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Iceland

April - May 2023
Via Hamburg, Norway, Shetland and Faroe Islands Read more
  • 17footprints
  • 6countries
  • 15days
  • 113photos
  • 0videos
  • 3.7kmiles
  • 1.6ksea miles
  • 1.6kmiles
  • 302miles
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  • TravelerIceland
    Day 15

    Heathrow

    May 13, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Passport must be getting old as automatic machine entry failed.The man at the desk I subsequently had to visit said the machine didn’t believe I looked like the passport photo. Normal chaos at lifts but finally got to bus level then back to parking to collect car and head back to Devon.Read more

  • TravelerIceland
    Day 15

    Reykjavik

    May 13, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

    Arrived 06:00, 09:15 disembark for tour of town and drop off at airport. We had 2 hours free time to explore Reykjavík. Consulting Apple Maps Karen identified the key places, but this also took us up the main tourist street ( mostly gift shops) to the new church at the top of the hill in the city centre. Worst day for weather with showers . Huge queue at the church to visit a viewing station in the tower. We didn’t join it.The main religion is Lutheran so although the church was of an interesting design it has an austere feel inside. Made our way back to the pick up and passed some statues of the original Viking settlers. The main airport was 45 minutes away on the volcanic peninsula so an opportunity to see some more lava fields.Read more

  • TravelerIceland
    Day 14

    Heimaey Island

    May 12, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ 🌬 8 °C

    South West Iceland amongst a group of 13 volcanic islands, Heimaey is. the largest with a population around 5,000 and is the premier fishing area around Iceland. Weather not good, rain and rough seas, hopefully will be able to land for our 13:00 island tour. The Eldfell volcano erupted here in 1973. Everyone was evacuated but 400 houses destroyed. The lava reduced the access to the harbour, but did increase the size of the island by 20%. A 14th island, Surtsey, was created between 1963 and67 when an undersea eruption broke above the waves, (3 nearby eruptions failed to break the surface and are undersea ridges). The sea has now eroded some of the lava so Surtsey is now only 50 to 60% of its original size. General access has never been granted but the island is used to monitor how long it takes for birds and plant life to establish a presence. We have now docked in the small harbour so looks like the shore trip will go ahead. An interesting tour all around the island seeing the remains of the volcanos and where the lava was stopped in 1973. We ended up the museum which displays the stories and pictures of these eruptions including some of the buildings that were excavated after being engulfed in lava.Read more

  • TravelerIceland
    Day 13

    Snaefellsnes

    May 11, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    The Snaefellsnes highlights for today. Arrived in port after 07:00 and had to be on a tender at 08:00 for the tour start on the pier at 08:30. The trip is around the peninsula on the coastal road, north to south then over one of the mountain passes for the return to the harbour. Weather started ok, but slowly deteriorated with a showery cold damp wind increasing throughout the morning. The trip took us through 3 coastal villages still allowed to fish.The peninsula is a volcanic area and most of the journey was through lava fields and s mountains carved when the glaciers retreated after the last ice age. The first stop was at a beach of small black stones created from lava rock. Then into the nature reserve stopping at the Malariff information centre and lighthouse. Next to the harbour village of Arnarstapi for a trek along the cliffs and back into the village by the monument to one of the Norse gods. Final stop was a remote church, apparently visited by married couples in wedding attire for their photos. Walked down to beach and spotted some seals swimming just offshore. The weather had closed in as we went over the mountain pass so the hoped for view of the glacier at the top was obscured by low cloud.Read more

  • TravelerIceland
    Day 12

    Patreksfjordur

    May 10, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    Still north West Iceland on our circum navigation. Now at the small town of Patresfjourdur. In the picture is the Fram another (older) Hurtigruten expedition ship on its way eastward around Iceland. Moored just offshore, we will be catching the tender to the harbour for a walking tour around the town. Took the tender around 16:00 for our allocated group but found we were joining the German speakers! We tagged onto the English group…..The guide was a young Icelander, whose normal occupation was fishing, but moonlighted as a tour guide and had developed a very amusing spiel which entertained us on the walk. We saw a fishing trawler that had just arrived and was unloading its catch. We were shown and tried identify the fish in their catch. Not sure if it is just an Iceland thing but they refer to cod as the devil’s fish due to the line along its flanks. Looking up we could see the walls built to protect the town after avalanches and “snow angels” erected at the top of the cliffs to break up the snow. When the official tour finished we walked further along the coast to the church and hospital, swimming and sports centre ( all new) before returning to the dock to catch the tender back to the ship.Read more

  • TravelerIceland
    Day 11

    Hofsos

    May 9, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Hofsos, a small village on the north west side of Iceland. Anchored further offshore than previous stops so the tender boats ran a shuttle service between the ship and harbour. The tide was going out, when we arrived so used the old tyre fixed to the harbour wall to jump off. The sea level had dropped another couple of feet on return so more of a jump and trusting the crew in the boat to prevent an inadvertent swim. The village is the location of the Iceland Emigration Museum, Three converted old buildings, 2 at harbour side and 1 in the village by the river. These buildings were packed with pictures and stories of some of the 20,000 Icelanders who emigrated to Canada, America and Brazil ( Brazil was a surprise, but Brazilian Government offered to pay the passage for the initial group and send a ship for the others. The main areas of settlement were Montana {US) and NewIceland (Canada) which although further south than their Icelandic homes the conditions for farming were significantly harder than their Iceland homes with its “island” weather. we walked further into the village and along the coast as far as the swimming pool where a few villagers were enjoying the 80 F temperature in the geothermal pools. Rain in the morning when cruising but drier weather on land. The moisture in the wind made it feel colder.Read more

  • TravelerIceland
    Day 10

    Akureyri and a long sightseeing tour

    May 8, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    18 hours of daylight now (roughly 04:00 to 22:00), so awake early. Sailing very slowly as the ship has just entered the fjord for Akureyri. (Akureyri showing the fish factory). Tactic of the trip was to go to furthest point and work back so after 90 minutes we arrived at a desolate “muddy” looking landscape with steam rising from geysers and the smell of sulphur when downwind. Next onto the lava fields left from eruptions thousands of years ago.We followed the shortest walking trail through oddly shaped lava columns. Then lunch (salmon and salad) at the lake, followed by a walk along the shore of what is the largest lake in Iceland?Noticed what looked like with craters created by bursting lava bubbles. The last stop was a magnificent waterfall in full flow. The Gudass falls are very busy at the height of the season so we were lucky to be the only group there.Arrived back at ship 16:45. Pictures when internet connection will allow.Read more

  • TravelerIceland
    Day 9

    Grimsey Island - Artic Circle

    May 7, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Arrived alongside Grimsey Island around lunchtime and waited for the call for our deck to use the shuttle to the harbour. The plan was obviously changed and a basic free for all was announced. Managed to be onshore at 14:30. Decided to walk to the Globe monument which marks the line of the Arctic Circle. The Islanders have to regularly move the stone as the artic boundary moves allowing Iceland to claim it is an Arctic country even if only by a few hundred yards. Took about an hour to reach the marker with magnificent views everywhere. We carried on past the marker to the northernmost point of the island. Mostly gulls nesting in the rocks but eventually spotted a lone puffin as we made our way back to the harbour. Karen went back to the ship while I decided to go to the south of the island to get pictures of the church and the lighthouse.Read more

  • TravelerIceland
    Day 8

    Seyoisfjorour

    May 6, 2023 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    Long voyage before we get to today’s destination. It has been foggy most of the day. Just clearing to give our first sight of Iceland as we entered the long fjord to our stop. Seyoisfjorour a small village with 500 to 700 residents depending upon season. Arrived an hour early at 16:00. Starting to get cold when we went out. Then the guide took us around in about an hour with a potted history of the houses and links to the rest of Iceland. The village relies n fish and tourism, but is also an arts centre with visiting artists coming and staying for extended periods. 15 years ago there were 2 land slips which swept away a number of houses.The rocks and mud pushed several houses into the sea but also uncovered some nationally significant Viking remains which are still being excavated. The landslides were caused by more rain falling in 24 hours than is usual in a year even in this damp climate. Our guide made her living by being a clothes designer using eider down. We could see a number of said ducks bobbing around on the water.Read more

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