August 19 - Ísafjörður, Iceland

On this beautiful Tuesday we docked in this far western community in Iceland.  The town of Ísafjörður has a population of about 2500.  Our guide told us that on occasion they have had two big cruise ships visiting on the same day which essentially quadruples the population for the day.  I had booked a tour to an Arctic fox rescue and research facility and a visit to the “Stolen Church.”  

Ísafjörður is on the most western peninsula of the country and is only about three degrees below the Arctic circle.  It’s probably the oldest part of the country so over millennia the mountains surrounding the fjords and inlets have been worn down and are flatter with sheer vertical sides.  The few trees that are in the countryside are not very tall and have been planted.  The ground is covered with the kind of grasses seen on tundra. Most of the population is involved in the fishing industry or in sheep-raising (for wool production).  Many of the people hold multiple jobs to eke out a living.  The tour guide is a graduate student in marine science, a tour guide, a tutor, and a part-time waiter.  The singer I saw later works at the local power company, studies at the marine institute, sings for tour groups and has two kids.

Because of the contour  of the land and mountains the area is very prone to avalanches.  To protect the little communities along the small flat areas along the waterfront Iceland has built avalanche barriers on the mountainsides to break the snow before it engulfs the houses.  Our tour took us to the little town of Súðvík.  On the 16th of January 1995 an avalanche wiped out the community, killing 16 people including 8 children.  The town was rebuilt a little distance away from the original site in a place where there was more flat land offering more protection from such an event.  A monument was built on the original site.

Norse people like myths and legends and our next stop was at the end of a fjord where the runoff from winter snow cascades down into the fjord.  Between two mountains is a natural bowl valley which the Icelanders say was created by a troll who was trying to get back to his cave before daylight turned him to stone.  According to local lore the troll sat in that spot to take a rest and the valley was created.  I remember hearing similar stories about trolls when we stopped in Norway years ago.

The valley in the distance is where the troll sat.

A little further down the road we stopped at the “Stolen Church.” This little structure was originally in a tiny community further north in the Westfjords area.  That village was abandoned and the church was unused.  At some point later the Lutheran Church in Iceland decided a church was needed in the Ísafjörður community.  Rather than build a new church, the abandoned one was dismantled and moved piece by piece and reconstructed on this new site.  We went into the church and were entertained by a local singer who sang three Icelandic songs for us. 

Our final stop was the Arctic fox rescue facility. The Arctic fox is the only native mammal species in Iceland. While they aren’t classified as endangered, they are experiencing a loss of habitat and this facility was built to care for and rehabilitate injured ones.   There were two foxes there today.  The lady who was caring for them explained to us that while the foxes will allow humans to approach them at the facility they are not domesticated at all and will not permit people to handle them. The two I saw looked to be about the size of a 15-pound dog.

Chilling in the unusual sunshine

After the visit there we drove back to the port.  It was an enjoyable visit, if not very exciting.  I think the area didn’t have a great deal beyond beautiful scenery to offer.  It was a very desolate looking place which in its sub-arctic way gave me the same kind of feeling that I get when I’ve been to some stark desert places like I’ve seen in the southwest.

I forgot to mention that our guide was an Indian (Asian Indian) from London who lives in this place because it’s the home of the University of Iceland’s graduate marine science school and he’s a student there.  The lady at the fox place was a Bulgarian here to study foxes.  I only met one Icelander all day.

In the evening I dined with a new speaker who came onboard in Reykjavik.  He’s an interesting 79-year-old from Birmingham, Alabama who has been traveling the world for more than 50 years and has written travel guides and books.  He was a good dinner companion who had interesting stories to tell.

Here we are at our first (and probably last) performance.  That's me on the drums having the time of my life.

The best, or maybe most fun, part of the day came very late in the Club.  Several of my solo friends came down to listen to the music. We were there when the trio playing was wrapping up its set of music.  I’m not sure how it came to pass, but my friends and I went up to the bandstand and took the places of the drummer (that was me!), the guitarist, keyboard player and singer.  We faked our way through a song playing on the jukebox while the real performers took a video.  I got to live out my dream of being a rock band drummer and we all laughed a lot.  I know it doesn’t translate well into the written word here, but it was an exhilarating experience and some of the most fun I’ve had in a long time.  By the way, I know for sure now that I don’t have a future as a drummer. It takes much more coordination than I have.

Sea day tomorrow as we head west toward Greenland.  That means Trivia will be on the agenda.  We’re not doing very well.