After a wonderful day in Reykjavik, we were looking forward to Heimaey, a small port in the Westman Islands of Iceland. This was to be Holland America’s very first time visiting Heimaey, but it was not to be. After much maneuvering of the ship and further discussion with the local pilot, it was decided that the swells were too great to chance tendering back and forth to the island. We were very disappointed because we had two excursions booked for this port, and one was specifically to see the puffin colonies that are located here. However, as disappointed as we were, we’re sure that the people on the island who had prepared for our arrival were even more disappointed! We got the cost of our excursions credited back immediately (one of the advantages of booking directly with HAL), but of course, the locals lost all the revenue that our visit would have generated!
People were very philosophical about it, realizing that safety was of the greatest importance, and if we missed the puffins, better that than the dangers we might have been in! So we had an extra day at sea and did some scenic cruising in the Westman Islands. It is a beautiful area, and volcanic activity is very evident. We were interested in seeing the newly created island of Surtsey which emerged from the sea during a volcanic eruption between 1963 and 1967. Only scientific study is permitted there and cruise ships must remain at least a half mile away. And I am positive that I did see some puffins through my binoculars, small black-backed birds frantically beating their wings as they skimmed the surface hunting for fish.
Because of the unexpected sea day, the cruise director Bruce came up with some very quick ideas to keep us entertained, including an informative Q&A with the ship’s captain, hotel manager, chief engineer, and first officer. One thing we learned was that the captain has a terrific sense of humor! He kept us laughing as he gave detailed answers to the questions.
Our third port in Iceland was Djupivogur (I’m still struggling with the pronunciation of that town – seems like they leave a lot of letters out when they say it). Despite dense fog, the seas were calm enough to allow us to tender in for our shore excursion, “Valley of the Waterfalls” (or in the pronunciation of the local guide Johann, “Walley of the Vaterfalls”). This wasn’t advertised as an off-the-beaten-path tour, but it was definitely. We always enjoy those because they offer such adventure! We boarded a van that held ten people, in addition to the driver and tour guide. We lucked out because there were seven vans and only one tour guide. He was miked into all the vans, but we had the advantage of being able to ask him questions as we drove.
The weather continued to be miserable – rainy and foggy, so that detracted from what would have been absolutely amazing scenery. We didn’t allow the weather to dampen our spirits though, and we enjoyed the scenery we could see, as well as the entertaining ride. One person commented that she felt like she’d been a four-hour carnival ride as we jiggled and jounced our way through the valleys and up the mountainsides. We made several stops at locatoins that would have been very scenic had the weather not been such a deterrent.
Our guide explained what life was like on the farm we were crossing. His parents owned virtually all the property in the valley and it was an enormous sheep farm. When someone asked him about farming, he commented, “I don’t know. I’m not a farmer. My father’s the farmer.” We so badly wanted to ask him how old he was because we figured he couldn’t have been more than 23 at the most! But he was an excellent tour guide and kept us entertained on the entire trip! Amazingly, he speaks four different languages: Icelandic, Danish (which is taught in all the schools), English, and Spanish!
Toward the end of the tour, we did get some breaks in the clouds so we could appreciate the full beauty of what we were seeing! We’ll just have to come back and visit again – and hopefully on a better day!
Back on the ship, I made what seems to be my “annual” visit to the ship’s doctor for medicine for a sinus infection. He thinks it’s a cold, but it’s really behaving more like sinuses. Anyway, I’m now on medication and hopefully it will knock it out of me quickly. Tomorrow (Thursday) is a sea day, and that will help.
Because I didn’t want to spend the time in the main dining room and possibly spread germs, I ate alone on the Lido. So much happened up there that I can’t begin to repeat it all, but the most interesting thing was that someone overheard me say that I was originally from Western New York and asked where, When I said Lancaster, someone else heard that name and asked if it was New York or Pennsylvania. (They hadn’t been paying attention to anything till they heard me refer to Lancaster.) It turns out that the lady has lived her entire life in Lancaster and lives on Broadway no more than a couple miles from where I grew up! We spent several minutes talking about people we knew in common (though she’d graduated from high school the year before we moved there, and we moved there when I was 2). We decided we should meet at lunch soon so Chuck could participate in the conversation also. Small world! Two cruises in a row we’ve met someone with ties to Lancaster! Pretty amazing!
Barb
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