Westfjords

Today is our first port. We have arrived in Isafjordur in the north of Iceland. This small town (which is the largest in the north) has a population of 2,700 people. Yes, this is the largest town up here. It has a police force, hospital, university, and apparently the only grocery store in the north. We woke up this morning to find us gliding through the fjord on our way to the dock. We are the only ship in town today. Today, we head up for a very rushed breakfast and then down to the theater to catch our tour. We are heading out to see an avalanche site and artic foxes with some local music at a stolen church thrown in.

First was the memorial to the avalanche victims in Sudavik. On January 16, 1995, an avalanche hit the town at 6:00 AM, killing 14 people, 8 of which were children. They have built a memorial to this disaster. The town only holds 200 people, so losing 14 residents would have been devastating. You can actually see the path where the avalanche came through when you look towards the water and see the spaces between the buildings.

Our next stop was a church that was actually stolen from another town. One of the remote towns was gifted a church by Norway. This other town was shut down because it was too remote. The church leaders decided to move the little church to another town instead of building a new one. Here, we heard a nice gentleman give us a quick description of the church and how they barged it down the fjord to it's current spot. He then gave us a little concert in his native Icelandic language. He was quite good and the music was very enjoyable.

Our last stop was the Artic Fox rescue center. Here, they help injured foxes and release them back into the wild . They have two foxes that are permanent residents. They were hand raised from babies and can not be released back into the wild. Since today was a rainy day, the foxes didn't want to come out of their den. However, the lady from the center brought out some dried fish, and one fox (Fryda) decided it was worth braving the rain. They are small and normally shy in the wild. They are also capable of killing a sheep. This is why they were hunted in the past by the farmers here in Iceland.

Our ride back to the ship is quick, and we board with no problems. Laura and I headed up to the Hudson for a late lunch. They staff here are absolutely amazing in handling Laura's food allergies. Laura was able to get a cheeseburger and fries specially prepared by the chef for her requirements. I did the Italian wedding soup and Cobb salad. We both came back for a nap so we can prepare for tonights escapades.Read more