Bipolar Chronicles: Tromso to Reykjavik 8/10 - 24/2022 - SS Whisper

[Stumblefoot]

1 hour ago, forgap said:

Often, citizens beat feet in the winter.

To the uninitiated, what does this mean?

[forgap]

15 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

To the uninitiated, what does this mean?

Ha!  To beat feet means to leave!  

[forgap]

Djupivogur, Iceland

 

We arrived to rainy and overcast weather.  

We had scheduled a nature hike so we put on our hiking boots and rain gear and off we went.   I worried that the hike would be vigorous and exhausting but was surprised that after an uphill climb to a viewpoint, it was downhill and flat for the rest of the tour.  
 

The hike was heavy on flora and fauna (not much fauna except ducks and swans)

 

but the flora was interesting especially the crow berries

 

and cottongrass which is used to make the Iceland version of q tips.  

 

Djupivogur is a very small town and very isolated.  It is known as an artist colony and summer residence of many who tire of the city life.  

 

Bulandstindur Mountain is a popular climb  - our guide climbed it hungover and injured but lived to tell the tale - but then he was a strapping 20 something!

 

Our guide kept bemoaning the fact that we were surrounded by magnificent mountains that were completely hidden by the cloud cover.  However, as we sailed away the clouds lifted while the surface fog remained to reveal a breathtaking and magical  landscape.

 

[forgap]

Heimaey, Westman Islands, Iceland

 

Heimaey is about an hour and a half outside of Reykjavik but a world away.  We arrived on a beautiful, clear day and stunning vistas of the glaciers in the distance.  Heimaey is a volcanic island with its most recent eruption in 1973.   

 

We took a boat excursion that circumnavigated the island.  Our guide was a young woman who was a consummate story teller.   Her mother was a young girl with the volcano erupted and fled by boat along with all the island residents.   A group of men were alarmed that the volcano would most likely consume their protected harbor so they organized fire boats to pump cold ocean water into the harbor to divert and stop the lava flow.  All the original houses are buried deep beneath the lava.  

 

 

We circled the island and were lucky enough to see thousands of puffins who have not yet migrated.   We lucked out by two weeks.  

Puffins are very quick, thus very hard to photograph.  They nest in grasses along the cliff side, building their nests from the bottom up so no rain intrudes.  The nests have two chambers, one as a bathroom and one for sleeping. 

 

They also have some difficulty launching into flight from the water.  

 

 

There are many smaller islands that surround Haemey, some with summer houses, some with communal houses.  There are a series of ropes to help you climb up the sheer cliffs.  

 

 

Some islands have sheep that are lifted up in canvas bags for summer grazing.   It is a harsh life but our guide described foraging for bird eggs and hunting for puffins for dinner.  

 

This elephant face on the side of the cliff is the subject of endless fascination. 

 

 

One particularly compelling story was about a fisherman who is now in his 70’s.   He and his crew lost their boat off the island.  Three men drowned straight away and three, including this man, started swimming to shore.  He was the only survivor and managed to get to a sheer lava face, only to realized he had to reenter the water to get to a more accessible cliff so he could climb ashore.  Mind you, the waters were frigid in March.  The whole story captivated the nation and years later, scientists were interested in how he survived the cold.  They pitted him against their version of Navy Seals and he was the only one who tolerated a prolonged icy dunking.  The MD’s then examined him and discovered he had a fat pad on the back of his neck like seals have.  This allegedly insulates the nerve bundles so his cold tolerance is enhanced.  Interesting, no?

 

Another interesting item is that part of the harbor is being ready to house Beluga whales.  Iceland is in the process of purchasing these whales from aquariums around the world.  They have already housed the Orca from the film “Free Willy”.   It is a habitat, not a cage and the marine life is free to come and go as they please.  Willy ventured out once to join a pod of Orcas but the hunting life was not for him and he returned to his life of leisure. 

 

 

Edited September 11, 2022 by forgap

[forgap]

Reykjavik, Iceland

 

 

Our cruise came to an end in Reykjavik but we still had another five days planned to tour.   

 

We docked outside of the town and our group was bussed to the Reykjavik Edition Hotel.  It was a lovely hotel on the harbor with a rooftop lounge and within easy walking distance to the town.  

 

We spent a restful night then walked around the city and found our Airbnb for the next five days.   Reykjavik is a very accessible city.  There is really no need to rent a car unless you want to travel around the countryside, which we did.  One day we traveled part of the golden circle to Gullfoss Falls and another day we drove to the black sand beaches near Vik.  On our last day, before flying out, we capped our Icelandic adventure by visiting the Sky Lagoon which is just outside the city.   We did the seven step ritual which was indescribable.  All I can say is GO!

 

Thank you for reading along.   I will leave you with some dazzling Iclandic waterfalls.   

 

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

Fabulous stories and photos.  Thanks so much for taking the time to share them.

[ging466]

Fabulous travelogue and pics. I felt I was back there! Thank you for posting.

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[rkacruiser]

On 9/11/2022 at 8:36 AM, forgap said:

One day we traveled part of the golden circle to Gullfoss Falls and another day we drove to the black sand beaches near Vik.  

 

Remember both!  While I don't rank Iceland as a country where I wish to return, your reports and pictures reminded me of the experiences and vistas that I enjoyed during my visits.  Thank you.