First Impressions of Iceland
I’m afraid to say that my first impression of Iceland was not a good one. I booked our accommodation directly with the Hotel Centrum in Reykjavik making sure they were aware that the time of our flight would mean that we wouldn’t reach the hotel until around midnight. No problem – or at least that’s what they said – but when we duly turned up just before the clock struck twelve, there was no room for us at the inn, and what’s more we didn’t even register on their booking system. Welcome to Iceland.
I won’t bore you with all the details, but suffice it to say I had documentation to prove that I had booked the hotel, not just for one night, but for the best part of a week. Fortunately, there was somebody there who used his initiative and arranged for a taxi to take us to a sister hotel, and being June, it was still light by the time we clambered into bed.
The staff at our surrogate hotel were very helpful, but when I woke up I wanted to get back to the Hotel Centrum to find out why we weren’t allocated the room I had paid for. It was more expensive for a start, but it was quickly sorted out – almost too quickly if you get my drift. Last night, celebrations were taking place all over the city for Independence Day (17th June), and forgive me for being suspicious, but when we arrived back at the Centrum we were treated like royalty with profuse apologies, a better room than we had originally paid for and a free 3 course dinner thrown in, which in Iceland isn’t cheap. Whatever my thoughts were, it was more important to get on with our holiday as quickly as possible, and we were soon off out of the door exploring Iceland’s capital.
As I mentioned in my introduction to Iceland, Reykjavik was where Ingolfr Arnarson, the first permanent settler on the island set up home after he landed in 874, but it wasn’t until 1786 that the city was officially founded. It seems hard to believe now, but it was way back in 2006 that we came here. The population then was hovering around the 100,000 mark, but today it’s more like 140,000, due mainly to immigrants arriving from other European countries – Poland in particular.
We started our look around the city by walking the short distance up towards the City Hall and Tjornin Lake, and already my second impression of Iceland was decidedly better than the first. It looked very clean with some distinctive Icelandic buildings amongst a modern environment, and in the cold light of day, I was already liking it.
At first glance, Tjornin Lake was just like any other with plenty of wildfowl attracting passers-by, but what really caught my attention was the amorous display of some birds on the side of the lake. Now before you think there’s a dark side to me, I’ll explain.
The birds in question were Arctic Terns who breed in northern climes before migrating down to the Antarctic. This migration is one of nature’s extraordinary feats, as their journey takes them in excess of 18,000 miles south before they make the return journey back north again. These birds are quite remarkable, and keep the same partner for life which can last up to thirty tears. Watching these birds perform their duty was more of a privilege than anything else I reckon.
Walking around the lake I noticed that the daffodils were in full bloom, which bearing in mind that we’re just three days away from the longest day seemed quite bizarre – but that’s Iceland for you. We veered off away from the lake along Bragagata towards the city’s most famous landmark – Hallgrimskirkja, or Hallgrim’s Church. Completed in 1986, its design is absolutely striking.
The sun was in the wrong position for photographing the church properly, but we were hoping for some good views from the top of the belfry. There’s a lift to take people up there, but in front of us were some old biddies faffing around for ages, and then believe it or not one of them started accusing people of nicking her postcards – in a church for Christ’s sake. Anyway, we eventually reached the top and were rewarded with some great views of Reykjavik and beyond.
The weather in Iceland can be very fickle (as we were to find out), but at least for now it was looking good, and so it made more sense to cut short our city tour in favour of a whale watching trip that was available this afternoon, so with this in mind, we headed directly down towards the harbour past the statue of Ingolfur Arnason (Iceland’s first settler if you remember) towards the Whale Watching Centre.
I don’t think it’s called the Whale Watching Centre anymore but the trips were (and still are) organised by a family firm called Elding who started out in 2000. They were the first people to arrange Whale Watching tours out of Reykjavik and our 3 hour trip was on Hafsulan, a high speed catamaran originally built as a Norwegian ferry.
Reykjavik is situated on the southern shore of Faxafloi Bay, an area where whales are regularly seen, but it was the bird life that immediately caught our attention. Apart from Arctic Terns there were Gannets which I love, and Great Skuas which I don’t. David Attenborough once described the spectacle of the Gannets at Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth as “one of the wildlife wonders of the world”, and having been there to witness it I can see what he meant. If you’re interested in seeing the Tom Daleys of the avian world in action, you can take a gander at a post I did about it here.
On the other hand, on a visit to Handa Island in North-West Scotland, I didn’t warm to the Great Skuas one little bit. They were aggressive, intimidating and dive-bombing us instead of the fish. Although you could argue we were on their territory, they’re much the same with their own kind. They will rob terns and gannets of their catch and will even attack and kill other birds such as puffins – and there are plenty of them here, especially around the island of Lundey.
You might think I’ve spelt that wrong because Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel is spelt without the ‘e’, but both spellings are correct because Lundey (or Lundy) is Norse for ‘Puffin’. I’ve seen plenty of puffins but never so many as there were here. Elding offer separate puffin-watching trips and so we had to content ourselves with watching them from a distance which was good to see but not to photograph.
Reykjavik and the islands of this area of Faxafloi Bay are overlooked by the Esja volcanic mountain range, and regardless of whether we were going to see any whales or not today, this has already been a worthwhile trip.
Where all these birds are, there are fish, and where there is fish there is a good chance there are cetaceans. Cetaceans, if you weren’t already aware, are the group of aquatic mammals that include whales, dolphins and porpoises. They don’t all eat the same thing, but small fish are in most of their diets, and it would be wrong to think that whales only eat krill.
The Harbour Porpoise, White-Beaked Dolphin, Minke Whale and Humpback Whale are all found in Faxafloi Bay, but it’s pot luck what we’ll see – if anything. I never get tired of seeing porpoises and dolphins, but as we’ve never seen a whale in the wild before, we were hoping to get a sighting of one today. The most common in these waters is the minke whale, which although one of the smallest, still weighs in at 8-10 tons and can be up to 30 feet long.
A member of the boat crew acts as a whale spotter, and it wasn’t long before I heard a voice shout 1 o’ clock (which is the direction in which a whale is spotted). Too late – missed it, then it was 10 o’ clock, 3 o’ clock, 11 o’ clock and so on. My head was spinning round like a ventriloquist’s dummy until at last I spotted one. Ok, it wasn’t a jaw-dropping moment as such. The creature didn’t seem much bigger than a dolphin, but hey! I’ve now seen one. It was a minke, and there were several more sightings, but no humpback unfortunately.
Responsible companies like Elding never harass the marine animals they’re looking for, and trying to photograph one from a distance wasn’t easy, and the best one I could get was the one you can see below – but at least it’s something.
By now, the weather had started to change, and the bright, sunny afternoon was beginning to turn into a fairly cold and miserable one. The whales were beginning to appear as just fuzzy grey animals on a grey sea under a grey sky and it was time to call it a day. Being a high-speed vessel, the captain of the Hafsulan opened the throttle, and in what seemed no time at all, we were back in Reykjavik Harbour.
Next to where we berthed, the company have converted the hull of another ship into a Whale Exhibition Room. There’s a small aquarium and a skeleton of a minke whale, but the highlight is the multi-media theatre where, under the waterline, you can watch a film about whales, and very effective it was too.
It’s all included in the cost of the trip and we even got a free cup of coffee thrown in. After chatting for quite a while with a female member of the boat crew, I came ashore understanding a lot more about whales than I ever did before, and apart from a cricked neck, I really enjoyed the experience.
My enjoyment was cut short though, because next up, and slap bang in front of my eyes, were four whaling ships in the harbour. The boats belong to a company called Hvalur hf., Iceland’s main commercial whaling company founded in 1947. Incidentally, Hvalur is Icelandic for whale, and the ships are named Hvalur 6,7,8 and 9, but only the front two are active because Hvalur 6 and 7 were sunk by anti-whaling activists in 1986. They were raised shortly afterwards and are now stored on dry land at the company’s whaling station at Hvalfjorour. Hvalur 8 (RE 388) and 9 (RE 399) are still used for whaling (the RE numbers are for port registration), but in 1973 they were also requisitioned by the Icelandic Coastguard for use as gunboats during the Cod Wars, a topic I discussed in my recent posts about Hull.
Iceland’s whaling activities have been a bone of contention ever since the International Whaling Commission (IWC) introduced a moratorium in 1986. Although joining the IWC to begin with, Iceland still continued to catch a small number of whales for ‘scientific’ purposes and sold the meat to Japan. Disagreements about their interpretation of the rules and regulations has seen the country in the IWC one minute and then out the next, but to cut a long story short, Iceland is still one of just three countries that have not banned commercial whaling. All three countries argue that they only hunt whales on a sustainable level, but whether their arguments are valid or not, the truth is, the practice is gradually dying out, largely because people’s attitudes have changed. Sifting through the latest figures, it seems that in 2022 Norway killed 580 whales and Japan 270, with Iceland killing just 1 in the last three years. Let’s hope the decline in this unnecessary barbaric practice continues.
As I’ve already said, we were here in 2006 when fishing represented 64% of Iceland’s income – and whales eat fish. At the same time, tourism only represented 16% of the country’s wealth, but even then, many of the whales that were caught for domestic consumption were eaten by tourists. Since then, tourist revenue has increased quite dramatically and whale-watching has played an important part in that increase.
After our excursion, it was time to head back to the hotel to get organized and ready for our free evening meal. I can’t remember what we had, but it wasn’t whale meat I can assure you. These days, I even feel guilty about eating fish. Years ago, I thought I would like fishing as a hobby, but it seems I wasn’t cut out for it. Lazy summer days sat on the riverbank appealed to me, and one day I went with a keen fisherman to give it a go. I don’t remember whether I expected to catch a fish or not, but I couldn’t believe it when a trout took a liking to my bait. When I turned to my friend and asked him what I had to do next he said “just bang it on the head”. There was no way I could possibly do that and without further ado gently placed it back in the river. My fishing days were over before they’d even begun.
Anyway, I digress. Our meal was lovely, whatever it was, and it was time for bed. Last night, with the upheaval of not having a room when we arrived, and all the jollifications going on during the night while it was still light, I couldn’t get to sleep. Tonight, I think I fell asleep before my head had even touched the pillow.
POSTED – NOVEMBER 2023
Originally posted 2023-11-29 10:46:49.
I’m a little lost here and think I probably need to do some back reading, or ask you some gormless questions. If this trip was in June, how come you’re just writing about it now? I know very many Iceland enthusiasts and the geology and land forms are fascinating. Northern lights seem to be a big pull but since they are allegedly getting closer to me I’ll hang on a while. You were there all the way back in 2006? Ahead of your time! If I can find the time later today I’ll backtrack. Glad you spotted whales, and threw your happy fish back in.
The easiest way to answer your question Jo is to point you in the direction of this link
https://www.easymalc.co.uk/about/
Okey doke. Thanks, Malc 🤗🩵
Iceland is somewhere else I’ve never been to, Malc, but your introduction has – as always – given me a very good flavour of the country and it’s capital. Your arrival seems to have met with the same kerfuffle as your trip to Hull, but I’m glad you got sorted with your hotel in the end. Poor you, these things keep happening to you, don’t they? 🙂
It’ll come as no surprise that I’m with you entirely on the whaling issue. An abhorrent and unnecessary practice and I look forward to the day when these majestic creatures are left well alone. Far better to enjoy watching them responsibly, even if they are a bit far off and hard to spot. We apparently get basking sharks and whales here, although we haven’t seen any yet. But we have seen dolphins off the coast of Anglesey, which were a delight to observe, and Cemlyn Bay at the top of the island is a huge breeding ground for turns of all kinds, including the Arctic variety (so much so that it was even featured in the BBC’s Springwatch programme this year). In June we went to see them and the spectacle was awe-inspiring, with what must have been 500 breeding pairs. They were flying around all over the place across the bay directly above us, and the noise was phenomenal! We also see Gannets quite often off Great Orme, and they’re another absolute treat to see. So far, though, we haven’t encountered a Great Skua, but after reading your post I’m not too keen to either!
Hope you had a good night’s sleep, and I’m looking forward to the rest of your trip to Iceland.
Thanks for your lovely comments Alli, especially as we always seem to be on the same wavelength. As far as travelling arrangements go, I always try to cover all eventualities to prevent anything major going wrong, but there are some things I can’t legislate for. It doesn’t matter how hard I try though because it still ends up being my fault 😊
Now that you’re living on the coast, you may begin to understand why I love it so much. It’s not just the creatures that inhabit the sea and skies that give us pleasure is it? There are also the different views that the changing weather can bring – and of course there’s invariably a lot of history to go with all that maritime exploration and trade.
I’m going to break up my posts on Iceland a little bit because I also want to catch up on some coastline nearer to home which I hope you’ll also enjoy 😊
I’m already looking forward to more coastline, and Iceland instalments whenever they pop up.
You’re so right about living by the sea. We had no idea how the views, mood and atmosphere would change, sometimes several times a day. The sea even appears to be different colours every day – one day green, the next blue, sometimes brownish. Then, sometimes it’s calm like a millpond and the waves can hardly be bothered to slap the shoreline, whilst other days it’s fierce and bulging and bashing the hell out of the rocks. Add in the precious wildlife and it makes for a pretty special environment to have on your doorstep. We feel quite honoured. 🙂
As for travelling arrangements, I always feel sorry for the commotions and mishaps that befall you, but I have to admit they do make for a cracking good read! 😀
Listening to Van Morrison singing Moondance while watching the sea shimmer under a full moon
is one of life’s simple pleasures that costs nothing Alli.
And, let’s face it, the simplest pleasures are by far the best. Wonderful. 😊
Although Iceland won’t be on my bucket list, I admire as always, Malc’s erudite posts, and Iceland is no exception.
From the historical facts about the first settler, Ingolfur Arnason, all the way back in 874 to the present times with many immigrants, especially from Poland, I presume because it is not cold enough for them in their homeland!
I liked, Malc’s reference to traditional architecture, and his photo of the beautiful house with a dog looking out through open window. Another unmissable example is the most striking design of the Hallgrimskirk, a connection with the Scottish “Kirk”, church.
The excellent Malc’s photos of Reykjavik seemingly a city built for the children, with the houses in all colours, not many people around, and just a lots of cars.
I loved the mention of and Malc’s pictures of Arctic Terns, the extraordinary birds- travelers!
The whale watching is a good sign of the change in human interest, and soon I hope, the end of the barbaric killing of minke whales.
I learned something interesting, as I always do in Malc’s fascinating posts, and that is the meaning of the name
Lundy or Lundey , a Norse word for Puffin, also a reminder that the Esja, the volcanic mountain range is overlooking Faxafloi Bay.
Malc’s photography is of the highest standard, and I loved the statue of Ingolfur Arnason looking out to sea in the Reykjavik Harbour,
The brilliant tale of how Malc’s interest in fishing ended before it developed is memorable because it was the fisherman who on seeing that Malc caught a fish, told him to ” bang it on the head”, which resulted in Malc putting the lucky fish back in the water, and deciding then and there that fishing was not for him.
Thank you, Malc for the gem of a good writing!
Joanna
What can I say Joanna? As you’ve already told me, due to technical problems, this is your third time attempt at writing a comment on this post. You thought that I hadn’t bothered to reply but, as I say to others, I always do and always will. I assume that WordPress or WordPress Reader is to blame, as others seem to be having similar problems, not just with my website either. I go to great lengths to ensure my website is functioning as it should be and that’s why its better to comment there directly. Anyway, thank you so much for persevering. Not everybody would, and it says so much to me. You’re a true blogging friend if ever there was one.
As for the post itself, I guessed that Iceland wouldn’t be on your bucket list for several reasons (I suppose that’s why I thought you hadn’t commented), but I hope you enjoyed finding out a few things that perhaps you didn’t know, especially as I intend writing some more posts about it. Like you, with all the bad news around, I don’t want to make things too heavy at the moment as we could all do with a bit of light relief, and so please keep writing your comments as I really value them. Thanks again Joanna, you’re an absolute star.
As you know I love Iceland so I’m glad your poor first impression was quickly overturned. I envy you the whale watching trip. I was supposed to go with some VT friends one morning after the main Iceland meet but it was cancelled due to windy weather and as it was our last day we couldn’t reschedule. I’m pleased you got to see, and photograph, a whale 😀
It’s quite an amazing place isn’t it Sarah?, and I can imagine Regina putting on a good meet. She knows the place inside out. I can just see the pair of you with your cameras going into overdrive, but I can also imagine Jon making everything disappear 🙂
Haha 🤣 Actually Jon proved a very good and entertaining tour guide, both around the city and on our coach trips!
I’ll bet 🙂
Be aware Malcolm that Pomeranian Puppies leave spam comments designed to drive traffic to their own site. I’ve blocked them on my blog as they became very tiresome!
Thanks Sarah. I must admit I had my doubts but when I saw one of my followers on the website I allowed the comments. I should have gone by my instincts in the first place.
A fabulous post (another one for the bucket list). My brother has recently returned from a trip to Iceland and Greenland, which has further increased my interest.
I’ve got some more posts in the pipeline which will hopefully convince you to make the effort and go.
Totally engrossing and so entertaining. I do love all the little stories you tell.
Thanks Shey. I’m not sure when, but there’ll be some more to come on Iceland
glad to hear that.
Another fabulous post Malc, informative and interesting and I truly admire your pics Malc! All the best!
Thanks F. Hope you’re enjoying Barcelona.
Lovely place, always felt good here. Thank you!
Pleased you were both compensated by the hotel. I enjoyed your sense of humour in this post, Malc. Especially the whale watching.
Interesting country to read about. Fishing is something I can’t enjoy, though I do enjoy a scrumptious fish dinner. Fishing is a popular recreational sport in N.Z.
Thanks Suzanne. I think we’re on the same wavelength here 🙂
I found your post really interesting and funny, and your photos, as always, fabulous🙏🙏🙏
The people I know who visited Iceland were fascinated by it, but I don’t know why it doesn’t appeal to me in a crazy way
On my bucket list, there are many other destinations before such a freezing country
Thank you for your lovely comments Luisa. Iceland isn’t quite as cold as you might think, certainly not in the summer, as it’s warmed by the Gulf Stream. I’ve got some more posts to do and I’m sure that you’ll see that it’s somewhere that is absolutely amazing, especially if you love the natural environment
Thanks a lot, dear Malc🙏💙
What can I say? I’m looking forward to reading your next posts
I’m so glad that you are Luisa 💙
🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
Fun post, told in you imitable Malc style. I have heard only wonderful things about Iceland from several people, on my bucket list. Do you have plans to return?
I’m afraid my travelling days are over now Pat, but I’ve got some more posts on Iceland to do.
Another interesting post with a bit of Malc humour thrown in. I’m glad you got your hotel room sorted, a mix-up like that when you’ve only just arrived isn’t a good start.
I’ve liked the look of Iceland for a long while and I would love to do a whale boat trip but I’m a summer person so I wouldn’t be happy with the cold. I did see a couple of whales in South Africa when we were there one year but they were too far away to get a decent photo.
I’m with you on the going fishing bit – it’s pointless, time wasting and cruel. I once threatened my partner that I would spear his top lip with a fish hook then drag him along the street at the end of a long line just to see how he would like it 😀
LOL It sounds like you let him go in the end Eunice 🙂
He let himself go Malc – it’s a long story 😉
I imagine it could be Eunice 🙁