled and thanked me. WOW, what a difference from other places we have been where they ask/demand money.
Once in town, we climbed their steep streets to see their famous rock sculptures that one finds on the rock outcroppings all over the area. We climbed to the top of the town’s highest road and took more pictures.
We stopped at the local grocery store, spoke to their manager, bought some cookies (Susan) and got a Greenland flag. We took photos of kids playing soccer on the parking lot, juggling the ball and passing it around.
We visited the local church, then the only fountain in Greenland and then the museum with a typical sod and stone home fully furnished as the Inuit would have it 70 years ago.
The Inuit people are the cousins of the natives found in Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. Erik the Red sailed here in 982 AD and called it Greenland in hopes it would attract more people to the area.
In Greenland, no two towns are connected by roads. The only way in and out of Qaqortoq is by helicopter or by water craft. There was only one tourist/souvenir shop (BUTIK) in town and two grocery stores. It was so crowded that Gennie walked in, looked around, and did not buy anything. The people here speak Danish and Greenlandic and use the Danish krone.
We walked around for about 4 hours and went back to the tenders at 5 PM. All of the food services were closed so we will have to wait until happy hour or dinner at 8:15 to get something to eat.
At 5:45 the captain came on the intercom and told us we would be leaving at 6 PM and that we would be traveling at about 10 knots through the southern fjords all night. He hoped the weather would hold so we could see the natural beauty of Greenland and many more icebergs.
Just as we began to sail out of Qaqortoq, going NE, to find an inside passage, we passed a long series of icebergs. One was 20 yards from the ship and was so blue in its center. Others were over 100 yards long and 50 feet high. Quite impressive. Unfortunately, the fog began to come in and hindered our sightings.
My camera’s auto-focus it totally ineffective in fog. So I used Gennie’s but hers does not have the zoom lens of mine. The big difference now is the temperature. When I was on deck, with jacket and wind pants I was frozen in 10 minutes.
At 7:15 we went to the Crows Nest for appetizers and a glass of wine. Then dinner at 8:15. While sitting there, we saw the biggest iceberg we have seen float by the ship. It was over 100 yards long and very tall. They are very majestic but dangerous. Fortunately the multitude of radars on the ship will provide adequate warning.
The sea temperature is 46 and the air is 48 degrees. The humidity is 97.5%. FOG! We would not survive very long in this environment. Tonight, sunset was at 10:13 and sunrise tomorrow will be at 4:06. We will also lose another hour tonight.
ms Rotterdam
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