Kaffemik In A Private Home

Spend a relaxing while getting to know some Qaqortoq residents in the comfort of their home and learn about daily life in Greenlandic culture. This charming tour introduces you to one of Greenland’s most intimate traditions, the kaffemik. Centered around coffee, tea, cake and conversation, the kaffemik is Greenlanders’ equivalent to an open house – where family and friends gather to celebrate an event or just each other’s company. Your guide will greet you at the pier and escort you into town to enter a private home and participate in a kaffemik yourself, meeting and chatting with your hosts informally. During your visit you will also be treated to a presentation of the Greenlandic national costume – an elaborate and showy affair – and meet a local woman who uses traditional skills dating back centuries to craft these labor-intensive garments. Each can take months to complete, and you can’t help but imagine what it must be like to spend long sub-Arctic winters in a cozy wooden cottage, assembling animal hides, beads and colorful fabrics in this way. At the conclusion of this delightful and authentic Greenlandic experience, you’ll walk back to the pier bearing new cultural insights.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Escorted by your guide, take a leisurely walk through Qaqortoq to a private home for an informal visit.
• Enter and be introduced to the kaffemik, where Greenlanders get together for coffee, tea and cake.
• Get acquainted with your hosts and learn about their daily life here in this charming, sub-Arctic city.
• See a presentation of Greenland’s famously elaborate national costume and meet a woman who hand-makes them, using all the traditional techniques and materials.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Wear weather-appropriate clothing; include a light jacket or windbreaker.
• Flat, comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
• Bring a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and insect repellant as needed.