Day 5 consisted of visiting a little island off the coast of Iceland - Vigur Island. It was very cold and windy and unfortunately because it had been such a nice day the day before in Akureyi, I didn't dress very warm and I was pretty cold. Vigur Island is adjacent to Isafjordur Iceland and is inhabited by 3 generations of the same family. It has apparently been inhabited by the same family for over a hundred years. Tours are conducted there all summer and there is a little reception area where members of the family serve tea, coffee and sweets. I was diappointed there wasn't any vennetarta (sp?). I asked one of the ladies if she ever made that and she said she has made it but not for a long time. I have a feeling it is not that popular in Iceland anymore.
The island basically consists of a few houses, a windmill which is no longer in use, the smallest post office in Iceland which services the surrounding area, hundreds of puffins, arctic terns and eider ducks. The farmer that lives there makes his living by collecting eider from the eider ducks that live there. He cleans it and sells it for a really good price. There was an eider comforter for sale in the post office for $1500.
The guide was a young girl who lives in Isafjordir. I asked her what she did besides touring and she is on the ci
After the tour, I had dinner with a bunch of the other non- Tauck English speaking people. The sea was very rocky and it was entertaining watching the huge waves splashing against the windows of the restaurant which was on the second level of the ship.
I forgot to mention that on the evening of Day 4 there were whale sightings outside the ship. The captain slowed to a stop so that we could enjoy them. They were apparently humpback whales. I only saw them a few times rising slightly in the water and then at one point saw a tail.
My impressions of Iceland are that it is a beautiful country but pretty cold and isolated.
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