August 6, 2023
Our last day on the ship. We sailed along the southern coast of Iceland. We passed Surtsey Island, that was form by a volcanic eruption in 1963 and is now studied by scientists. We then arrived at Heimaey Island, one of the Westman Islands, in South Western Iceland.
Vestmannaeyjaer is the town on Heimey Island. In 1973 there was a volcanic eruption in the town that lasted for 6 months. It covered 1/3 of the town and increased the size of the island by 20%. Lava and ash completely covered the houses and buildings. The ash filled up all of the streets. The population was completely evacuated timely, but ultimately went from 5,000 to 1,500. We visited the Volcano Museum which had photos of the eruption, and still has some of the buried houses.
We then took a bus tour of the island. Very picturesque. Interesting to see newly formed lava mountains, that weren't there 50 years ago. This weekend was the town's annual festival, which draws more than 20,000 people for fun, music and drinking. So there were a lot of people in the town, including our cruise ship of 165 and a huge cruise ship also docked there.
As this was the last night aboard ship, we met with our Road Scholar guide for information about our last day in Reykjavik tomorrow. The ships crew were very nice and helpful. The tours well planned, generally. And the weather was GREAT, no rain at all during our tour. My biggest issue was that the ship portion of this trip was actually run by ProCruises and not by Road Scholar. So they have a bit of a different approach, and I find I care for the Road Scholar approach a bit more. Smaller groups, better organized, more connection to the group leader, and a bit more educational focus with local professionals. But Iceland is so dramatic and beautiful, that the trip was amazing.
Day 11 photos:
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| Surtsey Island, formed by volcanic eruption in 1963 |
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| Vestmannaeyjaer Volcano Museum-volcanic eruption in 1973 |
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Vestmannaeyjaer Volcano Museum-volcanic eruption in 1973
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Vestmannaeyjaer Volcano museum-volcanic eruption in 1973
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| Heimaey Island countryside |
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| Heimaey Island countryside |
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| Heimaey Island countryside |
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| Heimaey Island, overlooking town from the newly formed lava mountain |
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| Heimaey Island harbor |
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| Heimaey Island-exiting the very narrow harbor. |
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