After a night of sailing in open seas towards Seyðisfjörður, we started our day with riveting lectures by our on-board experts. We learned about Iceland’s flora and Linnaeus from naturalist Linda Burback. Next, National Geographic photographer Michael Melford took us through past assignments working for “the yellow magazine” and more. After a delicious lunch, we returned to the lounge to listen to a lecture from two local research archaeologists working on excavations in the area. They shared images and insights about the artifacts and human remains found in and around Seyðisfjörður.
In the afternoon, we split into different groups to visit the town, go on a nature walk, or learn more about photography with our experts, Michael Melford and Alex Joseph. We learned that although Seyðisfjörður has only 700 residents, there are approximately 400,000 visitors during the summer months. The local guides showed us sites such as the town church, its famous rainbow street, and avalanche-prevention measures under construction to protect this small but significant town. As our guide Ollie said, “This is an expensive project, but every community matters.”
Back on board, we enjoyed a festive Filipino dinner and ended the night by hearing from an Icelandic filmmaker, Oskar Thor Axelsson.
Text and photos by Katrin Beinroth and Jennifer Carter, Grosvenor Teacher Fellows
