12JUL: Sailing trip to Qassiarsuk & Itilleq hiking trip to Igaliku
Day 2
In the morning there is boat transfer to Qassiarsuk located at the bottom of Tunuliarfik at the experience Qassiarsuk. We suggest that you enjoy your lunch in the small café Bratthalid. From here we continue with a smaller boat out into the beautiful Qooroq fjord to the landing site Itilleq from where we walk one hour to Igaliku the old Kings Road (after the Danish King Frederik 9th’s visit in 1952) – from time to time you will be followed by an eagle.
Igaliku is a beautiful sheep farm settlement in the bottom of Igaliku Fjord surrounded by green fields and steep, bare hills in the background and a lush and green landscape. Here the Norsemen established their Gardar bishopric. The remnants of the small cathedral is now visible between the colourful houses and vegetable gardens. Today there is approx. 40 people in Igaliku that primarily live from sheep farming. We spend 2 nights in the hostel with a perfect view to the azure fjord.
Sunday 12 th of July 2015 and when they woke me up at 7 thirty I was happy that I had not joined the party yesterday. And well, it was actually quarter past 7 when they woke me up. And that was
confusing, was it quarter past 7 or quarter past 8. And when are we leaving? Took me a few minutes to wake up and then I got a clear picture of the situation. Quarter past 7 and 90 minutes until we're leaving.I was at the breakfast a few minutes after 8 and I enjoyed a glass of tea and some very good bread they had. We packed our luggage in to the vans and we got in and we took off leaving Hotel Narsarsuaq behind. We drown down to a jetty and there was a
huge Royal Arctic Line ship alongside.But we were going with a boat on the other side of the jetty. A much smaller fishing boat, or more like an EX fishing boat. I don't think they use these kind of fishing boats anymore. Anyway, the boat will take us to Qassiarsuk were we will spend about 3 hours. We will leave the luggage on board and then we will
go with the boat to ItilleqOur luggage will go by car from Itilleq to Igaliku and we will walk over the mountain from Erikfjorden to the Igaliku Fjord.
Well, we had not been on the jetty very long before the news about a confirmation in the church in Qassiarsuk. This will take place at 11 o'clock and we will see Greenlanders coming from all over Greenland. And if we're lucky we might see them in their traditional dresses.
Have we been lucky or what? Party yesterday and today we have a confirmation (at least I think so, anyway, it is something with the church) Sun is shining and we're about to take off for the adventure of a life time in Qassiarsuk on the other side of Erikfjorden
Erik the Red, we saw his place on Iceland and this was obviously the place he lived at when he came to Greenland so we will see some Viking houses as well as some other ruins in the village.
Boarding the boat
Leaving Narsarsuaq behind
Iceberg from the Qooroq glacier
Iceberg at Narsarsuaq airport
Iceberg from the Qooroq glacier
On our way
Qassiarsuk
Stepping ashore in Qassiarsuk
Stepping ashore in Qassiarsuk
Royal Arctic Line departure Narsarsuaq
Qassiarsuk
is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality, in southern Greenland. Its population was 89 in 2010.
Brattahlíð is located by Tunulliarfik Fjord, Erik fjorden(Skovfjorden in Danish), and it was the site of Erik the Red's estate in the times of the Norse Eastern Settlement (Austerbygda in Danish). Ruins of several of the buildings, including living quarters, outhouses, and a church, are still clearly visible.
The current village was founded as Greenland's first sheep farm in 1924 and is located in the same place. Until December 31, 2008, the settlement was part of Narsaq Municipality in the Kitaa amt. On January 1, 2009, Qassiarsuk became part of Kujalleq municipality, when the Kitaa amt, as well as the municipalities of Narsaq, Qaqortoq, and Nanortalik ceased to exist as administrative entities.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
++++++++++++++++++
Qassiarsuk (Brattahlid)
The village of Qassiarsuk was founded by sheep farmer Otto Frederiksen in 1924. Today about 40 people live there, but the village’s shop, school and church also serve the 12 sheep farms located on the peninsula, which extends all the way to Narsaq. The whole area is dotted with Norse ruins. Archaeologists believe that the stone foundations found in Qassiarsuk are the remains of the Brattahlid farmstead that Erik the Red established in the year 982. In the year 2000, a replica of a Norse longhouse and a small church (Tjodhilde’s Church) were built using traditional sod construction techniques. You can visit the open-air museum on a day trip from Narsarsuaq.
Furthermore, there are some very nice walks along the sheep tracks and gravel roads in the Qassiarsuk area. More adventurous souls may want to tackle the classic multi-day hike to Narsaq. Two hostels and a sheep farm offer accommodation in the village.
From http://blueice.gl
Good that we boarded our boat next to the Royal Arctic Line and we could see how big the ship was. Now we could understand the size of the ice bergs when Royal Arctic Line entered the fjord with all the ice bergs.
We stepped ashore in Qassiarsuk and we checked the shop. It was closed and they would open at
11 and they would stay open 1 or 2 hours before they closed again.We decided to go North in the settlement as our Guide told us that in the South part there was only one attraction. The oldest guy in Qassiarsuk was living there and he was 89 years old. Imagine beeing the attraction of the village just because you're old. I don't know, but I'm pretty sure this wasn't was he was dreaming about when he was growing up.
It sounded very exciting with an 89 years old but we decided to walk to the North where both the church with the confirmation action and the Viking houses were located.
We started by walking to the church and the people started to gather at the church. We were passed by several
big cars full of people in traditional Greenland clothing and the clothing looked very beautiful in plenty colours. And I only saw them in the cars passing by so I was looking forward to coming to the church.It took us around 10 minutes to walk to the church. We passed a school, a hostel and a barn. Otherwise there wasn't many houses in the settlement.
We were welcome to join in the church if we wanted to but we decided to go explore the Viking houses instead. We stayed until the people had entered the church and then we left.
We would come back to see if there was any action when they were ready in the church.
People are coming to the church
The Priest and confirmands enter the church and we leave
We walked towards the Viking houses and we passed a traditional house, the Igloo. But the igloos was never built by snow. They were built in stone with no ceiling. The ceiling was made of seal skin and when the summer came they made kayaks of the seal skin.
Leaving the house open for the weather to clean it out. When the Danish people came they thought the Greenlanders to build the house with roof and things were soon starting to go bad. People started to die from sickness as the Greenlanders never cleaned their houses. Something the nature did for them during the summers when they removed the seal skin roofs.
The long narrow entrance is to prevent the heat going out the door.
Igloo in Qassiarsuk - Danish style with ceiling
Igloo in Qassiarsuk - Danish style with ceiling and we see the long entrance
Remains of an old Igloo
Erik the Red's house
Erik the Red's house
Erik the Red's house
Erik the Red's house
We left the Igloo behind and we went to have a look at a building of Erik the Red's house. This house was much cleaner than the hose we saw on Iceland. We were soon leaving the Viking houses
behind and we started to walk back to the church to see if there were something exciting to see.We stopped on the way and our Guide pulled out a bag full of Kit kat or whatever the chocolate is called. And I would have been surprised anywhere in the world to see a jumbo bag like this, but as we're on Greenland it seemed to be a normal sized bag. And as I'm on diet I said no thanks to the chocolate. We were soon back at the church and the rest of the group continued up the hill to explore the area.
I stayed outside the church for a few pictures. There were not much action and when the group returned we waited for a few minutes and we started to walk back to the boat. We would stop to see if the shop is open before leaving Qassiarsuk.
The church in Qassiarsuk
The church in Qassiarsuk
People coming out from the church, but by then we had left
Lunch time and we had sandwiches from the hotel in Narsarsuaq. I never ordered any sandwiches as I bought a few chocolate bars just in case. The shop was open and I bought 2 bottles of water
and 3 Marzipanbrød.The shop is like a small super market and there were quite a lot of people in the shop.
Mostly tourists in the shop and I also recognised a few of the Greenlanders from the church. They had come with boats to visit the church and they stopped to buy snacks before leaving with their boats again. We took off leaving Qassiarsuk and we were cruising between ice bergs on our way to Itilleq
I was wearing double blankets as it was cold in the wind. My jacket is in my bag and I really didn't want to climb down in the cargo hold to get my jacket. But I made a mental not to have my jacket
on our next boat trip. My Iceland pullover is OK, but the wind is blowing straight through and it is getting a wee bit “nippy”
Iceberg in Itilleq
Arriving to Itilleq
Arriving to Itilleq
Arriving to Itilleq
Arriving to Itilleq
The boat is leaving Itilleq
The boat is leaving Itilleq
The boat is leaving Itilleq
Took us almost 90 minutes to get to Itilleq and I don't know what I had expected. But I had expected more than a farm and a bridge. There was also a green hut at the bridge. Otherwise there was nothing but a gravel road and an ice berg. And we're going to walk on the gravel road
to Igaliku on the other side of the mountain.The gravel road is also called the King's Road after the Danish King's visit here. Well, anyway, we got off the boat and there were people waiting on the bridge.
They got on board the boat and they left us behind. There were a car from Igaliku Country Hotel. They were going to take our bags to the hotel, and one of our fellow passengers wanted to go in the car.
We spotted some huge salmon trout swimming around the bridge. The car left with some of the bags and the girl that wanted to go with the car. Leaving some of our bags behind, and all of my bags were left on the bridge.
I asked about the baggage when we were leaving for our constitutional
and they would come back with the car to pick up our bags. I pointed out that I had some expensive lenses in my bag
and I did not want to leave them behind. Would be nice to explain that for the insurance company trying to claim money for stolen luggage.- How did your luggage get lost?
- I left them at a bridge in the middle of nowhere.
Our Guide suggested that we stayed to wait for the car and he brought out a fishing rod. He had soon caught the first trout. And as there are 12 of us one trout is not enough.
Our Guide asked if someone else was interested to try and we had a guy from Australia trying his luck. He
only got sea weed on the hook and our Guide was soon in charge over the fishing rod again. He caught a second trout
Two fishes was OK, but not enough for 12 people and our Guide was trying to catch a third fish. But they came back with the car and we loaded our luggage and we left for Igaliku by foot on the
King's Road. The Drivers of the car borrowed the fishing rod as they wanted to try their luck with the trout.We took off and it was very hard to walk on the, not gravel, but stone road. Big stones to walk on and it was not very comfortable. And it was up hill for as long as I could see. Walking up and up and no sign of any village, not even
any sign of any ridge indicating that we have reached the top.I was walking in the middle of the group, we had a couple from Germany and they were way ahead of us. I was soon lagging behind and I had soon lost sight of the other in the group.
If this is the kind of roads we're going to hike on I'm for sure not looking forward to it. I tried to walk on the grass as much as possible but there was not very much grass without any stones to walk on.
I came around a bend and there it was, finally, I could see Igaliku in front of me. Einar fjord was below me and Igaliku was spread out on the shores. There were not many houses in the settlement.
I could see what was looking like the place we were going to stay. A cluster of small huts on my right hand side. That was the only place I could see that looked like a hostel/ hotel in Igaliku.
Most of my fellow passengers in my group had left by the time I reached the viewing point. I stayed behind enjoying the view while resting a little. And I would have loved to have a bottle of water, I was very thirsty.
Still a very long way to go to reach Igaliku as the gravel road was going around a huge area with pastureland. Well, I decided to take the short cut and I walked through the pastureland.
Igaliku
is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. The town was founded as Igaliko in 1783 by the trader and colonial administrator Anders Olsen and his wife Tuperna, who was a Greenlander. In 2010, Igaliku had 55 inhabitants.
Igaliku is located southeast of Narsarsuaq, on a peninsula jutting off the mainland of Greenland near the eastern shore of upper Tunulliarfik Fjord Access is easier from the small nearby harbour of Itilleq.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
++++++++++++++++++
Igaliku (Gardar)
Igaliku was the first place in South Greenland in recent times to see a return to agriculture as a primary source of income. It was the Norwegian Anders Olsen and his Greenlandic wife Tuperna who established themselves as farmers here in 1782. The first settlers built their houses using stones from the many Norse ruins in the area. These were vestiges of old Gardar, which was the seat of episcopal power under the Vikings. The modern village experienced its heyday in the first half of the 20th century. By 1950 the population counted 150 people who made a living from farming (cattle and sheep), supplemented by hunting and fishing. Today there are about 30 permanent residents, but many former residents and their families have kept their houses in Igaliku as summer residences/cottages, and the village is incredibly quaint and full of life during the summer.
Aside from its fascinating Norse ruins, Igaliku has some of the best hiking tours (day trips) in the area, and you can hike to Qaqortoq in 3-4 days. Igaliku has the Country Hotel, with its cabins and in-house restaurant, and there is a hostel in the village. A sheep farmer also offers accommodation and activities (rentals of kayaks and ATVs).
From http://blueice.gl
Starting our hike leaving Itilleq behind
Leaving Eriksfjorden and the ice bergs behind
Igaliku
Igaliku
Igaliku
We can see the gravel road going down to Igaliku
I took the short cut
I took the short cut and I reached Igaliku Country Hotel and I was in for a shock, I didn't had my own shower. Single room but not my own shower. I was not very happy as I had booked single with my own shower for every night here on Greenland. If I was shocked by the lack of shower and the simplest conveniences it didn't help coming out for dinner. 3 tables and it looked and felt like a prison/ military canteen.
Obviously they were coming from some other hostels and the huts I had seen before to have their dinner here. I had some soup and I tested the freshly caught trout. It was delicious! I didn't spend much time in the prison/ military canteen before I returned to my room.
Well, tomorrow the group will take a 6 hour hike up some mountain and I have planned to walk around the settlement during the day. I don't feel like running up and down some mountain. You just need to click HERE to find out about all the excitements here in Igaliku
OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it 
be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.
noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.
ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.
So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.
So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!
Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas
Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!
Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!
Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra
Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!
คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next”
ข้างบนนี้
Вы говорите по-русски? NJET PROBLEMA! Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!
E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.
Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.
be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page. Jiffy (also jiff)
noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.
ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.
So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.
Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaasFaites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopraSprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben! คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next”
ข้างบนนี้
Вы говорите по-русски? NJET PROBLEMA! Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!
E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.
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