August 2, 2023
As we rounded the NW corner of Iceland, we stopped at the little flat island of Flately. It is home to many bird species, especially Arctic terns and puffins. There are no cars on the island and sheep roam freely. We took the Zodiac shuttle over to the island and roamed around, going out to the church and lighthouse, located right on the coast. What we were really there for was to view the birds. Thousands sitting on the cliff tops and nesting in the grasses there. Walking over to the church, the sound of hundreds of nesting/flying Artic Terns was really loud. And, they are very aggressive if you get to close to their nests. Quite impressive. I had never seen a puffin before. They are easy to identify when they fly, because they flap their wings super fast, and they look sort of clumsy. Puffins spend summer in Iceland and migrate down to Antarctica in winter. They live on water, diving deep for fish, only nesting ashore.
I was in my winter jacket, warm hat, neck scarf & gloves which allowed me to be comfortable in the Zodiac and walking over the island. Also, there were more wildflowers in these meadows than I have seen anywhere else in Iceland, so far.
Lunch back on the ship, then a scenic bus ride from Husavik out to the restored Turf House Museum called Grenjadarstadir. In the past, this was the manor of the county, with the total area of its dwelling houses covering about 8,500 sq feet (all one house). 30 people lived there--family and farm workers. Built with sod/turf roofs, they had separate rooms, but no heat. The kitchen was separate, but had no chimney, so was very smoky. They built tunnels to get from room to room. They were inhabited until around 1948, and then renovated as a folk museum. I'd HATE to have lived there.
For our last adventure, we went whale watching on Skjalfandi Bay, surrounded by the mountains of Husavik. This area is considered to be the whale-watching capital of Iceland. We went on a traditional open wooden harbor boat. VERY COLD. I was decked out in my full winter gear AND they gave us a water proof jump suit. Fun, interesting, nice views, and we did see a couple of whales.
Day 7 photos:
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| Church on Flately island |
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| One of the few houses on Flately island |
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| Lighthouse on Flately island |
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| Puffins nesting on Flately island |
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| Boarding our Zodiac shuttle back to the ship |
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| Fog shrouded mountains surrounding Skjalfandi Bay, outside of Husavik |
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| Turf House Museum of Grenjadarstadur (all one house) |
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| Living room in the Turf House museum |
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| Bedroom in the Turf House museum |
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| Kitchen in the Turf House museum (no chimney) |
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| Interior tunnels between rooms in the Turf House |
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| Sod/Turf roofs on the Museum house |
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| Whale Watch trip on the Skjalfandi Bay outside of Husavik |
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| Whale watch trip - COLD but fun |
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