The National Geographic Orion arrived this morning at Vigur Island in the bay of Ísafjörður in the Westfjörds region of Iceland. As its name implies, the Westfjörds region of western Iceland is well known for its glacially-carved U-shaped valleys that are flooded by the sea. We disembarked the vessel for a tour of the small island, which features a large colony of nesting Arctic terns and a plethora of Atlantic puffins. The island is owned by a single family and is famous for its production of eiderdown from the common eiders that also nest there.
After coffee and some homemade coffee cake, we returned to National Geographic Orion and transited during lunch to nearby Ísafjörður, the site of our afternoon activities. The weather continued to be superb: clear skies and warm temperatures, which made us wonder how long this fantastic weather would last.
In Ísafjörður, some of us traveled to the next fjord over via coach to visit Flateyri and a nearby botanical garden. Others went via coach to the Arctic Fox Centre in Suðavik and a hike to a waterfall in a beautiful glacially-carved valley. With bilberries and crowberries to snack on, it seemed like summer was in full force. Later, we all met back on board National Geographic Orion to share stories of our adventures during this glorious day. We all had a glow about us as we sailed toward our next adventurous day.
