We anchored on this sunny morning off the small island of Vigur in Ísafjörđur, the “icy fjord”. Our fleet of Zodiacs was soon launched and took us to the dock where we were greeted by puffins and by the family who has farmed on this lovely and isolated island for generations. Here down from the nests of wild Common Eiders is collected, cleaned, and sold for making eiderdown comforters and pillows. The eider ducks are never harmed by this practice and, indeed, the farmers care for the orphaned ducklings. The shore was crowded with striking black guillemots. Puffins lined a cliff top. We were guided along a path through a grassy meadow where Arctic terns were nesting. We were served coffee and delicious cakes. The weather was so pleasant we sat outside and basked in the sunshine while enjoying the wonderful view over the fjord.
We went into expedition mode for the afternoon, sailing into Seyđisfjörđur, a small and uninhabited fjord. Here we went ashore by Zodiacs and broke into groups for hikes of different lengths and also a photo walk.
