We arrived in Nuuk, Greenland early this morning. When we saw ice floating by the ship, we thought we were in for a really cold day but actually it turned out warm and sunny, with a high of 60 degrees! The ship anchored a mile or so away from the dock so again it was necessary to tender in. Ronnie is very disciplined so he usually goes to the Horizon Lounge to have his quiet time, some coffee and a muffin. After breakfast, he attended a lecture onboard and then exercised in the onboard gym. I, on the other hand, ordered room service breakfast, was completely lazy and didn't accomplish a thing.
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an iceberg floats by our ship
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more ice floating at the pier
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city of Nuuk, Greenland
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Nuuk, the largest city in Greenland
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statue of missionary Hans Egede, founder of Nuuk (1728)
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rocky coastline of Nuuk
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Since the weather was nice, we ate on the deck at the Terrace Cafe and then took the tender to shore for an early afternoon excursion. Once ashore, we met our guide along with maybe 10 others. He talked as we drove around the island for a short introduction to the area and then we proceeded to the home of a local couple for coffee and cake. Coffee here is called kaffemik (tea is teamik). Our hosts were very gracious locals who live in what I suspect to be a typical one bedroom apartment.
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host couple's wedding 3 years ago
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We were served tea or coffee by our host. I noticed a half freezer in the hallway as we entered where they keep their frozen food. His wife introduced us to some of the staples in their diet - dried codfish and raw seal fat. They offered us a taste (um...no thanks) and a few tasted the codfish.
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host serves us cake, tea or coffee
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whale fat a standard staple - eaten raw
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seal fat - eaten raw
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She also showed us their wedding clothes and some special
ceremonial clothes made by her grandmother. They were made out of seal
skin and decorated with very intricate needlework and beading work. The
leather is very tough and she explained that the needle had to be heated
to get through the skin.
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celebratory clothing made of seal skin
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seal skin boot with intricate needle work
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| host showing us their wedding clothes |
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seal fur and hand beaded blouse (very heavy!)
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an old cemetery in what was once the outskirts of town
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Nuuk Cathedral (est 1848)
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colorful kayaks for rent
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animal fur hats, gloves and shoes for sale
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Unfortunately we didn't make it to the fresh fish market where the locals bring in their daily catch. But we did make a quick run through a local craft store for a postcard before our driver picked us up to return us to the pier. By that time, it was tea time on the ship so we ruined our dinner with tea, jam and scones. Tonight we eat in one of the two specialty restaurants onboard. I'm sure we'll be ready to eat in a couple more hours. There's no dieting on a cruise ship!
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I realize I know next to nothing about Greenland. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMe neever! I would have enjoyed spending more time there (but only in the summer) ha! Thanks for following along! xoxo
DeleteBarb: What a lovely village. The coastline looks like old volcanic activity. Do you know? Greg saw the ocean kayaks and was all in for a seal hunt. I guess I would bead and sew with the grannies ! The kitchen looks large in the photo. Is that the gathering place for everything, like our grandma's kitchens were? Did anyone in the group taste the whale or seal fat? Those slippers look so soft!
ReplyDeleteRoy and I had a good laugh at the description of Ronnie’s and your morning routines!!!
DeleteDid not know missionaries were sent to Greenland. It is picturesque with all the colorful dwellings.
It is very hospitable of the locals to share their homes, cuisine and customs. Their beadwork and use of the animals’ skins and fur is beautiful, but I don’t think I could sew with a hot needle for very long unless I was wearing a glove made with a warm or hot needle! Lol
Did Ronnie share what the morning lecture covered?
This blog was the first description of ‘Greenland’ we’ve had - we will pass on eating the fat, but then I think of fried chicken we enjoy….to each his own!
So glad I finally have enough internet to reply to your great comments! Yes, I thought of you because the first missionary in Nuuk was Lutheran. I read online "Evangelical Lutheranism is the official religion. It is followed by nearly two-thirds of the population; about one-third of Greenlanders follow other forms of Christianity. Traditional beliefs, including shamanism, are still practiced by a small minority." The last part doesn't surprise me because our guide told us that the weather had been terrible until the day we arrived (beautiful, sunny) because he had asked his shaman to give us good weather. So it's probably a "mix" of Christianity and some of their tradition as well. As far as the couple whose home we visited in, they were very hospitable but I'm sure they get paid by Oceania to host guests in their homes. Karen, I would sooner sew with a hot needle (although I hate sewing) than chew on whale fat! lol PS Ronnie is writing a play (based on his book) right now and he has found her lectures to be very helpful!
DeleteBarb, yes the coastline is basically just large volcanic deposits - if it was warm enough to sunbathe, you'd be doing it on a rock! lol The home of the locals that we visited was typical, and really just what we would consider a one-bedroom apartment with an open kitchen/living area. No one in our group went for the seal or whale fat, but a few tasted the dried cod. Ronnie accidentally touched the bag with seal fat and had to excuse himself to wash his fishy-smelling hand. ha! There are 8 MILLION seals in Greenland, but licensed hunters are only allowed to take 20 per year and they must use every part of it. They believe that animals have souls so they kill them with one quick bullet to the head. Cod fish is their main export. I hate needlework but if I had to make a choice, I'd be inside sewing with the grannies too! ;)
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