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.
