This morning we started off the day with a colorful presentation by the curator of the Herring Era Museum. We were told about the museum we were about to visit depicting a long ago time when the town of Siglufjorur was a bustling hub of the herring industry. Her talk whet our appetites for the experience of the museum, and we were eager to see the exhibits ourselves. Upon arrival we were treated to a living exhibit from the Herring Girls. These lovely ladies actually worked in the herring industry in their younger years. We watched as the ladies enacted a scene from days gone by as they cut fish and packed them into barrels of salt to be ready for market. It was as much entertaining as it was educational. They were accompanied by a few gentlemen who also took part in the exhibition, bring in the barrels of fish and hauling away the finished products. After the works done, they all broke out in traditional song and dance and as one might expect, it was not long before they had enticed a few of us intrepid travelers into dancing with them. A tasting of some pickled herring and a snort of schnapps and then we separated into groups to visit the rest of the museums offerings. In the wonderful diorama of an old fish pier we saw the vessels and equipment used by the fishermen as the set out to catch the herring that was the lifeblood of this community. Ships stores, dimly lit by lantern light gave a real idea of what life as a fisherman was like not that long ago. All told the museum consist of three buildings each centering on a different aspect of life in the heyday of the herring fisheries. As we walked back to the ship, we looked at the fishing vessels floating in the water in the harbor where we were berthed. After learning about the life of the people who fish for their livelihood, we viewed the small vessels through enlightened eyes.
In the afternoon we sailed a short distance to the city of Akureyri, the second largest city in Iceland. It was first settled by the Norse Viking Helgi Magri Eyvindarson in 9th century. It was later resettled by Danish merchants who choose this spot because of the outstanding natural harbor, and the fact that the city is surrounded by a productive agriculture area. It is surrounded by magnificent mountains making this place a beautiful place for us to stop and partake in some of the modern day Icelandic culture. My little group decided to head into town and make a photo outing of the experience. We visited the small shops and the many outdoor cafes and even an Icelandic hotdog stand where the hotdogs are made of lamb, not beef. We talked to people and made images of locals and other tourists, the colorful city center, and some of the scenery that make Akureyri the beautiful place that it is.
After our ramblings, we returned to the ship for a very special evening Recap. We have been fortunate to be hosting the Turner Foundation and through their efforts we were privileged to have the President of Iceland came aboard to talk about Iceland and the incredible transformation that Iceland has gone through, making it a leader in “Green Economy.” His inspirational speech gave all of us on board hope not only about the future of planet.
Afterwards, some of us had dinner on board, while others, decided to take advantage of being docked at the harbor and went into town to sample some of the cuisine of the local restaurants. Iceland is a place of incredible natural beauty, but it is also a place of fascinating culture. We have learned about its historic Viking past, its traditional human connection to the sea, its modern present day lifestyle, and the hopes its people have for the future.
