I ventured from the ship to take a walking tour of
Qaqortoq. The guide for the group was a
young man of native Inuit descent. His English
was good. He said they start Danish in
second grade and English in third grade.
He showed us the town hall, a store like Sam’s or Costco, and the
largest privately owned store in Greenland.
He said color distinguished the buildings. The town hall in each community is red. The bank is a blue color, and each bank follows
this color scheme.
He told us there were local restaurants and bars, but no
national chains like McDonalds, Taco Bell, or Starbucks have come to Iceland. He said the population could not sustain such
a store.
Most people walk in Qaqortoq. A few people own cars, but they are often for
a sideline business of transporting folks (similar to Uber). The sun came out, so it was a very comfortable afternoon for the tour.
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| The sun broke through the clouds about mid-day. |
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| One of the excursions was a helicopter ride to see the glaciers. It only cost $850 per person to do this today. Even with the high cost the activity was sold out like most of the excursions. |
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| Most people get around by walking. Those who have cars also run a sideline businees to transporting folks. |
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| This is the largest chain of private owned stores. Look out Wal-Mart! |
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| The colorful homes make this town truly spectacular. |
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| This stream comes from the lake that provides the drinking water for the community. |
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| This is the home of the original founder of Qaqortoq. |
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| The entrance to a store similar to Sams's of Costco. You get a rebate of 3% on purchases. |
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| This store looked like many others in the USA. |
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| This young man served as our guide on the walking tour. He said he was nervous because this was his first tour. He did a great job! |
Tomorrow the ship will be navigating the narrow passageways
of Prince
Christian Sound. The captain says it
is a sight to behold, and the passageway is very narrow for the ship in
segments.
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| Tomorrow we'll be sailing the fjords of Prince Christian Sound. To celebrate this route, the ship will be serving Dutch Pea Soup. Gluhwein (mulled wine) will be served, too. |
