SailorJack

We have arrived at dock side and were quite relieved to find the answer as to where we could shop for souvenirs.

We also saw an ambulance waiting for us as we docked.  We later heard that the patient was doing well.

Our first glimpse of the worlds largest fiddle - a major tourist attraction along the boardwalk.

Sydney harbor was a very active port.  When I first saw these ships I thought they were Princess ships as from a distance they looked like the Princess Seawitch.

As this ship sailed straight at us I couldn't help focus on the "Safety First" sign!

This ship ran next to us for quite a while.

On ‎2‎/‎28‎/‎2019 at 3:09 PM, Baatman said:

 

 

Which cruise...maybe it will be one that I am on  -finally!

LOL...We are the Island Princess for an epic 30 day cruise from Rome to Abu Dhabi. Are you on that one?

Jack

Our first view of Nova Scotia.

This is the NE part of Nova Scotia known as Cape Breton.

Houses come right down to the water's edge.  Residents here are known as "Capers."

On ‎3‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 8:43 AM, pacruise804 said:

That barn is lovely.  Great picture of that lady - I hope you had a way to get it to her, your camera and photography skills really captured her beauty.

She spoke no English at all...I had to pantomime taking her picture and she gave her consent by nodding. She had so much character in her face that I just had to photograph her. No way to pass it along.  We want to go back in a couple of years and see what happened to the town.  But your suggestion is a good one.  I will take a copy along in the off chance that we meet up again.  Given the small nature of the town (3,000 people) maybe someone will recognize her.

Jack

Some last shots of Greenland before we board our ship and set sail for Nova Scotia.  These two photos were taken just outside of town and show just how cold and sparse the land was.

The sun sets over Greenland.  Greenland was on our bucket list of places to visit and we will probably wait a couple of years and come back to see what has happened to this tourist port. Next stop - Cape Breton on the coast of Nova Scotia!

On ‎3‎/‎1‎/‎2019 at 12:49 PM, pacruise804 said:

I'm guessing they are anticipating a large influx of tourism, especially English speaking since the banner on the hotel was in English while the others weren't (although I recognize library from 2 years of high school French and bank was easy to deduce).

 

Hopefully the area can maintain its charm while possibly improving the economy with tourism dollars.

I agree about the influx of tourism from the ships, but I am having trouble understanding why anybody would want to spend the night there. I mean there just isn't anything to do.

I do agree with your main point however - it will be interesting to visit here a few years from now.

Jack

We have on fourteen layers of clothing and these basketball players have on a hoodie with the sleeves rolled up!

Most of the buildings we saw were either new or of aluminum siding construction but there were a few much older buildings.

This lady politely agreed to have her picture taken.  I admired her features and couldn't help but imagine the changes she is seeing from her younger days to now as her town becomes a cruise port.

Several people said they visited the seal processing plant, but we never saw it.  To bad, it sounded interesting.  However, there were several other important buildings for the town:

A library.

A bank.

And a hotel. This was the most interesting. We couldn't imagine why this little village would need such a large hotel?

On ‎2‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 2:40 PM, bluebeard39 said:

Hello Sailor Jack.  I just wanted to thank you for posting all the photos and information about the tours that you took.  My wife and I will be doing the Crossing on September 2, 2020 so we now can't wait for the time to go bye.

 

Paul 

Glad you are enjoying them.  I know you enjoy seeing in person soon.  It is hard these days to find a port that has not become totally "touristy", but there are some of those on this trip.  It is fun to visit a place were every other store is not selling T-shirts.

Jack

The river just about divides the "downtown" area.  All those people in the photo are off the ship.  Most locals seemed to have stayed home.

Houses lined the hills around the town.

The schoolhouse.

The tender dock - a metal ladder leading up to the ground. 

Not a lot of flat ground here so the houses climb up the hill.

There are actually more boats than cars in town!

On ‎2‎/‎24‎/‎2019 at 12:45 PM, Jasperdo said:

I guess I should stop scanning the Princess Board for that review then . My wife and I have done the Hawaii cruise twice. As you said, they're nice and relaxing with a lot of sea days. I'm still enjoying your photos from this trip. Your Iceland and Greenland photos are terrific! 

LOL.  You would have had a long wait.  My next Princess cruise is not till late next year.

Jack

Inuit children on the way to school.  We couldn't help wonder what impact our cruise ship visit is going to have on them.  For generations they have been somewhat isolated in a village of about 3,100 people.  Now, at least 7 or 8 cruise ships a year are going to visit this port and dump nearly 3,000 visitors at a time. A new tourist industry is going to have to spring up and will have to have an impact on their culture.  It would be interesting to come back here in a few year to see what changes have occurred.

Brightly colored houses contrast with the rather cold environment.

This is the main street of the village.  With no roads leading into or out of town there is really very little need to have a car.  We may have seen at most four or five cars during our visit.

Our ship at anchor in Qaqortoq.  Even looks cold!

The harbor where we unloaded from the tender.  Not to much here.

The first building you see after you leave the pier.  This was also the only store to buy your souvenirs.  You can imagine the crowd of nearly 3,000 passengers trying to get in here to look and buy!

Our first view of Qaqortoq, Greenland.  A lot of excitement aboard the ship as this is the first time most of the passengers have been to Greenland - including myself and Jill.

This is a tender port so this is where we anchored.

Fishing related businesses on the waterfront and the vital communications link up on the hill.  The only way out of town is by boat or helicopter - no roads lead into or out of town.

On ‎2‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 2:44 PM, BigNance said:

When do we get that review??!!

No review of that cruise. I only write a review if enough interesting things happen to make it interesting.  This last cruise was just a relaxing one with a lot of sea days.

Jack

Our first view of Aappilattoq, an Inuit village and the only settlement on Prince Christian Sound.

DSC_5242 by Donald Maclean, on Flickr

The last census here counted 132 residents in the village with an average age of 31.5. It is so isolated that there are no roads leading into or out of town and the only real contact is through a government subsidized helicopter service that brings in supplies.  Obviously there is also access by boat.

Satellite service allows for internet and telephone service.

Low lying clouds added a little added attraction to the landscape.

A retreating glacier carved out a wide valley.

Open water.  This picture shows just how narrow the channel was that we were sailing thorough.

On ‎2‎/‎20‎/‎2019 at 9:09 AM, stevea36 said:

Jack,

 

thanks for posting more pictures.  I was going thru withdrawal !!!

 

Steve

LOL.  I was on a two week cruise and couldn't post from the ship.

Jack

More snow in the distance but not so much near the water.

Waterfalls everywhere. 

Rugged country - you wonder how people could live here, but we are told we are coming up on a small Inuit village.

Ice flows tell us we are coming up on another glacier.

A recent calve...we are getting close.

Bingo!  This was a huge glacier and if you notice the bottom left you can see a section of the glacier that has just broken off and is splashing into the water.  Oohs and Ahhs from everyone on the ship.

A glacier  - up close and personal.

Exactly...layering was appropriate. Getting on and off the bus resulted in multiple  changes in temperature.  

not  quite sure why this came out as a separate post and not a response to you. Oh well.

On ‎1‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 10:16 AM, pacruise804 said:

What were the temperatures like here?  Is it comfortable to be outside, or do you need full coat/glove/hat protection? 

Temps were not all that bad - low 60s in Iceland and 50s in Greenland.  It was the rain and wind we had to contend with.  In Norway the wind was so strong it broke our umbrellas. It rained in both ports in Iceland as well. Weather was great in Nova Scotia - upper 60s and low 70s.

Hope that helps.

Jack

The weather is warming up and the mountains we are passing now have very little snow.

Around the corner we pass yet another glacier entering into the sea.