Photos of Qaqortoq, Greenland from the ship...

 After I had lunch, the fog lifted.  I took a few more shots from the ship that were without some of the hazy conditions.  I will be going into this colorful town for a walking tour.  The word "Qaqortoq" means "white" in the Greenlandic language.

Folks getting on and off the tenders at the dock in Qaqortoq.

Several ships have moved in and out of the port today.

One of the tenders making its way to the dock.

The homes perched on the side of the mountain are so colorful.

There's no bad view from the city of Qaqortoq.

This is an aerial view from the mountains looking down at Qaqortoq.  I didn't take this photo, but the view looks toward the harbor.  The ship is docked in the waters to the left of the small peninsula mid-picture.

Source:  Your Ultimate Travel Guide to Qaqortoq, Greenland.

The ship pulled into the calm bay of Qaqortoq, Greenland (here’s how you pronounce this city).  The 1600
residents live perched on the sides of the hills overlooking the bay.  This is the fourth or fifth largest city in Greenland.

Qaqortoq has been settled since prehistoric times with the Saqqaq people (an Eskimo/Inuit people).  Today it is part of the kingdom of Denmark.  So, the people of Greenland are Danish nationals.

An interesting fact:  Greenland is the largest island in the world.

I will be taking a walking tour of the town of Qaqortoq this afternoon.

Much of Greenland is above the article circle.  I think we'll venture above this line in Iceland.

Here are a few of my photos upon the ship's arrival on this foggy morning.

The homes are huddled together in the largest city in southern Greenland.

Here's where our tender boats will unload passengers.

Tourism is one of the important parts of the economy in Qaqortoq.

The homes are very colorful perched in the hills.

This boater wasn't afraid of hitting an iceberg in the harbor of Qaqortoq.

The captain’s announcements…

 The captain of the ship can be counted on to make an announcement at noon each day.  He points out some trivia and the gives us the weather forecast for the day and for the next port of call.  The captain noted that the aurora was visible this morning before sunrise at 4 AM.  I wasn’t up at that time.  He said the possibility of seeing it tonight was very slim with the overcast skies.

The sea is a little rough today and it’s windy.  He used the weather conditions to talk about how waves are formed in the ocean by wind.  They eventually die out when the winds stop.  Ir is getting colder, too.

Based on my use of an online navigation tool, the ship seems to be about halfway to Greenland this afternoon.  The ship will tender at Qaqortoq, Greenland, tomorrow morning.  I hope the seas aren’t too rough for the me to go ashore.

The Nieuw Statendam's location on 8/8/22 at about 4 pm.  Rough seas and foggy!

Red Bay, Labrador

I spent today on a school bus with 44 other folks to see the small fishing community of Red Bay.  This is an important underwater archaeological site.  The group heard stories of Basque whalers who made fortunes in the area off of whale oil.  The oil powered European lamps for decades.  An independent whaler could purchase his ship, pay his deck hands and oil processors, and sail back with whale oil that would yield a profit on his very first trip to this part of America.

The bus took us to see the Channel Head Lighthouse, the border between Labrador and Quebec provinces, and to have a lunch of the local cuisine. It was an overcast day, but the weather was comfortable with no rain. 

Unfortunately, when the bus returned an ambulance was at the dock.  A cruiser was being delivered from the ship to a local hospital.  It seems that we had this happen in every port of call so far.

A view of the local river outside Red Bay.  The bridge was a wooden bridge!

The tour was a portion of the Labrador Coastal Drive.

A look at the beach from the local restaurant where the group had lunch.

The bus went as far as the Quebec border before turning around.

Point Amour Lighthouse is the tallest in Atlantic Canada, and the second tallest in the country.  Located at L'Anse Amour, on the Strait of Belle Isle, this lighthouse was built in 1857 to increase the safety of transatlantic shipping.

Lunch consisted of Fish and Brewis which is a meal made up of salt cod and hard bread.  We also had fish cakes made with code with potatoes.  I decided not to ask for the recipe for the fish and brewis.

Red Bay was the first tender port of the journey.  

The beauty of Corner Brook, Newfoundland...

I took the "stroll" as it was described in the list of excursions today.  The tour had two walks.  The first was the walk in the Margaret Bowater Park to the stream for which Corner Book is named.  This was not a stroll, but a full-blown hike.  It was largely uphill.  The paved trail that was advertised was actually gravel.  One of the guests fell and skinned his knee.  I'm sure he'll be very sore tomorrow.  

I completed the first walk, but boy I could barely make it.  After it was over, the group was to take a second walk downtown.  I looked at my sugar level, which was dropping, so I took a glucose tablet to boost the number.

The guides today were a father and son team, and the son was a registered nurse.  The father was also diabetic and about my age.  We decided it was best if I didn't do the second walk because of my current sugar levels.  So, I joined the six people electing not to do the second walk and return to the ship. 

The weather today was beautiful.  I was extremely warm.  Our guides said this weather was very unusual for this time of year.  

The captain made an announcement as we exited the port of Corner Brook, Newfoundland.  Tomorrow's weather is not expected to be so good in Greenland.  In fact, he said the expected rough seas may prevent our visit to Qaqortoq, Greenland. This is a small tender port, and only one tender can unload at a time.  I think he was preparing us for some disappointment with regard to our next port of call.

The Nieuw Statendam is one of the newest and largest ships in the HAL fleet.  I prefer the smaller ships, and this one is bigger than I like.  Everything is new and shiny though,

A stop along the highway to take advantage of an observation point.  

The hike begins in Margaret Bowarer Park.

After a very strenuous hike, here's the view from the observation deck.  It was hard to see the stream below because of the vegetation.

This part of Canada has a boreal forests or Taiga.  It is an arctic forest that exists in the northern-most parts of Canada, Alaska, Russia:

"Boreal forests or taiga, are the Earth’s northernmost forests, covering vast tracts of land across Alaska, Canada, northern Europe, and Russia. They are among the world’s leading purveyors of ecosystem services, including carbon storage and clean water, and they harbor globally significant wildlife populations. The conifers spruce, fir, pine and larch dominate boreal forests along with birch and aspen. Boreal forests are flammable, and large fires which renew forest health and regulate their value as wildlife habitat are common."   

The Neiuw Statendam is one of the newest classes of HAL ships.

A look at Corner Brook from an observation point on the way to the park.

The beginning of the trail in Margaret Bowater Park.

After a very rigorous hike, it was kind of a letdown.  It was hard to see the brook from above.

Corner Brook is one of the places I’ve been where there Is a one-half-hour time change.  The ship had moved its clocks up an hour for Nova Scotia.  We had to change our clocks by 30 minutes last night to be in sync with this part of Newfoundland. 

There are a few places in the world that have 30 and 45-minute adjustments in time.

Areas of the world that have unusual time changes of 30 and 45 minutes from surrounding areas.

Arriving in Corner Brook, Newfoundland

The ship docked this morning as I ate breakfast. We had arrived in Corner Brook, Newfoundland.  After finishing breakfast, I took the shots below of this quaint town upon arrival.

I will be taking a walk this afternoon.  It's called a stroll to Corner Brook Stream.  The temperature is supposed to be 78 degrees this afternoon.  This is a little cooler than the 90s of Sydney, Nova Scotia.

The city is the most northern city in the Atlantic region of Canada.  It is located at the mouth of the Humber River.

A view of Corner Brook, Newfoundland.

It looks like a quaint city.  You can see the church in the middle of the town.

With such a large group from the cruise ship, they have sent the school buses to fetch us for excursions,

It wouldn't be a port without some containers waiting for a ship.

Off to a great start…

I haven’t had time to write for the blog.  I’ve been busy with activities and completing my “side gig” from my main job of being retired.  I’ve had to finalize grades for the students in my online economics class.  They finished up on Monday before I left for the trip.  They took exams during the next three days, and I had to finalize their progress in the course.

Day 1 was a very foggy sea day.  The foghorn was constantly blowing. Day 2 was spent in Sydney, Nova Scotia.  I took a tour that included a drive along the Cabot Trail.  The highway drive was scenic, and we had several photo stops before entering the Cape Breton Highland National Park.  Lunch was included at a restaurant featured on the Canadian Food Network show “You’ve Got to Eat Here.”

The Cabot Trail is 185 miles long, so the tour only covered a portion of it during out time with the local tour guide.

Here are few of my photos from the drive.

A giant fiddle welcomes you to Sydney, Nova Scotia.  The folks call themselves "Islanders."

The view from a scenic overlook on the Cabot Trail.

Folks enjoying a very warm day at the Beach in the national park.  That's the Atlantic Ocean.

Another view from a scenic overlook on the Cabot Trail.

A view of the Cabot Highway and the Atlantic Ocean.

Another view of the Cabot Trail from Smokey Mountain.

I didn't take this shot, but it shows the part of the Cabot Trail that climbs Smokey Mountain in the Cape Breton Highlands on Breton Island, Nova Scotia.

Sometimes you have to have a little chaos....

Boarding the ship this morning was a little chaotic.  The screening is done by the port staff.  Most of these folks are retired people who work this as a way to supplement their income.  They must not have had any former teachers used to handling crowds of people. It seems that most of the passengers felt that the rules were a suggestion rather than a requirement.  Well, I got screened, and took my place sitting in the terminal. 

The big battle is getting there…

I had no problems with the airlines.  All flights went as scheduled.  All passengers were well behaved.  A small number of folks wore masks, and I was in that group.  My philosophy is better safe than sorry.

Travel went as planned, but I still had an eventful day.  I’m getting older, and I could tell I’m slowing down.  First, it was the final day of class with my summer school economics class.  It was busy.  Student (and parents) were panicking because all work had to be finalized and submitted by 11:59 PM on August 1.  The phone rang with students needing help.  Some even called to ask me which assignment they could do again (they should be able to see that for themselves in the learning management system) to boost their average before the exam. 

I decided to take a nap.  I fell asleep, and the phone rang.  It was a parent who wanted a little assistance for her son.  I then concentrated on grading the final assignments until a little after midnight.  I had to be at the airport at 4 AM, so again I tried to nap.

Before napping I had to take my nighttime meds, and I overdosed my meds for the night.  I keep my meds in one of those containers for all pills for the week by day.  I was groggy and I ended up opening two of the segments and gulping down the handful of pills all at once.  I then realized what I had done.  So, I figured I would take my daytime meds the next night. 

After a couple of hours sleep, I headed to the airport at 3:30 AM.  I live 6.7 miles so I had plenty of time.  I parked in the garage which had been prearranged (you get a cheaper rate for parking that’s prearranged).  I lugged my luggage to the ticket counter.  No waiting.  Folks at the counter were extremely nice.  I lifted my carry-on bag and the zipper broke open.  My computer came out and hit the floor along with my camera.  I figured they were now going to be useless on the trip.  The agent was wonderful and patient.  The agents helped me get the zipper on this new bag back together.  The agent offered to check it for free along with my other free checked bags.  I checked the bag, but soon remembered I had left all paperwork in the car.  No problem the agent said.  I handed her my passport and she gave my boarding pass.

I left the terminal back for the short walk to my car.  I picked up my paperwork for the trip, and I was back off to security.  I heard a familiar beep in my pocket as I easily passed through security.  All of the earlier commotion had triggered a drop in my sugar levels.  My sugar level was 60, and the alarms on my phone and receiver were blaring.  The answer to this was problem was a glass of orange juice.  Orange juice is loaded with sugar and I knew it would instantly bring up my sugar levels.  The only food vendor open for breakfast didn’t have orange juice.  I went to the drink machine and purchased a Mountain Dew with all the calories and all the caffeine.  That worked.  I have glucose pills, but they were in my carry-on bag that had been checked.

I made it to La Guardia in New York City.  No delays. 

I got off the plane and made my way for my next flight to Boston.  I heard that familiar beep.  Sugar levels dropping fast.  My Mountain Dew had worn off.  I found the first restaurant that served breakfast.  A kind waiter helped me order (you have to do it online with an app).  He brought me my glass of orange juice.  Soon the beeping stopped.  I ate my $36 breakfast, but I was glad to enjoy it and stop that beeping sound in my pocket.

I made it to my gate.  I decided I was not going to move until the plane loaded a couple of hours later.  I did people watching in the interim.  So many families with young kids were around me.  Then I noticed that the flight at the next gate was going to Orlando.  They were going to those theme parts in Florida.  That’s why they all had smiles on their faces.

No issues with luggage.  They were among the first to come out and onto the conveyor belt in Boston.  I made it to my Boston hotel room.  I checked my camera.  I took a picture.  It worked!  I next fired up my new laptop computer.  It worked, too.  They talk about technology that can take a lot abuse; they were right, my Nikon and Lenovo Yoga were tough.

I got caught up with sleep after my room service dinner.  I will soon be heading to the cruise port.  My boarding time is 12:40 pm.  I can then wait for my luggage and unpack for the next 24 days.

Despite all of the horror stories about the airlines and travel in the USA, things went well.  No problems, no delays, no passengers being arrested.

I pondered the problems of my travel.  They were all related to my aging body.  This experience let me know if I want to continue to travel, I had better work on my diet and exercise!