To Paamiut or Not to Paamiut

At this point, that is no longer the question. I was looking forward to getting off the ship today, even had my Cuddle Duds out ready to wear underneath my clothes since the high in Paamiut, Greenland is predicted to be 44 degrees. However, after a night of the Insignia's fog horns intermittent blowing, the captain's announcement shouldn't have come as much of a surprise. I'll share Ronnie's FaceBook post to explain.

Captain just announced that our call on Paamiut, Greenland is cancelled because of ice flows and dense fog. The blue dot is the ship's position and the red arrow marks the settlement of Paaimut. I included a photo of ice in the fog. The berg is about the size of the ship. Many on board are upset about the cancellation. I was studying Proverbs when the announcement came. E.g. "The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty." (Prov 22:3) I'm happy with a day at sea.

 

you are here

just part of the reason we're skipping port today

Each evening when our room steward turns down beds (yes, with chocolate), he also leaves the next day's itinerary, a copy of USA Times and a Currents sheet with pertinent information about our next port. We obviously won't be spending the day there now, but for the sake of the blog I'll go ahead and mention a few facts about Paamiut (Frederikshab) from the Currents that tell you what we missed.

* Paamiut is a colorful fishing village with a rich Inuit culture (as with our last stop).

* The town's name means "the people who live at the mouth" which is a reference to its location at the mouth of the Kuannersooq Fjord.

* Archeological discoveries indicate that the area was inhabited as far back as 1500 BC.

* Nattoralik is the word for "eagle" in Greenlandic. The youth of the town often name their football or handball teams Nattoralik because of the white-tailed eagles that are so plentiful here. 

* National costumes, still worn today, are made from thousands of tiny beads and pieces of sealskin (probably similar to those we saw while visiting in the home of a local couple yesterday).

* In Winter, there is an uncanny amount of snow in the Paamiut back country. Randonnee skiing or cross-country skiing is hugely popular. I googled randonnee and it means "

a form of skiing across mountainous terrain using equipment specially designed for walking uphill as well as skiing downhill".

In Summer, hiking, climbing mountain peaks and sailing are popular outdoor activities. 

* With the cold winters, women engage in many needlework crafts made from local materials that include oxen wool, mussel shells, soapstone, reindeer antlers and precious stones. 

Ronnie had breakfast in the Terrace Cafe this morning and is attending another shipboard talk as I write this. Not wanting to get out early, I opted for a room service breakfast. The only photos I could take this morning would be of dense fog so I will likely hang out in the room, listen to the news and read "Hillbilly Ellegy" until lunch time.