Iceland & Greenland Cruise (August ) 2024: Day 7 - Qaqortoq, Greenland, part 1
Back from a brief break for the continuation of the documentation of this wonderful cruise.
On day 7 we arrived in Qaqortoq, Greenland. Qaqortoq is the largest town in southern Greenland, known for its colorful houses, open-air art exhibition, and natural hot springs, which I read required a boat ride to reach. What a difficult name to remember or pronounce. It is pronounced "kah-kor-tok" and means "white" in Greenlandic. The name's origin is believed to come from the snow-covered surroundings, the town's white rocks, and the large number of white gulls that would create a "white spectacle" when people approached the area's river.
The forecast called for a pleasant day with highs in the 40s. We were hopeful for the same sunny day conditions as what we had in Nanortalik the previous day. However, we were welcomed by rain, non-stop rain from the time we got off the tender boat to the time we boarded it back to the ship.
Given the rainy conditions, we decided the first thing to do is visit the Qaqortoq Museum, located across from the "main square". It is housed in one of the oldest buildings in town, the Royal Greenland Trading Dept, which dates back to 1804 - failed to photograph due to heavy rain. It features permanent collections of Greenlandic artifacts, modern art, and exhibitions on prehistoric Inuit cultures.
Despite its relatively small size, the museum was pretty interesting. I was fascinated by the collection of figurines.
The museum has an upper floor where there is a film showing and an attic with very steep ladder so I didn't dare go up.
The main square features the Mindebrønden, the first of only two fountains in Greenland. It depicts whales spouting water and is a central gathering place for locals.
A pleasant bonus with the purchase of museum ticket is that it allows entry to another, but smaller museum - the Norse Museum. It exhibits artifacts from Norse settlers.
Street sign. I asked the museum guy about this street name. He said, it's not a street name, but it's translation is: All may pass here.
Another building that interested me prior to coming here is the red church, which turned out to be the Church of our Savior, which is a Lutheran church. It was established in 1832 and is part of the old colonial harbor district of the town.
Looks like a little chapel next to it.
Back view of the church and the chapel.
---to be continued---
Happy Thanksgiving, USA!
Despite its relatively small size, the museum was pretty interesting. I was fascinated by the collection of figurines.
The museum has an upper floor where there is a film showing and an attic with very steep ladder so I didn't dare go up.
The main square features the Mindebrønden, the first of only two fountains in Greenland. It depicts whales spouting water and is a central gathering place for locals.
A pleasant bonus with the purchase of museum ticket is that it allows entry to another, but smaller museum - the Norse Museum. It exhibits artifacts from Norse settlers.
Street sign. I asked the museum guy about this street name. He said, it's not a street name, but it's translation is: All may pass here.
Another building that interested me prior to coming here is the red church, which turned out to be the Church of our Savior, which is a Lutheran church. It was established in 1832 and is part of the old colonial harbor district of the town.
Looks like a little chapel next to it.
Back view of the church and the chapel.
---to be continued---
Happy Thanksgiving, USA!
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