Day 174 – Nuuk, Greenland

Since we were not scheduled to arrive in Nuuk, Greenland, until 11:00 am, Tim and I slept in and then watched Russell Lee’s morning lecture on “Tales of the Inuit.” Although I have enjoyed all of Russell’s lectures, this was one of my favorites. I loved his recounting of the Inuit creation story, as well as the other legends and tales told by the people of the Far North.

Tales of the Inuit

Our sail-in to Nuuk should have been a scenic one, but the heavy fog obscured everything that was more than a few feet from our ship. It was still foggy when we arrived at the dock.

Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark, and the citizens of Greenland are full citizens of both Denmark and the European Union. Nuuk, Greenland’s capital city and main port, was founded in 1728 by the Danish-Norwegian priest Hans Egede, who traveled to Greenland in 1721 to spread Christianity.

Although most visitors to Nuuk come to enjoy nature, our visit was limited to the city itself, due to the short amount of time in port.

It was so nice to be able to dock in Nuuk, rather than tendering. Although there had been no time to arrange tours, due to the last-minute change in our itinerary, Viking’s Shore Excursion team did manage to procure shuttle buses for us, which was quite welcome, as well as free admission to the Greenland National Museum.

After lunch on the ship, Tim and I caught a shuttle bus to downtown Nuuk. As we walked to the Greenland National Museum, Greenland’s largest museum of cultural history, we saw many of Nuuk’s brightly painted houses perched on sloping hillsides. We also passed a historic area that I wanted to explore further.

Houses Perched on the Edge of the Hillsides

Nuuk's Colonial Harbor Neighborhood

The Greenland National Museum Is Comprised of Several Historic Buildings

At the museum, we walked through the seven permanent exhibitions that present the history of Greenland, including the first Arctic Stone Age Cultures, the Norse settlements, the arrival of the ancestors of the Inuit people, and the gradual transition to modern Greenland.

The exhibits were very well done, with an amazing collection of artifacts that were originally housed in the National Museum of Denmark. In 1983, Denmark and Greenland signed a repatriation agreement regarding the National Museum of Denmark’s collections of the Greenlandic cultural heritage. The process of repatriation began in 1982, and more than 35,000 artifacts have been repatriated.

Greenlandic Home (top) vs Danish Home (bottom)

Intricate Carvings

Inuit Means of Transportation, Including Kayaks, Skin Boats, and Dog Sleds

Famous 15th Century Mummies and Grave Goods from Qilakitsoq 

Rethinking Greenlandic Cartographic Heritage

After visiting the museum, I walked around the historic neighborhood nearby, known as the Colonial Harbor. This area is the site of Nuuk’s original settlement and the center of Greenland's capital. One of the prominent buildings here is Greenland’s Cathedral, also known as the Church of Our Savior, built in 1849. Although many of the buildings are several hundred years old and made of wood, they have been preserved partly as a result of the area’s dry climate.

Brightly Painted Buildings of Colonial Harbor

After returning to the ship, it was almost time for the special Greenland Sail Away Celebration on the Pool Deck. There was a beautiful offering of seafood and sushi, a special cocktail, and a wonderful performance by Assistant Cruise Director Patricia.

Greenland Sail-Away Celebration

It was still very foggy when we left Nuuk, although we were able to see large icebergs later in the evening.

A Foggy Sail-Away from Nuuk

Iceberg Sightings Were Fairly Common

We received a lovely note and magnet later in the evening as “a special token from Greenland, a destination we were truly thrilled to reach together, despite the heavy seas and unexpected course changes.”

A Memento to Remind Us that We Did Reach Greenland, Despite the Odds

Tim and I finished the day by catching up on another lecture. Dr. Jeffrey Morton's talk about “NATO: Past, Present & Future” helped us understand the trajectory of history’s greatest military alliance.

NATO: Past, Present & Future