This morning they woke us at 6:15 because of Humpback whale sightings. There was a breaching when they called us over the intercom. This means the whale is coming up out of the water and then comes down, slapping the water. Unfortunately, by the time we had put on all our winter clothes the spectacular breaching shop was finished. We still got to see a few whales hanging out at the surface of the water (logging). And I got a few pictures of their flukes as they dove down. The flukes are like a whale's fingerprint, each having a unique black, white and grey pattern.
I went back to bed for another hour before breakfast, and then we got our turn on Vigur Island. This family used to farm, but they have now turned the cow shed into a dinning area for tourists and that's their business, as well as collecting eider down. We saw a windmill built in 1830, which is the last one of its kind in Iceland I believe. As we walked around the island we had to hold sticks above our heads so the arctic terns didn't dive bomb us. It is nesting season and they protect their nests with much energy. We were very careful to stay on the path so we didn't accidentally step on a nest. We were to see some eider duck babies in the grass. This is the type of feathers the family collects, cleans and sells as some of the softest down feathers. I was able to get my best photo of puffins here as they hung out on the shore. Interestingly, Icelanders eat puffins, and our tour guide showed us the big net he uses to catch them when they are flying. After the tour we got to eat some Icelandic cakes and then take the Zodiac back to the boat for lunch.
After lunch there were 3 choices for tours. Shannon and Xochitl went on the hike for the waterfall. I went on the bus tour to the town of Flateyri. We went to a cafe that fed us smoked trout, a small belgian waffle, and an Icelandic twisted donut. We then wandered through an old house museum and old book store. At the church a 19 year old sang 3 songs in Icelandic. She was very sweet and cute, answering questions and telling us about the songs in very good English. My favorite song was a jazzy piece where the first verse was a guy saying he loves this girl and she will always be the love of his life. The second verse is the girl's version where she says, "hmmm, yes, I think I know the guy, but I do not know of this love affair that he talks of..." For the last song she had us sing the chorus of Daisy Daisy with her. She pointed out an interesting difference between our two versions; in Icelandic the sailor says "come to my room" where the US version talks about marriage.
We visited the first Botanical Garden in Iceland, Skrudur. It was started in 1909 and was supposed to prove what things you could grow in Iceland with careful care. It was a small little garden, with some pretty flowers and lots of signs, but the coolest thing was the arch way they made with whale jaw bones. I know whales are big, but these jaw bones were huge!
On the bus ride back we passed some Icelandic horses and some waterfalls. There was also a 6 km tunnel that we drove through. When we got back to town 3 of us decided to get off the bus early and walk around the streets of Isafjordur while the others were delivered directly to the ship. While wandering around I found a children's playground (and maybe school?), a cute handmade wool sweater store, children painted columns, and a directional sign with the letters N, A, S, V. It makes sense that their words are different so they would have different letters for North, South, East and West.
After dinner many people went back to the town. The towns are so small, it's easy to walk around and not get lost.
Summary:
Wow moment-seeing Humpback whales out in the wild. I learned a lot of new terms.
Worst part of the day-Not much exercise
Human/Nature connections- Flateyri had an avalanche that killed some people. They decided to build a earth wall to divert the next avalanche. It looks more natural than some of the metal structures we saw later on our trip. They said when an avalanche happened, all the towns people slept through it because their wall had diverted all the snow to the side so well.
Teaching connections-The girl singing in the church had a lovely voice and great explanations of the songs. I will be showing the video clips to my kids. My favorite part she brought up was the cultural difference between the Daisy lyrics. In Iceland, babies before marriage are no big deal, normal, and celebrated. In fact, many Icelanders have children first, and then get married. Ragnar said he had 3 kids before he married his wife. This cultural attitude is reflected in the lyrics.
We visited the first Botanical Garden in Iceland, Skrudur. It was started in 1909 and was supposed to prove what things you could grow in Iceland with careful care. It was a small little garden, with some pretty flowers and lots of signs, but the coolest thing was the arch way they made with whale jaw bones. I know whales are big, but these jaw bones were huge!
On the bus ride back we passed some Icelandic horses and some waterfalls. There was also a 6 km tunnel that we drove through. When we got back to town 3 of us decided to get off the bus early and walk around the streets of Isafjordur while the others were delivered directly to the ship. While wandering around I found a children's playground (and maybe school?), a cute handmade wool sweater store, children painted columns, and a directional sign with the letters N, A, S, V. It makes sense that their words are different so they would have different letters for North, South, East and West.
After dinner many people went back to the town. The towns are so small, it's easy to walk around and not get lost.
Summary:
Wow moment-seeing Humpback whales out in the wild. I learned a lot of new terms.
Worst part of the day-Not much exercise
Human/Nature connections- Flateyri had an avalanche that killed some people. They decided to build a earth wall to divert the next avalanche. It looks more natural than some of the metal structures we saw later on our trip. They said when an avalanche happened, all the towns people slept through it because their wall had diverted all the snow to the side so well.
Teaching connections-The girl singing in the church had a lovely voice and great explanations of the songs. I will be showing the video clips to my kids. My favorite part she brought up was the cultural difference between the Daisy lyrics. In Iceland, babies before marriage are no big deal, normal, and celebrated. In fact, many Icelanders have children first, and then get married. Ragnar said he had 3 kids before he married his wife. This cultural attitude is reflected in the lyrics.
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