The past 24 hours in Iceland were a whirlwind of weather extremes, ocean cruising, wildlife encounters, and some wonderful hiking. Our after-dinner visit to the island of Grimsey took place during a heavy drizzle, and the misty weather only added to the remote, Arctic atmosphere as we spread out along the clifftop and observed the charismatic Atlantic puffins at their nesting sites.
This morning, the weather took a favorable turn, and guests enjoyed a welcome sleep-in, waking to fair seas and the play of sunlight over the dramatic Iceland landscape. A pod of playful white-beaked dolphins joined us for a time as we sailed into beautiful Seyðisfjörður—a town that has gone straight to the top of my list of favorites. We enjoyed a great three-hour hike along a narrow trail fringed with wildflowers to a plateau above town that afforded us breathtaking views.
