Monday 16 July 2012

Hvalsey and Qaqortoq


In the morning we visited the best preserved Norse (Vikings) ruins in all of Greenland – Hvalsey farmstead. According to Sturlubók Landnámu, one of the Old Icelandic Norse (Viking) texts, the farm was established by Thorkell Farsek – Erik the Red’s cousin, in around 985 A.D. The last confirmed Norse (Viking) event in Greenland – a wedding in 1408, also took place at that farm. Even after more than 1000 years the church ruins are still in quite good shape. It was fairly easy to picture how busy live must have been on the farm around 600 years ago, while walking between the ruins with the sheep from the nearby farmhouse running around.


 










Shortly before noon we heaved the anchor and during the lunch we sailed to Qaqortoq – south Greenland most populous town. Everybody enjoyed either visiting the museum, walking around the fountain at the old town square or strolling through the town in search for “Stone and Man” sculptures. Some visited the Great Greenland Tannery or made a 11 km nature walk around the Great Lake.