A little treasure of Iceland

Day 2 11.09.2015

Today we arrived well rested and perfectly on time to the beautiful scenery of Grundarfjörður. Shortly after arriving we started for the panorama tour of Snæfelsnes Peninsula. It is a nice roundtrip in what is called “Iceland in a nutshell”, presenting many of the unique features of this island. We got to see black, rough lava fields in bright yellow sand, a mysterious landscape in the fog around the mountains, walked on basalt bridges and much more. For those staying back and having a late breakfast, there was a hike to the next big waterfall, a great photo opportunity. In the course of the day we had an excursion to a shark farm introducing us to the Icelandic culture of hiking and shark fishing. When the sun started to get low and everyone was aboard again we set off into the sea to travel further north, expecting to wake for a little village called Flateyri.

A map of the Snæfellsnes peninsula

Kirkjufell, the house mountain of Grundarfjörður

Gregor, Lola, Erik and Lauritz, only some of our Lecturers

Logo of the local fish factory

A beautiful start in Iceland

Day 1 10.09.2015

New trip begins! In the morning we had to say goodbye. Standing in the winds of Reykjavik, we waved to our departing guests. Some of who would explore Iceland further, many who would go back home. Our first day of the new trip was in the name of organisation. After refilling the stocks and bunkers of the ship and cleaning the interior our guests were checking in, filing medical reports and getting brand new Hurtigruten Expedition jackets. Because some flights were delayed, not everybody arrived at the same time, which made the lines a lot shorter. Once we were complete, MV Fram loosened the mooring ropes and we left the “Bay of smoke”, meaning of Reykjaviks name. As we sailed out we got to see a rainbow ahead. That must be a good sign for the rest of our voyage.

 Our beautiful shipdoctor Diana and nurse Luz

 See what happens to this cake ...

... it was delicious!

 Walter and Morten approve.

Storm before Reykjavik

9.9. Wednesday

Reykjavik       

Due to two heavy storm warnings and a low pressure system building up over Reykjavik and the westfjords it was decided to skip Grundafjørdur and go straight for Reykjavik. This caused cancellations and creations of new trips, but will make sure that everyone will reach their planes in time.

Around midnight the storm hit us, with waves up to 6 meters. In the afternoon we finally reached the harbour, and everything went back to normal. Some of us decided to relax in the warm water of the Blue Lagoon and others just enjoyed a sightseeing tour of Reyjavik. In the end all were happy being in the capital of Iceland.

The last chapter: Iceland

7.9, Monday

Iceland!

Arriving in Ísafjörður around noon we could start our excursion in time. The weather was fine, cloudy and only little wind. Some went hiking onto Troll’s Throne, others visited a small fishing village in the neighbour fjord and a small group did a riding excursion. The Icelandic horses are well known for their kindness. It was really a surprise to go on the landing side without rubber boots and no Polar circle boat, we just could walk from and on board, whenever we decided. Fram left Ísafjörður the next morning.

Ísafjörður is the biggest town in the west fjords with a small university, a high school and culture house. The old houses are in a good shape and mostly colourful painted. After 10 days in the wilderness it was a nice experience being back in more well-known surroundings like a town.

8.9. Tuesday

Flateyri

In the morning we started with cruising in the Ísafjörður djúp around the island Vigur. Vigur is well known for its big eider duck colonies during the summer. The ducks were all gone, but we spotted some whales, humpback whales. They were swimming and diving close to FRAM.

In the afternoon we reached Flateyri, another tiny village. Those of us going on the excursion visited a nice garden and got a good impression of the landscape. Flateyri itself offers some hiking possibilities and two special museums: a doll collection and a nonsense museum. Unfortunately there was some rain. After leaving the village, we visited the captain’s farewell and were updated about the newest weather forecast. There was a storm warning and to be in time in Reykjavik, the captain decided to cancel Grundarfjörður and head directly towards the capital.