On October 9th at 9 AM, just four days after arriving back in Nuuk from the amazing trip to Ilulissat in North Greenland, I was off again. This time, I was going south. Way down south to the old homeland of the Norse people. I travelled with the Sarfaq Ittuk ferry once again and spent two days on board with a few stops in small villages and a longer stop in the city of Qaqortoq.
The first 7,5 hours on the ferry went by quickly as I was reading for uni and writing blog posts. The weather was constantly misty and snowy, so I couldn’t see much apart from the occasional snow-covered island. At 4 PM, they announced over the loud-speaker that we would be in Qeqertarsuatsiaat, our first stop, in just half an hour. I put on all of my warm clothes and went outside to enjoy the view. The snow was falling heavily, but there was no wind, so I could stand there without freezing and just enjoy the Christmassy atmosphere. It was only early October, but I was already in such a Christmas mood as it had also been snowing in Nuuk that same weekend!
The closer we got to Qeqertarsuatsiaat, the more magical it was. With snow falling slowly from the sky, I spotted the first colourful houses in the close distance and watched as the others appeared. At 4.30 PM, we were there and it was time to get off for a stretch and a very short walk!
Unfortunately, we only had a 15-minute stop in the small town, which is home to just over 230 inhabitants. I only had time to walk from the harbour to the village, take some pictures and then rush back again. It was a lovely time though, as the town looked beautiful with the colourful houses covered in a blanket of snow. I told myself that this must be where Santa Claus lives, and for a short moment, I actually believed it.
Back on the ferry I went and this time for a seven-hour wait until the next village, Paamiut. I only went out once to have a look at the view, as the weather was misty for most of the day. But for a short moment, the sun was actually trying to shine and I could see the snow-covered islands quite well.
The rest of the time was spent reading books and writing blog posts. That day actually went by fast!
At 11.45 PM, it was time for our second stop, this time in Paamiut, the eighth biggest village in Greenland with a population of just over 1.600. It was very late, but I wanted to see as much as possible, so I stayed awake for it. Once again, we only had a 15-minute stop, which isn’t enough time to explore, but it’s enough to get off the boat and take a few pictures. So I did just that. It was really nice to get off, as it had been a rocky ride so far! Surprisingly, it was even worse than the trip up north!
Once I got back on the ferry, I went to the deck to look for northern lights as a worker on the ferry had told me that there was a great possibility for them that night. And sure enough, there they were, right before my eyes! Not as bright as I have seen them before, but bright enough to see that they were definitely northern lights. I tried to take some pictures of them, but it was impossible to get anything good because of the light pollution from the ferry and the high waves rocking the ferry and thus, the camera. Still, it was amazing to actually see northern lights in the middle of the Arctic Ocean! That’s definitely one for the books!
At 6.15 AM aka. early-o-clock, my alarm went off. We were almost in Arsuk, the smallest village that we would be visiting on this trip, with just over 150 inhabitants. I got up and put my jacket on, ready to set foot on the ground again. But unfortunately, just like with Kangaamiut on the way up north, we didn’t actually dock in Arsuk. Instead, they lowered a small boat with the passengers that had to get off there and brought them to the village. I watched that happen and then went back to my bed – this time with no set alarm!
I woke up three hours later after a lovely sleep and looked out of the window. We were in a fjord and there were mountains on both sides! I rushed to get dressed, so I could go outside to snap pictures of the beautiful landscapes.
The rest of that day was spent relaxing in the lounge with some reading and working on an assignment. But suddenly, in the middle of the day, it was announced over the loud-speakers that there would be a man-overboard drill – I couldn’t miss that! They threw a doll into the water and shouted “MAN OVERBOARD”, but that was honestly the most dramatic part of the drill. I thought they were taking quite a lot of time to get the little rescue boat ready, off the ferry and to the doll, but I have no idea how long it’s supposed to take. I just know that if I fell in the freezing ocean with no life vest, I would probably die before they even got to me… So I’m just not going to fall in, ever.
For the rest of the day, we sailed for hours in the South Greenlandic fjords, which reminded me a lot of sailing through the Norwegian fjords. It was nice to see that the heavy snow hadn’t yet reached South Greenland, so I could extend the autumn season a little longer! We sailed by the small village of Qassimiut with just 29 inhabitants, which my new local friend Jacob from Qaqortoq was kind enough to tell me about, otherwise I might have missed it! And I also spotted a tiny shipwreck!
At 4 PM, we arrived in Qaqortoq, the “capital” of South Greenland with over 3000 inhabitants. I went outside to see the view with Jacob and his girlfriend, and then we parted ways as they were welcomed home by their family and I walked off to explore his hometown.
I had three hours to see the village, and the first thirty minutes of it was spent in the historical center, where some of the buildings date back to the late 18th century and the early 19th century. I especially loved the little red church and the colourful houses by Mindebrønden, the oldest fountain in Greenland, completed in 1932. The village seemed much more idyllic than the other Greenlandic villages I’d visited – I would even say it has a Faroese vibe to it – I was loving it!
Jacob had recommended that I walk to Lake Tasersuaq, so I went there next after a stroll through the Pisiffik supermarket. The village is absolutely beautiful, and I loved the lake. I could so imagine myself living in Qaqortoq! It might even be my favourite village in Greenland so far – I think it just beat Nuuk!
In Qaqortoq, I also encountered one of the first cats here in Greenland – and the first one that would actually talk to me! A big plus for Qaqortoq!
What to do next? Well, let’s just say I made a somewhat stupid decision. I wanted to climb Mount Saqqaarsuk at 319 meters, located in close proximity to the village, because why not!? It was a battle of time, but I actually made it to the top to see the sunset over Qaqortoq and back to the ferry with 25 minutes to spare. I was so proud of myself! But you’ll get that story in another post, as it’s just too epic to not get its own spot on the blog!
When I got back on the ferry, I went to the deck to see the pretty village in darkness and then spent the next two hours writing on my computer, waiting for the arrival to Narsaq, my end destination.
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