Departure and Sail from Reykjavik to Ishafandor, Iceland.
The Sirena departed Reykjavik late afternoon and the weather was cool but brisk. The showers had cleared and we were dropped off at the Port at about 11.00am . The port is a short drive of several km along the coast from the city Centre past the stunning Opera House.
Check in was smooth and we enjoyed the luncheon in the Terrace Restaurant where we lingered until about 1.00pm when our suite was ready.. Our luggage arrived within the next hour, we unpacked and then completed our usual Fire Safety and Ships emergency procedures. We had watched the necessary video from shore prior to leaving the hotel and boarding.
The ship is just beautiful, we decide to have a drink in the Martini Bar prior to dinner in the glorious Main Dining room with the Chandelier.
The weather and seas remain relatively calm, despite a forecast offering heavier swells. They don’t materialise and we enjoy a sound night’s sleep in our Suite and awake as we come into our first port of Ishafandor. This is a remote fishing and scientific port where there are any small ships all engaged in fishing and a range of important scientific experiments.
It is here that we are first awakened to the issues of the floating icepacks from Glacier melt that we will see for the following several days.
We undertake an excursion from the small port to visit a rural area in a stunning valley. WE arrive at a large Waterfall area which is used and applied to create electricity which powers most of the valley and then back down into the township. The Waterflow is stead all year and the generation of hydro power is essential and cost effective.
We then drive almost 15 minutes back up the far right hand side of the Valley to visit a farm which regularly hosts Oceania cruises and explains how over 3 generations they have found a life of the unusual, with a variety of one season crops, hay and then a variety of animals . We are greeted by the wife and head of the family farm business. She explains to us the whole business venture, the growing importance of the tourists, the impact of climate change and how the ice thaw and the shrinking glaciers are changing the whole landscape and visits of life in Iceland and with an even more pronounced change in Greenland. We then enjoy a morning tea of traditional Iceland cake and hot coffee, before we then walk back to the bus and through the dry areas of the farm.
They live on the farm for 8 months , but choose to leave and head south for the 4 months of late November to end of February because the darkness and conditions are just too harsh.
We have enjoyed a fantastic morning / early afternoon before returning to the Ship.. This was a last minute decision to join this excursion and it was both enjoyable;Le and very knowledgeable.
