Friday Whales in North Atlantic

We rose slowly and started our Friday with a trip around noon, and we could go at a leisurely pace. I had woken up at 2 and wrote the blog as the sunrise began at 3:30. I still managed to sleep after that and woke with more light. Friday, the skies were gray and then mixed. We would need our waterproof clothing again as we had a boat ride today.

We managed to get started, showered, and down for breakfast at the hotel. It is an excellent mix of hot food, yogurt options (Icelandic style), and baked goods. I could have used a larger cup for the coffee.

Under the hotel where we are staying, there is a museum. While rebuilding the hotel and attempting to construct a parking garage, it was discovered that one of the oldest settlement sites in Iceland was located beneath the buildings. A long house and an older wall were found just beneath a layer of volcanic ash, indicating that the remains were dated to 841 ± 2 years. They left much of the site exposed and in place in an underground museum. The ruins were now many meters below the surface. It was a treat to see the actual walls and firepits from what was likely a chieftain’s home, and some possible names match the text from writings about (and near) the same period.

This adjoined the City Museum of Reykjavik. As the name suggests, this exhibit is about the settlement’s evolution into a town and then a city. It was surprising to see how progressive Iceland has been. Slavery ended long ago, and although it was claimed by Denmark, Iceland gained independence during WW2, despite being considered sovereign since WW1. Iceland has absolute wage equality, and gay rights are equally protected.

After visiting the underground area and the City Museum, we headed to Bus Stop 1. The bus was not there, and we learned, after calling, that it would arrive 15 minutes later (everyone says to be 15 minutes early, and this time this was stacked two deep). Soon, our bus found us and took us for a nice, short ride. We could have walked in seven minutes.

Whale watching in July in Iceland off of Reykjvik is cold and windy. It is also wet and misty. I did get cold a few times (I had not put on a sweater under my coat), but Deborah was warm. Also, the waves just jostle you around a bit, and walking from one side of the ship to the other to see the whales could be difficult. We soon kept on one hand on the ship as we moved.

A giant wasp found its way to me, and Deborah was worried I would get stung. We managed, with me being oblivious, to get it knocked off me (it was cold and slow-moving) and killed before it did its worst. Yike!

We wandered a bit on the ship until we found a few seats on the top deck. The lower decks smelled of fuel, and sea sickness seemed like a real possibility were we to remain there. The ship was not packed, but it was busy, and soon we were in a light chop in the harbor that connects to the North Atlantic in a wide arc (I am not sure I would call it a harbor, but it was shallow).

I have not seen humpback whales before. The ship found a couple of pairs of whales after about thirty minutes of slow steaming out into the bay. I had seen many blows from a distance and pointed them out to Deborah. I am used to looking for them for our smaller gray whales on the Oregon Coast. I believe I also saw a Minke whale, a smaller whale.

I had a few balance issues when the ship moved one way and I moved the other. The captain, at one moment, turned the boat hard to get closer to some whales, and I was not ready. I managed to stay standing. Deborah headed to the bow (front) without me for more views and pictures. I stayed in the less jostled stern (back) as my balance is based on keeping my eyes on the horizon and not my inner ear like most folks. The brain surgery left me with only 1/2 my hearing and balance on one side.

It was a marvelous adventure, and we had many opportunities to see the whales up close. We returned and found lunch/dinner at Old Harbor House on the pier after checking out many more expensive places. We got a counter-like seat pointed at the harbor and then ordered from the bar. Deborah had wonderful salmon while I had the burger and beer special. We also had coffee and then again coffee with dessert, two slices. One dessert was a version of berry and cheesecake, and the other was apple crumble. Both were excellent, and we kept changing our minds about which was our favorite.

We walked back after waving off the bus (though we had paid for it, we learned, the transfer costing us about $20 each!). We saw some interesting places, one of which sold me a T-shirt, and soon reached our hotel by yet another route.

We were back out on the street to enjoy the midnight sun. We stopped by Hús máls og menningar, a bookstore and bar during the day (a good combination, we thought), and the local band was singing covers of 90s USA hits with the crowd singing along. Everything was in English. After that, we headed to Ægir Brugghus and had drinks (locally made rice beer and a Danish-made cider for Deborah). After that, we wandered a bit and headed back to the room. We were in bed late and fell asleep immediately. I did not wake until minutes before my alarm at 7.