DW grabbed a light breakfast in the dining room and I got a continental ‘late riser’ brekkie in the lounge before taking in the Backroads talks at 9:00. Chema and Diego talked about the day.
The Captain announced a sighting of whales and dolphins, so many passengers tried to get a peak. We saw only the latter but some friends saw a whale from their balcony.
After a buffet lunch, we met on the dock at 12:30 and boarded vans to take us to our first hiking trail of the day. The Valagil Waterfall Hike took us past a mirror lake reflecting the ice shields [they look like small glaciers but don’t move] on mountains in the distance.
We walked through mud and meadow, over small streams, on gravel till we reached a wooden bridge. Only five at a time could fit in the best vantage point to see and photograph Valagil Waterfall. Reversing the route returned us to the waiting vans and a selection of snacks and hot teas. [Backroads is very good at keeping you hydrated and energized.]
On we drove to the Buna Waterfall. We then hiked back to the dock in the bustling fishing town of Ísafjördur, the ‘capital’ of the West Fjords. Although isolated by mountains and fjords from the rest of Iceland, it is known for its rather cosmopolitan and urban atmosphere, flourishing cultural life and rich heritage of music and visual arts. We hiked 7 miles today! Had light rain for a short time, with temps in the 50s.
This town was almost destroyed in 1995 by a massive avalanche. Forty lives were lost, many houses destroyed… Icelandic ingenuity and lots of funding have now safeguarded the population and new homes with the construction of a massive avalanche wall, snow guard fences and deterrent earth mounds.
Back on board, Backroads hosted a gathering in the Panoramic Lounge for cocktails and yummy hors d’oeuvres. Chema, one of our guides, invited us to go down to the Theater as the Captain was going to discuss the weather report for the rest of the trip. Treacherous wind and rain and swells were in the forecast, and he and his crew would decide if the itinerary needed to be adjusted.
The first Captain’s Gala dinner followed. Almost everyone dressed smartly, but there were no tuxes or haute couture gowns. There were two five-course tasting menus to choose from [classic and vegetarian]. Our entrée was bar (a white fish) [‘they’ had carrots – so glad I’m not a vegetarian!] Dessert was good. The company was enjoyable as we dined with Diane and Harry from San Antonio.
Jazzbeaux Backroads/Ponant Icelandic Loop 8-2019 