Greenland – Day 5 can be found here.
Another early morning, though not as early as last time – a mere 6:15 am for us adults and 6:30 am for the kids. (Ok, maybe I wasn’t up until 6:25 am…)
Off to La Terrazza for breakfast. Once again, just a quick stopover for the breakfast buffet – though there was time for the cappuccino today. Then back to the room to prepare for our birding and nature walk.
Today’s excursion was the subject of some controversy in our family group, as we had previously been booked to take the Strenuous Hike instead – an anticipated 10 to 15 km climb over the mountain overlooking Qaqortoq. But after much consideration, we thought that would be beyond our family’s abilities. So we opted for the less-strenuous nature walk instead.
Qaqortoq is larger than Nanortalik, and quite beautiful – more in the way of colourful homes and less stark industry, all set into a steep and rolling hillside. It seemed a difficult spot in which to build a town, but it was no less pretty for the effort.
Off for our nature walk, which was admittedly slower than what we would prefer. But we again had the chance to take in some Greenlandic daily life – including a mother who was clearly late to drop off her child, as she hustled him up the stairs to his school. Not dissimilarly, we saw a mother duck herding her ducklings as they drifted down an icy river.
Polar bears had been sighted in the town not long ago, so our bear monitoring team was out in force – which also meant that we needed to take a more circuitous route through a junkyard in order to reach the nearby lake of Allagarsuit-Kongesten.
But it was worth the walk – once at the lake, we were free to roam and explore and take in a spectacular natural setting.
Better yet, the not-very-strenuous tour ended at Kunguak Café & Icebar, and the kids were absolutely thrilled to eat ice cream in Greenland. My son had Smartie ice cream with chocolate and caramel sauce in the bottom of the cone, my wife chose blueberry ice cream in a cup, and I chose a cone of Italian wedding cake with chocolate sauce.
And our daughter? A mint chocolate chip cone with caramel and strawberry sauce. She said it was delicious. The rest of us are skeptical.
We then took a brief walk through town, but at this point the wind had died down and the midges and mosquitoes had picked up dramatically. So we opted for a quick stop in the souvenir shop before heading back. There we picked up some Greenland flag patches, which we’ll attach to our parkas once we get home.
We also ran into one of the Strenuous Hikers, who informed us that the 10 – 15 km death march turned out to be closer to 5 km instead. That was quite irritating, as we could have managed that handily. We vowed that we will be taking the next Strenuous Fitness Activity offered by Silversea, even if they claim it will be a 30 mile climb over radioactive glass infested with rabid crocodiles.
Back to the boat, where our son finished the day’s iteration of the Silver Quiz and we went to the Panorama Lounge for trivia. Another strong finish – placing second – though the winning team managed a perfect score! A rare achievement, indeed.
Off to the Grill, where I managed to convince myself to swap my usual burger for a Reuben. It was delicious, though a bit light on the pastrami – I wonder if they’re running out? Still, the sauerkraut was quite tasty. And that’s practically a salad, isn’t it?
No time to ponder such philosophical questions, as I was off for my much beloved, much missed power nap. When I woke up, we were approaching Hvalsey. It was time to get ready for our second landing of the day.
The water had turned quite rough since our departure from Qaqortoq – rough enough to cancel kayaking. Plus, the existing dock had been taken over by a family’s cabin cruiser. So we would need to make a wet landing.
But Silversea handled this with their usual thoroughness, and indeed there was even a “green carpet” (a strip of astroturf) laid out across the rocks to make our arrival as comfortable as possible.
Given that Hvalsey is “only” a handful of ruined structures, we didn’t expect to stay long – but it turned out to be one of the highlights of our cruise so far. The bear monitors had overwatch of the entire 500 m x 500 m fenced perimeter, so we were free to roam over the rocks, rivers and grasslands and imagine what it would’ve been like to have lived here almost a millennia ago.
Hvalsey makes it easy to imagine – it’s Greenland’s largest, best-preserved example of a Norse settlement. A significant portion of the community’s church remains intact, along with the landowner’s estate house. According to the Book of Settlements, this farmstead was established by Thorkell Farserk, uncle of Erik the Red.
The site was founded in the late 10th century, and the last documented event at the church was a wedding that took place in 1408. It was then abandoned – precisely why and for where remains unknown. More on this here – Hvalsey Church Ruin – [Visit Greenland!]
Kristian Pederson (one of the expert lecturers) was on site to provide context to this beautiful, haunting site. When asked about the site’s potential to support life, he noted that the prevalence of fish and sea life made it unlikely that anyone inhabiting the area would ever starve.
The Vikings there were Europeans and would have had European values – a desire to be part of a larger community. They wanted to trade and to aspire to more, as evidenced by the presence of beads and jewelry in the gravesites.
But Greenland at this time was growing increasingly colder – indeed, ice shelves extended across the UK at this point – and it got to the point where it would be 20 to 30 years between the arrival of ships. Indeed, there are records of a Norse ship arriving at Greenland and being close enough to see the people on the shore but not to reach them due to the pack ice.
So Kristian’s theory is that it was isolation that eventually led to the community’s abandonment.
We then took a few minutes to climb a rock face and enjoy the commanding view over the ruined church and winding fjord. And then it was time to go.
The seas had deteriorated further since our arrival, and the winds were working against us – which made for a rough, wet return trip. No complaints from the kids, however, as rough zodiac rides have proven to be one of their favourite activities.
Back to the Cloud, where we changed for dinner at La Terrazza. My daughter had the striploin, my wife the king prawns, and I had the breaded veal chop. All of it very delicious – even more so accompanied by the stunning view of rolling hills and icebergs out the stern.
Then off to our staterooms, where we enjoyed a glass of champagne out on the verandah and bid goodbye to the icebergs that had accompanied us since we first arrived at the coast of Greenland.
But no need to set an alarm for tomorrow – we would be enjoying a much-anticipated sea day.
Tomorrow’s Chronicles:
The sun sets on the Cloud:
Continue reading Greenland – Day 7 here.