The View From My Beer
My first ever beer from Greenland was a stubbie of Qajaq Helles Lager. The water comes directly from the glaciers, making the moment extra special. I had to look closely to find a pub/bar as the buuldings in town look almost the same apart from the different colors used. The only clue of where a cold beer could be found was the small sign.
Nanortalik
Nanortalik means ‘place of polar bears’ in Greenlandic. While not common, polar bears do occasionally drift into the area on ice floes from East Greenland. The town of Nanortalik is located on an island at the mouth of Tasermiut Fjord. It is the southernmost town in Greenland with a population of 1,000.
My Walk
My research had failed to identify any notable attractions to see in Nanortalik. My tentative plans were to wander through town and enjoy the Greenland experience before finding trail long the shores of the fjord.
Icebergs
The first thing I noticed when I got up today was the presence of icebergs in the water. After visits to Norway and iceland, I had discounted icebergs as being something I would encounter on this trip. They are a challenge to photograph as they often hide along the coastline and don’t look anywhere near as spectacular on film as the do in person.
Nanortalik
The logistics for getting ashore detail were challenging. The port only has room to dock one tender boat at a time. As a result, it took me 2.5 hours to get ashore this morning. When I walked ashore at 11am there was already a long line of people waiting to get back on the ship. Something I noted for later.
Once ashore I found myself looking at a town filled with brightly painted wooden homes. In fact that was about all I could see. There were no trees, and little evidence of a town centre or any industry. Shops were lacking the usual large glass front windows. The only them that separated shops from houses were small signs out the front, unusually in Greenlandic. Quite a few of the houses had broken windows. I assume the area had problems with Winter storms (possible for ten months a year) breaking windows.
There were a few cars, but every house seemed to have a bota instead of a car parked in its driveway. This potentially reflected two things. Outside of tourism in Summer, the town largely relied on fishing for income. Also, the were no roads out of town, the only way in/out was via boat or helicopter. I assume boats were a much cheaper option than helicopters!
Tundra Walk
The trail out of town lead around the edge of the fjord. It soon disappeared and I found myself walking on the tundra. It was an unusual experience. The moss and other ground cover provided a soft, colorful cushion on which to walk. There was a lot of water, so you had to navigate a dry path carefully. The coastline was filled with large quantities of seaweed, adding another layer of color to the walk.
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