Iceland, August 28-30, 2017

Iceland, August 28-30, 2017

Djupivogur

As we sailed across from Scotland the captain was hedging his bets just in case the conditions made tendering too dangerous. Djupivogur is located on a big OPEN bay with little protection from the elements. The captain can maneuver the ship so it provides shelter from wind but the swells and currents make it all dicey; the big ship moves up and down minimally but the tenders bob like crazy and not in sync so it takes longer to get people from ship to tender and vice versa.

We arrived to fairly calm seas and winds but a brisk 48F and constant drizzle/rain. We didn't have anything special planned. The town, population 460, belongs to the international Cittaslow movement and as such celebrates its history, culture and unspoiled environment. Most of the HAL excursions involved going. Somewhere else by bus, 4 x 4 or boat at prices outrageous even for HAL. Even though the tenders were zipping back and forth I decided to give Djupivogur a pass and go upstairs to knit. We could see the entire settlement from the windows. One of the knitters had gone ashore, toured the town (bought yarn at the supermarket) and returned to give us a tour through the windows, pointing to the various landmarks as we stayed high and dry inside.

The town has two grocery stores, three restaurants, a community pool and rec center, medical services, police, art galleries and the Gledivik Eggs---an outdoor sculpture garden representing the eggs of the 34 birds that breed locally. Jim decided to go ashore mid-morning when the rain had stopped. He poked around for a while, walked by a dozen or so of the eggs and then came back. He said it was pleasant but my life would not suffer because I didn't wanna get wet.

That night Naki Ataman, the Turkish pianist, played again. We saw/heard him on another cruise years ago and he remains an astonishing artist. Joined by the bassist and percussionist from the Rotterdam band he plays essentially a 45 minute medley from memory as the other two sight read their parts. The first night he played songs representing various countries around the world and the second another medley, this time romantic songs. The description makes it sound hokey but he's an excellent musician moving through styles with ease. The guy plays a whole lotta notes! A real crowd pleaser.

Akureyri

Our Port Guide called Akureyri "a thriving port town...nicknamed the capital of North Iceland." It's definitely a lot bigger than Djupivogur AND we will be docked which always makes a port visit that much easier.

Northwest Iceland is the oldest, geologically, part of the island. We decided to go on a tour outside of town so we could see for ourselves. Even though this is the driest area of the country, once again it was cold and wet. Everyone had broken out their hats, scarves and gloves. When you get to your tour bus and find your guide dressed in a fur-lined parka it's hard to remember that this is summer, even in Iceland! I can't begin to pronounce or spell our guides name so let's just call her Jane.

Jane was born and raised on a farm in NW Iceland. Farming in this area means sheep, cows and horses. The only crops grown are a lot of hay and some corn to feed the livestock over the winter. Each farm has large outbuildings (Jane said she has learned that in English there is a BIG difference between out house and out building) to house the animals over the winter, from November to May. The horses and cows stay close to home but the sheep wander everywhere. You talk about free range! Jane said it's about time for the sheep to be wrangled by dogs and shepherds on foot or horseback plus any other means, generally kids and college students.

Our first stop was at the spectacular Godafoss (falls of the gods) waterfall, so named because after the Viking settlers had converted to Christianity they supposedly threw all the icons of their various gods into the falls. Like the Gullfoss near Reykjavik, you can first see the mist, then hear the thundering sound before catching sight of the falls. And also like Gullfoss, the falls are much wider than they are tall. So much water rushing, rushing, rushing.

Then to the geothermal field of Namaskard. First we saw the steam and then we smelled the sulfur. Jane had warned us over and over to stay on the paths (the clay crust can be thin and give way should you take a shortcut dumping you into a caldron of boiling goo. Didn't have to tell me twice!), don't stand directly in the belching steam (it's sulfuric and can etch eyeglasses) and be sure to scuff through the low grass to clean the noxious whatever off the bottom of your shoes. What a place! The sulfur has colored the surface a deep, rich yellow. Nothing grows there. It's a flat area with gasses spewing up here and there, clay bubbling in other spots and is other worldly. I could probably use those two words in every other sentence to describe Iceland. It's as if you're watching the earth form.

And speaking of the earth forming, we also went to the lava labyrinth at Dimmuborgir. I don't know what I expected but this is an area of towering lava peaks, arches and grottos right along the rift between the Eurasian and American tectonic plates. In one spot Jane could stand with one foot in Europe and the other across the rift in America. The rift grows at the rate of 2 centimeters a year, about 3/4 of an inch. We wandered along the various walking paths looking up at the lava towers spotting animals the way you would looking up at clouds.  After lunch (soup, fish and boiled potatoes) we walked around and through the Skutustadir Craters, sharing the area with, what else, sheep, and many independent travelers all driving white Toyota RAV4 4s, evidently the rental car of choice in Iceland.

There is a botanical garden in Akureyri containing nearly every native plant and thousands of foreign plants but we didn't get back to town in time to visit it. Next time.

Isafjordur

Surprise! We got to dock rather than anchor. This lovely town actually is the capital of the rugged Westfjord region. We sailed above the Arctic Circle and then back to get here and now have certificates to prove it, thank you, very much. Fishing is the big industry but tourism is growing. And it's still in the 40s and still cloudy and grey. Fish farms are located at the entrances of harbors and fjords--salmon, trout, Arctic char--where the tides keep the water moving.

I'd read about Skrudur, the first Icelandic botanic garden founded in 1909, so we decided to go see it. Our guide was Theresa, a German student pursuing her Masters in marine ecology at the university in Isafjordur. Jim chatted with her a while about how she ended up in Iceland. It was a combination of the program and living away from home that attracted her and now who knows if she'll ever leave. If you're studying fish, like the outdoors and enjoy winter sports, this is the place for you.

We had a wonderful morning, first driving through a long tunnel (6 minutes, 25 seconds) to the garden. It's only twenty meters square, but continues as a testament to the Reverend Gudlaugson, who arrived to be the parish priest and used the garden to teach students about botany and especially the cultivation of trees. Reforestation has been a goal in Iceland for generations, whether in planned tree farms or trees planted in back yards. The garden thrived until the school was closed in 1980. In 1992 a group of volunteers began to renovate and restore the garden. It's now a memorial to itself as well as an example of horticultural potential in such an unforgiving climate. The original trees are still there as well as shoulder high hedges loaded with red currants that line the paths.

Then we headed to Flateyri, a small village that was once the center of shark fishing. We spent some quiet minutes in the small church listening to another student from Isafjordur sing a few Icelandic hymns and folk songs. This church was spared from destruction by an avalanche that swept through the village in the 90s. Slides and avalanches are a constant threat in this area. After that killer slide a massive dirt wall in the shape of a capital A has been constructed on the hillside above the town to divert any future avalanches or slides. We had a delicious coffee and snack break at the cafe in town, disappointed that the quirky century old bookstore was closed. Tiny Isafjordur has been visited by over 100 cruise ships this season and maybe the shop owner just needed a break.

This time we got back to the ship in time to visit the town, specifically the yarn shop! Towns in Iceland are very clean and tidy. There aren't that many cars so you can wander about without worrying about getting flattened as you cross the (narrow) streets. I bought some yarn and a few souvenirs. Shopping in Iceland is easy--100 Krone = $ 1 US so converting prices requires  nothing more than moving the decimal point over two places. So much easier than dividing by this or multiplying by that. While the merchant might take Euros or dollars, they much prefer Krone or credit cards. Makes it easier for us, too. We never even got any Krone. Well, Jim did buy some coins at the yarn shop. More golf ball markers.

After sailing out of the fjord we're heading toward Greenland and one more stab at cruising the entire Prince Christian Sund before stopping at one last port there. And maybe we'll see the sun. It's been nothing but grey for days. Grey water. Grey skies. Grey clouds. People are starting to get a bit crabby---massive lack of sunshine vitamin D?

We did spot a few whales spouting as we were leaving one of the fjords and some dolphins escorted us into another but no puffins. They supposedly number in the hundreds of thousands if not millions but they might as well be unicorns with wings and beaks. The closest we came to seeing any were the stuffed puffin toys in the gift shops.

I wouldn't mind returning to Iceland, especially the northwest. It's weird and odd, austere and beautiful and the sheep have the right of way. I'd love to see the Northern Lights, but Theresa said they get lots of snow. The great circle road around the island is passable but the regular flights to and from Reykjavik are often canceled. That trip might stay on the back burner for a while.

Before I forget...a couple we've had dinner with a few times actually went to Costco in Liverpool. They said it looks exactly like every other Costco. And yes, they do sell the hot dog and soda for one pound fifty, a bit less than two bucks.