In the morning we entered the calm waters of Húsavík Bay, where a thick fog gave an eerie feeling to those that had woken up early in the hope of finding some whales. No such animals were to be seen, however we had a ‘dolphins in the mist’ experience that will be hard to forget. Scattered groups of white-beaked dolphins ghostly appeared here and there, sometimes very close to the ship but always breaking the surface so softly that they hardly created ripples in the glassy the water, increasing that eerie but very enjoyable feeling we had as we approached the harbor.
Some of us quickly disembarked and strolled the beautiful streets of the town and the museum for a taste of yet another charming Icelandic community. Later in the morning, we embarked in different excursions ranging from horse riding to hiking and exploring some fantastic volcanic formations and rugged coastlines. For all of us, as soon as we left the town, the extensive rolling green hills and majestic cliffs (filled with nesting fulmars!) of Iceland revealed some of the gorgeous landscape for which the island is famous. We hiked valleys deeply carved, either by the power of the water or glaciers, which over hundreds of years have exposed and polished ridiculously patterned rock formations. Some also had the chance to explore some Icelandic forests (remember, if you get lost, stand up!) and areas were for over 20 years replantation efforts are trying to recover some of the forest type that once covered up to 40% of the island before the arrival of the Vikings. Late afternoon was back aboard for everyone and off we go for another day of wonders tomorrow.
