JodockWorldTravel

August 2, 2025

When Pam was researching Qaqortoq (pronounced Kah-core-tok) in preparation for this cruise she was particularly struck by the promotional article that used the following pitch:

“Whether you’re interested in sampling local cuisine, viewing ancient Viking ruins, or paddling a kayak around icebergs…”

“Ken’s gonna love this, ” she thought. And as we made our approach to town, she was thinking that’s exactly what we were going to be doing. Traveling through Davis Strait we were greeted by fog, freezing temperatures (check out that “feels like” temperature), and literally surrounded by icebergs.

Fortunately, the town was more welcoming, with slightly warmer temperatures, picturesque hillsides dotted with colorful homes and a gurgling stream flowing through its center. Located in a hollow of a fjord south of town and surrounded by high mountains, Qaqortok is protected from fierce northerly and westerly winds and afforded a relatively mild climate. It was a balmy 42 degrees when we arrived.

We began our self-guided walking tour admiring some of the 40 works of art found throughout the town. Initiated by a local artist, these “sculptures” reflect the work of more than a dozen artists whose goal was to create an open-air gallery that reflects the local culture and history. If you look closely at the photos below, you’ll see images of a school of fish, the Inuit people, and a whale.

We continued along the main road, passing the town’s only church, its babbling brook and one of its main claims to fame, the oldest (and what was once the only) fountain in all of Greenland. Apparently, there’s not a huge call for fountains in sub-arctic climates.

The colorful homes found across all of Greenland are a hold-over from their colonial heritage. There was a time when a building’s color told you the profession of the person living there. Red = church or school; yellow = healthcare; blue = fishing; green = mechanic/electrician/telecommunications; and black = police. One of Qaqortoc’s main industries is fishing, so it’s no surprise you’ll find more blue buildings here than those of any other color.

This is the view looking out from the town…

The locals were kind enough to share their culture through musical performances offered free of charge in the church and community center.

We stopped by a local pottery shop, where we learned that they use clay found under the ice sheet for their creations.

We discovered the lake the stream that runs through town feeds into. Two local boys were entertaining the tourists by repeatedly jumping into what even they seemed to acknowledge was freezing cold water.

How would you like to have to climb these stairs to get to and from work or school every day? There are many like them all over town.

It’s a good thing most Qaqortoqians (?) speak English. We’re not so sure we could ever return the favor by learning to speak Greenlander. You try pronouncing this street name!

Having seen just about all there is to see in this little town of 3,000 in less than an hour, we were headed back to the ship when Pam spotted this pretty little guy swimming under the makeshift bridge leading to the tender. If you can get past the reflections of light on the water, you can see a good-size jelly fish just below the water’s surface.

It was after 10:00 p.m. when we were making our way back into the Atlantic Ocean and took these pictures.

This is why they call this the land of the midnight sun!