Here in the far reaches of Northeast Iceland sunrise came at 0252 hours to begin this long northern summer day. At 7 a.m., National Geographic Explorer is cruising in fog along the northwest coast of the Langanes—the “long peninsula” that is perhaps the most remote region of Iceland. Over the low swell and whitecaps of grey Greenland Sea, common guillemots fly low and straight while the ubiquitous northern fulmars wheel in soaring flight, skimming the waves. The wind and the swell made a Zodiac landing too treacherous to attempt on this shore, infamous for its history of shipwrecks. So we sailed southwest and found safe harbor at the small fishing village of Thόrshöfn—literally Thor’s Harbor. Here the harbormaster invited Captain Skog to bring our ship into his harbor. This is the first time such a ship has come here and we received a very warm welcome.
A morning presentation on Rocks in Motion: The Tectonic Setting of Iceland by geologist and naturalist Jim Kelley explained the unique and dynamic geology of Iceland. This was followed by National Geographic photographer Chris Rainier presenting a fascinating account of Cultures on the Edge: Photographing on the Front Lines of the World in the 21st Century.
From the harbor we walked out across the dock and waterfront where local boys were fishing and work at a fish processing plant was in full swing, with great bins of fish fillets ready to freeze and export. On through the town we walked as the citizens greeted us warmly, surprised to find us in their small community. We proceeded out onto the tundra and passed farms where friendly and curious Icelandic horses also greeted us.
On the way to a lake where common eiders and other ducks were swimming with their fast-growing ducklings, we saw many birds such as the golden plover, redshank, redwing, ringed plover, dunlin, and meadow pipit. A thrilling sight was a pair of great whooper swans flying overhead. We walked over the spongy tundra, stopping often to investigate myriad small and beautiful flowers and plants that grow in this special environment. After this full day of learning and exploring and reveling in the beauty of this far northern landscape, we enjoyed the presentation Of Elves and Trolls by Ragnar Hauksson.
