Iceland – Whales, Beer, and Agricultural College

I apologize for not finishing our story sooner.  Life has been busy and I have taken a little break from writing.

So here we are in North Iceland and I am finally going to do something I’ve wanted to do my whole life.  We are going whale watching!  So Husavik boasts to be the whale watching capital.  Akureyi is also great.  You can take whale watching trips from Reykjavik as well.  We had purchased a trip with whale watching Hauganes which was about 25 minutes north of Akureyi.  They advertise that they are the oldest whale watching company in Iceland and came highly recommended by When In Iceland.  Anna told me she had always seen whales with them and we could even do some fishing.  They were advertising 100% success in sightings in 2017 and so far this year.

We couldn’t believe our luck when we got up that morning.  The sun was shining and continued to shine throughout our whole tour.  While we didn’t get a private tour this day there were only 18 people on the oak boat this morning. We suited up in our flotation suits, boarded the boat, and we were off.  I was so nervous.  I didn’t want to be the tour that didn’t see anything.  We were given some instruction about what we might see and how to spot whales.  We were told where to look based on how the spotter would call out.  We heard whale at 12 o’clock and everyone peered over trying to see it.  No one could see what the spotter saw so we were starting think the whole 100% success may have been exaggerated.  And then we heard whale at 1 o’clock and we saw the white under the water, heard him blow as he surfaced, and witnessed this amazing spectacle right beside our boat!  I could have almost reached out and touched him!!

To make things even better there were two humpback whales travelling together.  Humpback whales usually travel solo so this was a real treat.  Our guide said they were probably two young males travelling together. 

Everyone on the boat was very respectful so that all of us were able to have an amazing experience.  We spent quite a bit of time watching the whales surface and then it was time to head back.  We thought we had seen the last of our friends when suddenly we heard whale and heard them surface.  They chose to follow us part way and give us one last farewell.  

Now it was time to do some fishing.  The poles had two hooks and the birds were quick to visit the boat when we stopped and started fishing.  The fish weren’t really biting so they moved us to another spot.  I was excited when I felt a bite.  My fish was putting up a fight.  When I landed my catch I had two cod hooked!  They were beauties.  Unfortunately we had no place to cook our fish so we did catch and release.  Passengers who wanted to take their catch had them filleted on the boat.  Jeff was happy to also land two cod just not at the same time.

We decided to head to the beer spa for lunch.  I wish we had been able to partake in the spa experience but we still had a lot of territory to cover.  When we arrived there were only locals in the restaurant so we decided to follow their lead and order the soup (cream of mushroom) and amazing bread.  I had read that a flight of beer could be procured for $10 USD and we were happy to learn it was true.  It was a very generous flight.  We had a good time in this lovely place and would recommend stopping. 

Back on the road our next stop was Siglufjörður.  I was excited to see this town as I am a fan of the Icelandic TV show Trapped and this is the town from the show.  We walked around for a bit but I didn’t see any of my TV show stars. I’m looking forward to season 2 though!

We have a daughter studying animal science.  Her dream is to work with sheep.  One thing Iceland has an abundance of is sheep.  We had been telling her that Iceland would be great for her.  Our glacier guide had told us about a university that Icelandic farmers attend.  Well I found an agricultural college in my guide book and it just so happened that it was near our current location.  So we found ourselves taking a detour to Hólar.  We had hoped to speak to someone at the university but did not find anyone, though that did not stop us from exploring.  We sent pictures to our daughter and told her that we had managed an exchange program for her.  Because the school teaches in Icelandic we told her that she would have a year to learn the language and she would have a tutor when she arrived.  Our story seemed complete as we told her that they had a student who wanted to come to the U. S. and would trade places with her.  She took it all in stride admitting that she really did not know if we were telling the truth or not.  I don’t see any downside to the side. Look at this beautiful place!  Though the language may give her trouble….

From Hólar we headed to Hofsós. This was a beautiful small town most famous for its swimming pool.  The pool is located on a hillside with the sea on one side and mountains and the island Drangey across the fjord.  It was designed by the same architect who designed the Blue Lagoon.  The pool was closed when we were there but was still a beauty to see.  We went into a small local shop and visited with the proprietor.  Unfortunately the museum was closed.

Our next stop was Kolugljúfur.   This is a gorge in the Viðidalsá River.  The gorge is one kilometer long and about 40-60 meters deep.  As we got out to explore this sign was a little intimidating.  But of course off we went to get a better view of Kolufossar falls.   This area is named after the troll Kola.  Legend says that she lived nearby but sometimes chose to sleep at a ledge by the waterfall.  Lying on the ledge she could put her hands into the deepest part of the river and catch salmon.  She would then throw the fish into the nearby Koluketill Kettle which is a hole in the ground full of hot water so she could cook her fish.

We headed to Búðardalur and checked into the Castle for the night.  Our hostess clearly loved her town and was very gracious to share information about it.  She loaned us binoculars to bird watch and told us about the town’s pet seal.  The Castle was a cool family establishment.  A former hospital it was converted to a bed and breakfast by the owners’ uncle.  Their love for their business is evident.

We asked if there were any restaurants in town and she proudly told us that they had two restaurants to choose from.  We found ourselves at Veidistadurinn.  We ordered their special for the night and it was one of the best meals we had in Iceland.  My husband wanted to buy his beer stein and the waiter was kind enough to give it to him.  So my husband came home with a super cool souvenir.

Unfortunately we were back to nasty weather so a walk on the beach was out for the night.  We did stop and see the seal before turning in for the night. 

We had one full day left to explore ahead of us.  We were sad to see our time coming to an end. Neither of us wanting to talk about how soon we would be departing this amazing country.  So one day left.  I’ll finish the story, I promise.