Before President-elect Trump took a shine to it, Greenland was already on the radar of the cruise ship industry with many vessels choosing picturesque Greenlandic towns for their ports of call.
Cruise ship passengers take photos of fjords in Greenland (Danuta Hamlin)
One of the ports is Qaqortoq, the largest town in southern Greenland.
Qaqortoq means “white” in the Greenlandic language. (Danuta Hamlin)
Sailing from Iceland, the ship followed in the footsteps of Eric the Red, a Norseman who settled this area in 982. As Eric was exiled from Iceland, he made his home here and called it Greenland.
Some 80% of the island is covered by icecap and the remaining parts do not appear very green either.
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Majestic shores of Greenland (Danuta Hamlin)
According to some historians, Eric the Red came up with the name simply for promotional purposes.
He set out to attract more settlers from Iceland and advertised the island as a green land. Some experts say that Greenland could have been warmer at the time, but starting in the 15th century it experienced what is known as “The Little Ice Age.”
Children in Nanortalik, Greenland. (Danuta Hamlin)
Life in Greenland became too harsh for Europeans. But the native population of the Island found ways to persevere.
Julianehåb River runs through the center of Qaqortoq, Greenland. (Danuta Hamlin)
Nestled in the midst of a scenic fjord system, with a creek cascading across the town, and snow capping the mountain peaks even in the spring, Qaqortoq is a fascinating place to explore.
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Qaqortoq is the fourth-largest town in Greenland. (Danuta Hamlin)
Building highways in Greenland is expensive, therefore Qaqortoq is not connected by road to any other town or village. However, when the weather is warmer, the region provides ample opportunities for nature hikes, kayaking and fishing.
Qaqortoq Greenland (Danuta Hamlin)
The town was founded in 1775, as a trade colony, by Norwegian explorer Anders Olsen. With a population of just a little over 3,000, it offers a glimpse of Greenlandic life, Viking history and Nordic-inspired architecture.
The hills are peppered with colorful houses, creating a delightful contrast with the severe peaks of the surrounding fjords.
A street sign in Greenland. Greenlandic is an Eskimo–Aleut language with about 57,000 speakers. (Danuta Hamlin)
Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, but the official language is Greenlandic. It’s a polysynthetic language which means that, technically, there is no limit to the length of a Greenlandic word.
Deciphering local signs can be fun and challenging at the same time.
Stone & Man, an open-air art project in Qaqortoq, Greenland, featuring rock carvings and sculptures (Danuta Hamlin)
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Although trees are not easy to find, the area is full of all kinds of rocks and boulders. Some of them were turned into carvings of faces and whales, in a tribute called “Stone & Man.” This open-air gallery is the work of local Qaqortoq artist Aka Høegh.
Mindebrønden fountain is the older of the only two public fountains in Greenland. (Danuta Hamlin)
Qaqortoq boasts the oldest fountain in the country – Mindebrønden – Memorial Fountain. The fountain was completed in 1932 and is turned off during the winter months.
A fish market in Qaqortoq. Seal meat is a key ingredient in Greenland’s national dish, Suaasat. (Danuta Hamlin)
The town’s fish market sells whatever has been caught on a given day by local fishermen. It could be fish, or it could be whale meat, or perhaps a seal.
Qaqortoq is, after all, a fisherman’s town and seafood plays a vital part in Greenland’s diet.
Nanortalik is a village on Nanortalik Island, with some 1,072 inhabitants. (Danuta Hamlin)
The official religion of Greenland is Evangelical Lutheranism. In another port of call, a village called Nanortalik, members of the local congregation welcomed tourists with a musical performance.
Nanortalik choir singing outdoors in Greenland in 2018. (Danuta Hamlin)
Nanortalik means the “Place of Polar Bears”. No bears, however, were spotted loitering around the village.
Nanortalik’s old colonial port area is an open-air museum. (Danuta Hamlin)
Greenland is the world’s largest island – a treat for any tourist adventuresome enough to venture there.
Cruise ship passengers take photos of fjords in Greenland (Danuta Hamlin)
The author recently took a cruise to Greenland.
