Iceland is more than just a country with gorgeous natural landscapes. There are also many beautiful and interesting small towns. Siglufjörður is one of those towns. This morning, we learned about the fascinating history of the area at the Herring Era Museum—the country’s largest maritime museum and the recipient of a European Museum Award. Afterward, we wandered around the colorful port and then went on a horseback riding tour in the area surrounding Skjaldarvik. Icelandic horses are a one-of-a-kind, pure breed, descended from stock brought to the country by the first Nordic settlers in the 9th century.
8/23/2024
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National Geographic Explorer
Reykjavík, Iceland
After a cracking morning out at sea with some truly impressive waves, we were called up to the lounge by Expedition Leader Leah Eaton, who briefed us on a volcanic eruption that had just started on the Reykjanes peninsula. As the briefing concluded, we could already see the volcanic plume through which we would later sail on our way around the Reykjanes peninsula. We finally reached Reykjavík in the afternoon, where we had our final lounge briefing with our guest slideshow, a presentation on our final volcano plan, and a farewell speech from Captain Peik Aalto. After an early dinner, we mounted a trio of busses that carried us out onto the Reykjanes peninsula to an abandoned airstrip. From there we could already see the spectacular eruption very clearly, but to get a better look, we made our way onto some of the old storage bunkers which lined the airstrip. This gave us a view of the eruption in all its glory, with smoke billowing into the sky from the two-kilometer-long fissure, and also a number of smaller fires. It was a truly wonderous ending to an already incredible expedition.
