Today we visited Isafjordur, the capital of the Westfjords of Northwest Iceland. It was wet and windy, but this did not deter us from a great morning. Guests were offered a range of activities. Some of us hiked to the Valagil Falls at the back of a huge valley filled with the colours of an arctic autumn, and some of us stopped to pick succulent blueberries along the way. Others went to explore one of the many large fjords in this part of Iceland and one of Iceland’s oldest arboretums at Skrudur, complete with a whale arch made from the jawbones of a large fin whale. Yet another group took a walking tour of the historic fishing port of Isafjordur, rounding off the morning in the local microbrewery. In the afternoon, we turned our thoughts to home and sailed south of Reykjavik after an amazing adventure in West Iceland and East Greenland.
10/5/2023
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National Geographic Endurance
At Sea
After an evening filled with aurora borealis we woke up well-rested, and the seas were relatively calm. The day at sea started with a presentation by our cultural representative of Iceland, Birna. She expanded on the “Armour of Iceland”: the Icelandic sweater. Later in the morning our resident scientists Conrad and Rosemary gave us insight to their current projects. The entire morning the ship was surrounded by fulmars, guillemots, and mainly glaucous gulls. The sun came through a few times as the seas picked up a little. In between presentations and the afternoon tea was a celebration to live music. Micky, one of our bar waiters, gave a fantastic piano concert while guests mingled with wine and cheese. National Geographic photographer Todd Gipstein gave an inspiring talk in the afternoon, followed by a Climate Panel led by Jonathan and Tani, among other staff. It was an opportunity to shed some light on a few facts we might have missed in the jungle of information we are exposed to. Most importantly, we had a healthy discussion about crucial issues that we are all faced with. This trip has been a wonder in scenery, experiences, and new meetings. It was rounded off with Captain Oliver’s farewell cocktails and another beautiful dinner, as we sailed past the northeastern shores of Iceland.