Sailing up the fjord to Grundarfjordur, we were accompanied by hundreds of seagulls. They seemed to be welcoming us to this beautiful side of Iceland. As they settled on the water after our arrival, one could see thousands of seagulls sitting there watching. As we rode the shuttle into the town pier, we got a rare glimpse of the ship, Le Boreal, (Compagnie du Ponant) anchored closer to town. This is a smaller French ship, classified as a mega-yacht.
Our motor coach to the delightful town of Breidarfjordur was waiting on the pier. We traveled for 45 minutes through the countryside, enjoying the scenery. The southwestern side of Iceland has a lot more vegetation than the southeastern side. We saw many well-fed sheep, horses and cows. At one point, the motor coach stopped to let a family of sheep cross the highway. We were very impressed with Breidarfjordur. It looked like a nice place to return to, with ample lodging and restaurants. A new Lutheran church dominates the skyline.
We boarded a sightseeing boat to visit many of the 3,000 intertidal islets and experienced the tidal races. These islands provide a haven for puffins, cormorants, kittiwakes, black guillemots, and sea eagles. The boat was able to pull right up to the nesting areas for viewing. I love the puffins (although I shouldn’t be partial). They are so cute and look like helicopters flying sideways when they are in flight. Their wings have a very rapid movement. The boat provided ample seating space on the top deck and had a spacious enclosed area below with large tables and seating for those wanting to avoid the cold air outside. Temperature today was about 59 F.
At dinner tonight, someone spotted a whale on the port side. It was amazing to see how fast the diners could move (to port)!
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