Europe Trip - Isafjordur, Iceland

The main reason we chose this cruise to celebrate out 40th wedding anniversary was because the itinerary included Iceland which we had never been to before.  Our first stop was Isafjordur, which is remotely located in northwest Iceland.  It is a commercial port, surrounded by ruggedly beautiful fjords.  It is one of Iceland's biggest fishing centres.

The harbour is commercial:

We chose a shore excursion that would take us out of Isafjordur where we could see some of the beautiful scenery and also the way of life, past and present, of the Icelanders.  Our first stop was the small town of Bolungarvik where we visited an old Lutheran Church and were treated to two solos of Icelandic music.

 

 

We then visited the outdoor exhibit of "Osvor", which is a museum depicting how the fishermen lived  at the beginning of the 19th century - it consists of a small house, fish sheds, a six oared fishing boat, a wooden winch, a fish drying area and tool sheds. Inside the sheds and fishermen’s lodgings are samples of the gear of the fishermen past, their hide clothing, tools and artefacts. The actor shown in the picture of the boat is wearing the fishermen’s clothing from that era - oilskin, and he is very carefully wrapped up to keep out the wind and water.

 

 

 

Next we stopped at the waterfall in Tunguskogur, with its fresh mountain water.  Quite tame compared to what we see in British Columbia.

 

 

Then back to Isafjordur where we visited the Maritime and Folk Museum which contains items related to the fishing industry. But it also has a unique collection of accordions on the upper floor.  We were treated to a performance of Icelandic folk dancing when we arrived.

 

 

 

The government employs students during the summer months to do all sorts of jobs, including learning folk dancing and singing to entertain the tourists.