A few highlights from Iceland

The lighthouse at Flatey Island.

Our voyage, titled "The Edge of the Arctic," began in Iceland with a visit to the National Museum, which we found quite fascinating. The first people to inhabit this island seem to have been the Vikings, who arrived in the 10th century of this era. In other words, very late in human history. I enjoyed the artifacts from the early history of the settlements.

Very early figurine.

11th century carving.

16th century statue.

After the museum visit and a brief ride through the city, we boarded the ship and immediately (as prescribed) participated in the life boat drill. For the first time on any Lindblad voyage, we actually went into the life boats and practiced the whole drill.

Finally, we were ready for the ship to leave the harbor of Reykjavik. Several of out activities in Iceland were repeated from last year — though very well worth a second look! Most of the days were spent outside seeing wildlife and scenery, but in this post I'm featuring some of the other highlights of the trip.

One new place was the Arctic Fox Center, where photos and stuffed birds and foxes and other historic items are on display, along with materials about the lives of the arctic foxes in Iceland. More fun though: the center houses two young foxes that were orphaned by farmer-hunters in the area. Icelandic farmers have permission to shoot foxes. 

A young fox with its caretaker at the Arctic Fox Center.

Another highlight was a performance by a much-loved Icelandic singer named Hafdís Huld, who had several number-one hits in Iceland in the early 2000s. She mainly performed ballads and sweet songs that were pleasant to the audience on the ship.

Hafdís and her husband performing in the lounge
of the Explorer.

We enjoyed visiting several other sites on the west coast of Iceland before heading toward Greenland, a 36 hour journey across the Straits of Denmark. Luckily the seas were very calm, and we stopped to see some whales that were not far off the ship's bow -- not the last whales that we saw on our trip. 

This post tells about the quiet part of my trip. The more invigorating outdoor hikes and rides in small boats among the icebergs, fjords, and glaciers are still to come!

All photos and text © 2022 mae sander.