20260619 Friday, June 19, 2026 Ísafjördur, Iceland
We arrived in Iceland with cold, wet weather. The ship had been rolling through the night as a low-pressure area was situated northeast of Iceland. The temperature was about 40ºF with winds gusting to 20 mph. The ship tied up with our balcony facing the opposite wall of the fjord.
This was a steep eroded wall with a roadway along its base. There were sheep grazing above the roadway.
Icelandic wool being made
Eider Ducks-where eider down comes from.
Males in white and black mating plummage.
Around us there were lots of birds both floating on the water and flying around. These included the fulmars, kittiwakes and gulls, as well as the very sleek looking and fast arctic terns. There were also plenty of eider ducks.
Our tour was set to depart at 10:55 a.m., so we had our last Mamsen’s waffles and geared up for rain and a bus ride. While we were preparing for the day, the ship’s crew had a mandatory drill which included shutting the fire protection and water tight doors and ultimately abandoning ship, launching the life boats.
Doug and Sandy had an 8:30 a.m. tour and had booked an optional whale-watching excursion around noon. When we were boarding our bus, we ran into them and they gave us advice to head in directly into the theater at the first stop if you wanted to get a seat. Apparently, it was very crowded during their tour.
The tour took us on a drive around Ísafjördur, which is the largest city and regional capital of the Westfjords peninsula of Iceland. It has a population of only 2,700, but has all the basics needed for a city, including a recreation center with a pool and two grocery stores. It has some quaint architecture dating back to the 16th century when foreign merchants first set up trading posts on this sandy spit of land sticking out into the fjord.
Unfortunately, with the rain and filthy bus windows, we weren’t getting good photos of the buildings in their city center. It wasn’t long before we dove into a 3-mile-long tunnel connecting Ísafjördur to its neighbor Bolungarvik, which is one of the oldest fishing villages in Iceland. Fishing remains the mainstay of the area’s economy, in addition to tourism.
There isn’t a lot to see in Bolungarvik, but we did get to enter a municipal theater and were treated to several songs sung by a local singer/songwriter accompanied by his guitar. He did an interesting set of folksy and atmospheric melodies in Icelandic, but did explain the themes of each number.
At the conclusion of our Bolungarvik cultural experience, we drove past a light house and stopped at Ósvör Bolungarvik, which is a museum consisting of several historic fishing huts, including a dwelling typically shared by a fishing crew of 8.
Interestingly enough, the tiny cabin only had 4 bunks, so they had to double up. Even more interesting was the typical crew, consisting of 7 men and one woman. The woman usually took care of the chores and cooking, but with only 4 bunks, the big question was who got to sleep with the woman.
The guide said rumor had it that it was either the youngest, who didn’t know any better, or the oldest, who had forgotten how. The structure had a timber frame and grass roof construction and was surprisingly comfortable compared to the cold wind and rain outside.
The final stop on our tour was a photo stop at Bunárfoss, a waterfall fed by springs with water so pure that the guides encouraged us to take a drink from the stream below the falls.
Being medical professionals with the prospect of a long transoceanic flight ahead of us, we passed on the opportunity to pick up a case of gastroenteritis.
After returning to the ship, we had lunch in the buffet and then got to work with the business of repacking all our stuff into our suitcases. This does require some strategy because it is likely that our suitcases will be held in storage for several hours before we can access our post-cruise extension hotel rooms. Janet booked us for an Icelandic horse riding experience, so we’ll have to keep on hand what we’ll need to do that.
Our final Chef’s Table experience was with a Mexican menu. The appetizer was a tasty Tostadas de Pulpo, which is octopus on a corn tostada with guacamole. It was a tasty bite. We were surprised to learn that Mexico is the third largest producer of octopus in the world.
The first course was a Tamalito de Pollo, or reimagined chicken tamale pressed flat and served with a zesty salsa verde. Quite good.
The granita was unique— prickly pear and lemon with a dash of hot chile powder on top. Quite a contrast— Fire and Ice— perfect for Iceland.
The main course was a beef short rib, braised to fork-tender and served with mole sauce and a purée de camote, miel de agave, which was a creamy starch sweetened with agave and tasting like butterscotch pudding. The combination of the umami beef, chocolate/cinnamon mole, and butterscotch camote worked quite well. It was a unique taste experience and a pleasurable one.
Dessert was chocolate in 3 textures, including crispy chocolate cinnamon bar bits, chocolate crumbles on mousse, and double chocolate brownie à la mode.
We finished the evening’s entertainment with a show by Ellie, the lead female vocalist from Scotland, who did a solo show with several selections from Broadway and West End musicals ranging from Ella Fitzgerald to Sara Bareilles, to Barbara Streisand and Liza Minnelli. It was another fine show showcasing Ellie’s broad range.
Our suitcases made it out to the hallway in time for pick-up. Hopefully, we will have all the clothes we need to walk off the ship tomorrow.
