Off to Iceland, Day 7, 08/09/26 Qaqortoq Greenland

Qaqortoq, Greenland
Blue Sky, Bright Sun, Hi 52
Sunrise 5:59, Sunset 10:19

We sailed into Qaqortoq (cock-or-talk) during lunch so the morning was ours to squander.
So of course we were up at 6:30 to exercise
So we could enjoy a Mamsen’s waffle
Before the first lecture of the day.

It should be noted that Viking has prepared a series of history slide decks for each itinerary. It is the first job of the Resident Historian to deliver lectures using these decks. The materials for this voyage, covering the histories of Canada, Nova Scotia, and Viking expansion throughout the western world, were uninspired, and try as he might our Historian struggled to make them better.

Then came today and the first of the lectures he prepared from his own materials. I caught him at lunch and told him I felt like we had moved from History 101 to History 301.
His thesis was that the history of Greenland is the history of the meeting of east and west – the east represented by the earliest inhabitants – peoples migrating from across the top of Canada and subsequent iterations of similar groups (Dorset, Thule, Inuit) and the west represented by the various European groups who sought to establish control. He followed the ‘back and forth’ history of control and settlement and pointed out that the initial draw for tribes from the east was the North Water Polynya, an area of the sea between northwest Greenland and Canadian islands with open water year-round. For people whose subsistence was mainly from the sea this was a treasure trove of possibility and control of this area was highly prized. From the east such land as there was inspired their settlement. Particularly in a more temperate period in the 10th – 12th centuries european settlers brought farming and animal husbandry and expanded their presence around the rim of the island. This lasted until the mini-ice age in the early 13th century. European farming methods became unsustainable and the settlers were unable (or unwilling) to learn from their native neighbors – who continued their lives as they had done successfully for generations.

It was a very interesting topic and he made it clear and understandable.

The next lecture was delivered by our rocket scientist.

He was in a particularly appropriate position to deal with this topic. He spent his career interfacing with the Russians (and others) on the technical details of building the ISS. He told stories, talked about the predecessor space labs and how they technologies and lessons learned helped to develop the ISS, and reviewed some of the scientific achievements that have been realized thru this project. Fascinating!

As I said we seamed into port during lunch.
We quickly finished eating and hit the deck to capture some of the magnificent vistas around us.

Snow-capped peaks among the clouds
First sighting of an iceberg around the bend
Qaqortoq
Closeup of Qaqortoq – Note the bright colors

Our excursion was scheduled for 2:30.
We presented ourselves and were ushered onto the tender boats to transfer to shore.

There we were met by our guide and walked a ways (uphill)…

Colorful houses and apartments nestled among the outcrops
Deep concrete lined ditch beside the road. They must get a lot of runoff.

…to a home where we removed our shoes and were greeted by the Husband, Wife, and teenage Daughter.
The guide was along to translate for us but he was largely unnecessary because the family spoke quire good English (in addition to 3-4 other languages).
They served us coffee/tea and cake and answered questions about living in Qaqortoq. The husband and wife are both teachers – she in the elementary school and he in a local technical college. The daughter is (tomorrow) entering her final year of high school. They also showed us the traditional costumes and talked about how they are made and the symbolism in their design.
We had a great visit and were privileged to learn so much from them.