Latrabjarg & Flatey, Iceland
The inaugural voyage of the National Geographic Explorer began yesterday evening in Reykjavik, the capital city of Iceland. Our voyage will take us west to Greenland, in the wake of the Vikings. Our first day saw fine weather at the western tip of Iceland. After viewing the spectacular seabird cliffs of Latrabjarg, home to the largest colony of razorbills (an auk - relatives of the more familiar puffins) we ventured further into Breidafjord to the idyllic island of Flatey.
Before landing on Flatey there was some important business to attend to. Our new ship, with her new name and livery, had yet to be formally christened. We watched from our flotilla of Zodiacs while a bottle of champagne was smashed on the bow, and drank a toast to the future of the vessel and those that will travel on her.
Flatey is home to a small and declining community. In common with most parts of Iceland, and many parts of the world, there is a migration of people from rural communities to cities, in search of better paid jobs. Life on Flatey now centres more on comfortable summer houses rather than farming. We hiked around the island and discovered some of the diverse bird life of the area, including numerous puffins.
And so we finished our first day on board, a fine way for the National Geographic Explorer to begin her life as an expedition vessel with the first of many landings and a bright future of many years of exploration.
The inaugural voyage of the National Geographic Explorer began yesterday evening in Reykjavik, the capital city of Iceland. Our voyage will take us west to Greenland, in the wake of the Vikings. Our first day saw fine weather at the western tip of Iceland. After viewing the spectacular seabird cliffs of Latrabjarg, home to the largest colony of razorbills (an auk - relatives of the more familiar puffins) we ventured further into Breidafjord to the idyllic island of Flatey.
Before landing on Flatey there was some important business to attend to. Our new ship, with her new name and livery, had yet to be formally christened. We watched from our flotilla of Zodiacs while a bottle of champagne was smashed on the bow, and drank a toast to the future of the vessel and those that will travel on her.
Flatey is home to a small and declining community. In common with most parts of Iceland, and many parts of the world, there is a migration of people from rural communities to cities, in search of better paid jobs. Life on Flatey now centres more on comfortable summer houses rather than farming. We hiked around the island and discovered some of the diverse bird life of the area, including numerous puffins.
And so we finished our first day on board, a fine way for the National Geographic Explorer to begin her life as an expedition vessel with the first of many landings and a bright future of many years of exploration.
