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Fog Moves in on Tasermiut Fjord
Fog moves in on Tasermiut Fjord near Nanortalik, Greenland. The peak is Qaqqarsuasik (Storfjeldet), 1,833 feet (559 m).
DSC_0904p1Caribbean Princess once again lay offshore, now in the Tasermiut Fjord, for the port call at Nanortalik. Nanortalik harbour is not deep enough for ocean-going vessels, so the ship anchored around a rocky peninsula, out of sight of the town. Tenders took some time to reach shore from Caribbean Princess. The port was again a reminder of how dependent Greenland's communities are upon ocean-borne cargo. A new ambulance had recently been unloaded and still stood on the pier atop its shipping container.
Nanortalik is Greenand's tenth largest community with about 1,350 inhabitants. The name means "Place Where the Polar Bears Gather". It is the southernmost community in Greenland, not far from Cafe Farvel at the tip of the island. It is similar to, but much smaller than, the other towns we had visited. Blue and red painted buildings constructed dot a rocky landscape. Again, there were enjoyable public sculptures erected to brighten the atmosphere in these seemingly isolated places. A group of Inuit ladies outside the senior center were selling samplers of their beadwork.
The center of town has Kujalleq Kommune (municipality) offices, the fish market, a supermarket, a community center, a senior center, the post office and the
Tasermiut Fjord
Tasermiut Fjord near Nanortalik, Greenland.
DSC_0796 visitor center. Housing varied from apartment blocks to colorful red and blue houses like those of Qaqortoq. Further down the main street was the town's church and the open-air museum of the colonial townsite. The church, dating to 1916, is in a Gothic Revival style unusual for Greenland. Inside, the organist was practicing on what turned out to be the oldest pipe organ in Greenland.
Beyond the church in the Colonial Harbour area was the museum. Admission to the Nanortalik Museum was US$5. It is an open air museum base around the town's structures from the 18th and 19th century colonial era. The vista from the open-air museum out over Tasermiut Fjord was breathtaking. The museum buildings centered around the two whale oil processing houses and the Royal Greenland Trading Company store. Whale oil production had once been the major industry in the community. The former doctor's office has been set up to show the history of health care delivery in the area.
We learned that school was out for the day to give students the opportunity to practice English with the visitors. However, a group of young boys were enjoying themselves at the harbor by jumping into
Quassik (Ravnefjeldet)
Quassik (Ravnefjeldet) mountain, 1,010 feet (308 m) above Nanortalik, Greenland. Tasermiut Fjord.
DSC_0797 the water from a barge. They were certainly having fun, and were showing off for the visitors!
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