A New country, a new magnet! Greenland

Yesterday was Sunday, August 6th. We’re headed to Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada. We are leaving the arctic circle and hoping for the warmer temperatures again. I think we have 5 stops in Canada and then we’re overnighting in the big apple. The internet has been very spotty and I haven’t been able to post. For some reason, Roscoe seems to be able to get FB to work but posting for me has been very difficult.

💗 I want to tell those of you who read and respond to my posts that you make me very happy and I appreciate you staying with me. We have 40 days left and the time is just flying by. 💗

The fountain that wasn’t fountaining. Qaqortoq, Greenland

Since I posted last, we have been to two stops in Greenland 🇬🇱, Nanortalik and a slightly bigger town, Qaqortoq, pronounced, Gwak gore, dock. Qaqortoq is considered to be the prettiest town in Greenland. I will post pictures and you can see how cute it is. It has a fountain ( which was empty) in the center of town. It’s the only town square in Greenland with a fountain. Both towns are inhabited by indigenous peoples. Nanortalik has about 1100 people living there and is on an island. and Qaqortoq has about 3,000 people and its on the mainland. If you’re interested, Nuuk ( population 20,000) is the capital and it is about 100 miles north of where we were.

The most interesting places I found in both towns were the cemeteries. They’re filled with white crosses and the graves are covered in rocks. We have lots of pictures of brightly colored houses and white crosses. As you may or may not know, I’m not a shopper and buy very little. I do try to buy a magnet 🧲 in each place. In Nanortalik, there were none, as 3 ships had been in that week. In Qaqortoq I purchased a magnet. Somebody told me I paid $15. Well since I wrote this, I did the math. The magnet was 75 Danish Krone, when I converted, it was $11.08. Oh well, I’m happy to give the locals my $11. A box of wine (2 liters) was $100.

We couldn’t find a place to eat or have coffee in either town. I was told later that there was a pub at the top of the hill in Qaqortoq , but we didn’t walk that far. I read that the Vikings, specifically Eric and his son, Eric the Red, came to Greenland, but most of the people we saw resembled the Inuits of Alaska. At one time, thousands of years ago, they crossed the Bering Sea and settled in Greenland. I could give you all a history lesson, but I’d have to research and that’s not happening today. It’s Sunday and Progressive Trivia is only 30 minutes from now. The big gossip on board is about a couple who cheat at trivia. They win every day and people are not happy with them, just let me say! Also yesterday we had a medical emergency and we were an hour late leaving port because of it. I guess that’s to be expected when the average age is over 70.

Today we had lunch with Mustafa. He’s an older gentlemen who is a widower. We had met him a few weeks ago and just happened to share a table with him today. He emigrated to the US over 50 years ago as a young engineer. He was originally from Turkey. He visited his uncle in Miami, met another engineer who hired him. He thought he’d stay a couple of years, but then guess what? He met a woman. She was from New York City and her family wintered in Miami. They courted, got married and lived and loved until she passed away 10 years ago. He had his own business and his business partner was from Columbus. I loved hearing his story. Yesterday, while walking we met a couple from Seattle and we sat on a bench and talked for half an hour. It’s these exchanges that make cruising so enjoyable for me.

Tonight, we’re going to the Chef’s Table. We’re going with Gary and Liz, two of our trivia partners. 9 courses with 4 wine pairings… we will take pictures and tell you all about it. Wednesday night, we’re having dinner with another couple, Stan and Jacquelyn. They are a young couple, probably in their 60’s from Arizona. He was raised in North Dakota and she is from England. He went to Arizona to study architecture and never left I think they live in Tucson. We met them at the buffet one day and have enjoyed them so much.

Oh one more thing….we were hoping to see the Aurora Borealis, but it’s been so foggy we haven’t been able to see it. So that’s been a disappointment; but we’ve learned to live with it.

Ok, time for trivia. I will post later, if I have internet. I’ve learned to write my blog in notes so that I don’t lose it all when it refuses to post. Thanks to Tricia from Australia for that advice Talk to you soon!

The southern tip of Greenland. Icebergs abound.

It’s about 40 degrees outside. 90% of an iceberg is under the water.

Even here, people seek to beautify. My favorite house in Nanortalik.

People save everything.

Nanortalik cemetery.

I think they paint their houses to counteract the bleakness of the scenery.

We got here early in the evening and went ashore the next morning. Qaqortoq.

Crowded Main Street of Qaqortoq. Two ships were here. Mostly they fish and make garments out of seal fur. The cathedral is the white building on the hill on the left.

My 75DKK or $11 magnet. On the top, It says, Land of the Greenlanders in the Inuit, Greenlandic language.

Cemetery, Qaqortoq. In the middle of town. Flowers bloom everywhere and no one mows. I think they’re so appreciative of the summer greenery that no one cuts them.

The church. I don’t know the denomination. We did see a wedding taking place later. There was also a cathedral, which is the white building on the hill in one of the first pictures.

It was actually pretty warm. I was down to 3 layers And took off my ear covering. Some of the graves had plastic flowers covering them also.