09:00–17:00 Ísafjörður, Iceland Iceland, Faroes and Northern Isles Cruise
Excursion Details
An Insight to Ísafjörður
Date of Tour:
09/06/2016
Country:
Iceland
Port:
Ísafjörður
Excursion Code:
304001A
Excursion Duration:
3hrs
Departure Time:
09:45
Return Time:
12:45
Adult Price:
£59
Tour Description
Ísafjörður is the municipal centre and largest settlement in the West Fjords peninsula, Iceland’s least populated region. Mountains surround Ísafjördur on three sides with the sea on the fourth, and it is situated on a long flat hook-shaped gravel spit that reaches out into the fjord. The town is still predominantly a fishing centre, but a lively cultural and artistic scene flourishes as well.
You travel through the centre of town along a narrow coastal road to Ósvör, a former harbour for rowing boats, where you stop to visit a restored old fisherman’s hut. Inside the hut there is a replica of a fishing outfit from the rowboat era that is among the oldest of its kind in the country and allows you to acquaint yourselves with the harsh life of Icelandic fishermen in the beginning of the 20th century. A short distance away is Bolungarvík, situated in a picturesque bay surrounded by steep mountains. There you will view the distinctive architecture of the local church.
On our return drive to Ísafjörður enjoy splendid views of the magnificent mountains of the ‘Djúp’, overlooking the largest fjord in the area. Continue through the oldest part of the town where old houses dating from the 18th century bear witness to the importance Ísafjörður had for a few centuries as one of the main trading centres in Iceland. The Maritime Museum is situated in an old merchant’s warehouse, one of the oldest wooden buildings in Ísafjörður, and here you will gain a fascinating insight into the life of Icelandic mariners. Afterwards you will be invited to sample some typical Icelandic refreshments, including schnapps, dried fish and even shark before you return to your ship.
Important Notes
By coach/on foot. Min 35/Max 200.
Please note: This tour involves approximately 1 hour of walking in total, some of which is over uneven ground, as well as some steps and inclines at the Maritime Museum and the fisherman’s hut. The steps at the fisherman’s hut are uneven and made from natural stone; care should be taken when using them. Views are dependent on weather patterns. We do not consider this tour to be suitable for passengers with wheelchairs or those with walking difficulties as most of the sites visited do not have disabled access. Flat, comfortable footwear is recommended. The venues are sometimes visited in a different order to avoid congestion.
“Your daily programme”
“Tender Tough Safety Notice”
Janet has crossed out “tender” on this notice and written “tough”. This reflects our habit with a pair of homophones, of using the word of opposite meaning to the other word in the pair instead of saying the first word.
When we got up, ca.7am, the ship was still in motion.
Janet records: “We were… on our way to Ísafjörður: lots of snowy mountains to be seen out of the window.”
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 07:06:26
View from the cabin window
We’d decided, instead of going down to the Waldorf Restaurant for breakfast, to try going up to Marco’s. The Waldorf seated more people, so the food service area was larger, but the tables themselves were closer together, making free movement of many people difficult; although breakfast was a self-service buffet, the tables were arranged with just room for waiters to squeeze through at dinner times. The food service area in Marco’s was smaller, resulting sometimes in queues, but access to and from the tables was unhindered. “Swings and roundabouts”! We were at anchor today, as on
Tuesday
7 June 2016, and being tendered ashore; so we followed the instructions in
Your daily programme for people on the “An Insight to Ísafjörður” excursion: “Meet in the Marco Polo Lounge at 09:00.” Again, it wasn’t “meeting” as such, but queuing for a numbered ticket. Again, our tickets were numbered “6”. We waited in the Captain’s Club. But instead of the Russian or Ukrainian woman calling our number in the second lot, as before, we were in the third.
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 09:30:40
Boarding the tender
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 09:34:00
Aboard the tender
Departure was scheduled for “09:45”, so we were directed to the appropriate coach just about on time.
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 09:54:16
Views from the coach
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 09:54:46
Views from the coach
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 09:55:10
Views from the coach
The town is built on a spit of land that curves out into the fjord Skutulsfjörður, so first we went about half a mile to the northern shore of the fjord, then turned left and went on approximately two miles to its end. (“Northern” is an approximation: the direction of Skutulsfjörður from end to mouth is approximately north-east. It is a “tributary” of the larger fjord Ísafjarðardjúp, the mouth of which is in a north-westerly direction.)
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:01:16
Views from the coach: Skutulsfjörður
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:02:46
Views from the coach: Skutulsfjörður
Much of the terrain was characterised by the flat-topped mountains we’d seen elsewhere. We continued a further two miles or so westwards along the broad valley Tungudalur till we got to a waterfall, where we stopped for photos. Plastic cups of its water were offered, so I accepted one. I stood on the wooden bridge over the torrent and photographed upstream and downstream, then walked fifty yards or so for another shot in the valley.
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:09:06
Waterfall in Tungudalur
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:09:14
Waterfall in Tungudalur
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:09:22
Waterfall in Tungudalur
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:09:30
Waterfall in Tungudalur
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:09:40
Waterfall in Tungudalur
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:09:50
Waterfall in Tungudalur
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:10:06
Waterfall in Tungudalur
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:17:10
Mountains south of Tungudalur
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:18:36
Lupins and dandelions
Then we went back to Ísafjörður, to the farthest western end of the spit, and visited an 18th century timber-frame house, now a maritime museum.
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:24:54
Views from the coach: Example of a “giant’s seat” in the mountain bordering Skutulsfjörður
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:26:12
Views from the coach: Another example of a “giant’s seat” in the mountain bordering Skutulsfjörður
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:34:02
Old timber-framed house, now a maritime museum
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:35:16
Old timber-framed house
It was interesting to see an Underwood-style typewriter with Nordic characters,
e.g. eth “ð” and thorn “þ”.
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:36:22
Maritime museum, ground floor [US: first floor]
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:36:44
Maritime museum, ground floor [US: first floor]
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:37:00
Maritime museum, ground floor [US: first floor]
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:37:34
Maritime museum, ground floor [US: first floor]
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:38:18
Maritime museum, ground floor [US: first floor]
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:38:36
Maritime museum, ground floor [US: first floor]
I sampled the Icelandic fare that was laid out on tables:
shredded harðfiskur (wind-dried fish);
Iceland’s signature distilled beverage brennivín (“burned wine”, same root as “brandy[wine]” — nicknamed
svarti dauði (“black death”) because of the white skull on the black label, later replaced by the map of Iceland);
and cubed hákarl, shark buried in sand and left to ferment for a couple or three months, then cut into strips and hung to dry for several more months.
I enjoyed the first two, and have no clear memory of the third, so couldn’t have found it repulsive — as accounts of it suggest! “An acquired taste,” said the blurb.
(Wikipedia goes further. “Those new to it may gag involuntarily on the first attempt to eat it…,” it says. “Eating
kæstan hákarl is often associated with hardiness and strength.”)
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:39:18
Maritime museum, ground floor [US: first floor]:
harðfiskur
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:39:18 (detail)
Maritime museum, ground floor [US: first floor]:
harðfiskur
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:41:28
Maritime museum, ground floor [US: first floor]:
hákarl
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:41:54
Maritime museum, ground floor [US: first floor]:
brennivín
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:41:54 (detail)
Maritime museum, ground floor [US: first floor]:
brennivín
There were two further storeys in the roof space, and a small lookout tower above that, which I explored.
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:44:54
Maritime museum, first floor [US: second floor]
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:45:50
Maritime museum, second floor [US: third floor]
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:47:48
Maritime museum, lookout tower
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 10:49:50
Old timber-framed house to the left of the maritime museum
We returned to the coach. As before, we went to the northern shore of the fjord; but this time we turned right, not left, to go round the headland to a small bay (a “wick”) to the north. We passed a number of vertical-slatted wind-drying sheds on the way, some with strips of fish hanging in them. Actually, about halfway around, we bore left and entered a tunnel some 3½ miles long. (The Bolungarvíkurgöng tunnel was opened in 2010, built to replace that section of the coast road, which was dangerous owing to rock-falls and avalanches.)
Bolungarvíkurgöng tunnel
(photo from Wikipedia)
We didn’t immediately proceed to the village Bolungarvík on the bay; we turned right onto the “dangerous” road and went the other way round the headland for a short distance, stopping at a restored old fisherman’s hut, complete with bearded old fisherman in oilskins and sou’wester, and wooden fishing boat. He spoke to us in Icelandic, interpreted by the guide — only his speeches were very much longer than the interpretations! They would go out on the high seas for weeks on end in these small boats, as far as Greenland.
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 11:34:40
Verbúð ([fisherman’s] dwelling) at Ósvör near Bolungarvík, now a “living” museum
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 11:34:40 (detail)
Verbúð ([fisherman’s] dwelling) at Ósvör near Bolungarvík, now a “living” museum
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 11:36:00
Verbúð ([fisherman’s] dwelling) at Ósvör near Bolungarvík, now a “living” museum
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 11:36:32
Verbúð ([fisherman’s] dwelling) at Ósvör near Bolungarvík, now a “living” museum
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 11:51:06
Verbúð ([fisherman’s] dwelling) at Ósvör near Bolungarvík, now a “living” museum
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 11:52:06
Verbúð ([fisherman’s] dwelling) at Ósvör near Bolungarvík, now a “living” museum
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 11:52:24
Verbúð ([fisherman’s] dwelling) at Ósvör near Bolungarvík, now a “living” museum: first hut
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 11:53:44
Verbúð ([fisherman’s] dwelling) at Ósvör near Bolungarvík, now a “living” museum: first hut
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 11:54:44
Verbúð ([fisherman’s] dwelling) at Ósvör near Bolungarvík, now a “living” museum: second hut
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 11:55:26
Verbúð ([fisherman’s] dwelling) at Ósvör near Bolungarvík, now a “living” museum: second hut
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 11:55:40
Verbúð ([fisherman’s] dwelling) at Ósvör near Bolungarvík, now a “living” museum: second hut
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 11:56:46
Verbúð ([fisherman’s] dwelling) at Ósvör near Bolungarvík, now a “living” museum: second hut, upstairs
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 11:58:18
Verbúð ([fisherman’s] dwelling) at Ósvör near Bolungarvík, now a “living” museum: fish-drying shed
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 11:59:48
Environs of Ósvör
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 12:00:00
Environs of Ósvör
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 12:00:18
Bolungarvík, across the bay from Ósvör
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 12:00:44
Pairs of common eider
We went back the way we’d just come, then skirted round the bay. We were passing through a flat, grassy area at the end of a broad U-shaped valley, on which were nesting many arctic terns. Bolungarvík, on the far side of the bay, lies at the end of a second valley between steep-sided mountains. Indeed, at the north of Bolungarvík where the mountainside is near by they have constructed a number of avalanche walls to protect the village. We visited the Lutheran church just outside the village to the south. There, two girls sang three songs to us. The third one we all recognised with a laugh as the chorus from
Daisy Bell (“Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do. I'm half crazy all for the love of you…”). They sang it first in Icelandic, then in English. The batteries in my camera ran out just as I was going to video the first song; so, hurriedly replacing them, I only managed to video the other two. One of the girls was tall and Nordic-looking; the other was short and Inuit-looking. There was a visitors’ book, which we signed before we left.
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 12:09:06
Hólskirkja, Bolungarvík
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 12:17:08
Hólskirkja, Bolungarvík: duet
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 12:17:08 (detail)
Hólskirkja, Bolungarvík: duet
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 12:17:32
Hólskirkja, Bolungarvík: motif above the altar
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 12:21:42
Hóll (“hill”) to the south of Hólskirkja, after which presumably the church is named
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 12:22:46
Environs of Bolungarvík
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 12:23:18
Environs of Bolungarvík: snow-covered mountains on the far side of Ísafjarðardjúp
The coach took us back, returning through the tunnel, to the tender quay on the south side of the Ísafjörður spit. I needed to buy and send post cards, and we figured that this might be our only opportunity to do this. We’d passed a sizeable grey building with an “Information” sign, on the opposite side of the spit, so we made our way to that. It housed the
“Edinborg bistro café bar”, public toilets, and an information bureau. There was a bit of an “unfinished” or “makeshift” air to the building,
e.g. we had to step over a sill through a French window to enter the bar. This is what we did first, then. I had a glass of premium-strength
Bríó Icelandic beer on draught, and
Janet had two bottles of her favourite diet cola Pepsi Max.
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 12:49:18
Refreshments at “Edinborg bistro café bar”, Ísafjörður
There were maps of Ísafjörður available for the taking.
We visited the public loo in the adjacent corridor, then went to the information bureau also in the building. There were postcards available; I bought three, one for Chris, one for Mum, and one to keep for its image of Ísafjörður, and two stamps.
I asked the clerk what “Germany” was in Icelandic, and he wrote it down — “Þýskaland” — and what the United Kingdom was. He told me that they didn’t normally call it that, and suggested “Stóra Bretland”. I expressed regret that English had lost two letters which Icelandic retained, “ð” and “þ”, for we had words where their sounds were used. He told me there was talk of Icelandic losing “y” and using “i” instead. From the map,
Janet and I ascertained the location of the post office, where we figured we’d also find a posting box; and we headed in that direction, along Aðalstræti and its continuation Hafnarstræti.
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 13:32:38
Aðalstræti, Ísafjörður
The Edinborg building is the grey one to the left.
The post office is on the corner of Hafnarstræti and Austurvegur. On the opposite corner we found a bakery-cum-café, where I had a black coffee and
Janet a bottle of Pepsi Max. She also bought a bar of Icelandic chocolate there. I wrote the postcards; we posted them in the box set in the post office wall; then we continued along Hafnarstræti to where the spit joins the shore of the fjord. Here, we saw a large church of modern design and construction, a memorial to fishermen, and a building which I later found out used to be the hospital.
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 14:08:54
Fishermen’s monument, Hafnarstræti, Ísafjörður
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 14:09:28
Former hospital building, seen from Hafnarstræti, Ísafjörður, now a cultural centre with a library and showrooms
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 14:09:28 (detail)
Former hospital building, seen from Hafnarstræti, Ísafjörður, now a cultural centre with a library and showrooms
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 14:10:26
Ísafjarðarkirkja, Hafnarstræti, Ísafjörður
Then we made our way back. We had another Bríó and Pepsi Max at the
“Edinborg bistro café bar”, before going over to the quay, where there were two tenders moored.
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 15:06:20
Waiting tenders, Ísafjörður
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 15:33:32
Aboard the tender to MS Marco Polo
Thursday 9 June 2016 — 15:34:14
Approaching MS Marco Polo
Back on the Marco Polo, I transferred the 63 photos and four videos from the camera to the
WD Elements HDD (16:03–16:07). Rotated two photos that needed it (16:12, 16:13). We went to the Captain’s Club where I had an “American” coffee, and later, because it was “Happy Hour”, a (normally dearer)
Grappa Moscato, while
Janet had a couple of Coca Cola Light (17:08, 17:32), before we went for dinner to Marco’s Restaurant, where I had a glass of house red wine (18:03) and
Janet a Coca Cola Light (18:16). It was sunny and quite warm, so we had four turns of Deck 10, before,
ca.8pm, we went back to the cabin. We were in bed just before 8.45pm.
