Iceland’s connection to the sea is obvious. It’s an island after all and is in the middle of rich fishing waters that boasts cod, salmon, monkfish, char, halibut, and whales. Salted cod was the country’s main export for decades and its importance continues today, even rating a Saltfish Museum in the capital, Reykjavik. On our grandparent/grandchild trip to Iceland, two boat rides were included, one for bird watching and the other for whales -– both successful.
The bird watching excursion explored the islands of Breidafjordur, while trolling a fishing net behind the boat on the bottom of the fjord. For years, the Atlantic Puffin has been a favorite bird, thanks to its “cuteness” factor from the bright orange beak. Sixty percent of its global population nest in Iceland, making the country the perfect observation site. We saw them on cliffs where they nest. Even with the captain moving the boat as close as possible, a larger camera than mine was needed to capture a clear image of these diminutive birds. I didn’t need my own photo as the puffin is the unofficial national bird of Iceland and it was featured in all the gift stores on t-shirts, glasses, postcards and thousands of stuffed animals.
After the puffin sightings, the captain sent us to the rear of the boat to witness the unveiling of the wonders captured by the fishing net. As the net opened onto a cleaning table, beautiful shells, sea urchins, and crabs tumbled out. Inside many of the shells were fresh scallops, cracked open and eaten in the sushi manner with ginger vinaigrette or soy sauce. Even my grandson gobbled them up.
I have never turned down scallops, but I had to call a halt to the seemingly endless supply.
Despite visiting many countries offering whale outings, I hadn’t tried one before Iceland. As seems obligatory, no whale sightings were guaranteed on this trip. But on a surprisingly clear sunny day, we motored out of the bay around Reykajavik, with its skyline disappearing on the horizon and in less than 30 minutes, the first whale was spotted on the starboard side. Seeing whales can be like falling stars. By the time you look, they’re gone. Luckily for us, it was a feast of whale watching that morning, causing the captain to exclaim that he had never seen so many. These were primarily minke whales, a smaller species. While we didn’t experience the full breach of a whale leaping out of the water, we witnessed many heads and tales with views of a full whale under water. We were literally surrounded by them.
Iceland is one of only three countries that hasn’t agreed to stop whale hunting, an industry for centuries and made famous by the novel, “Moby Dick.” Japan and Norway also allow it. After hearing a presentation onboard, my politically aware grandson signed a petition to outlaw whale hunting. It seemed obvious to stop the practice as whale meat is not easily sold and there is no longer the need for whale blubber to light oil lamps as in the 1800s. Since then, I’ve discovered the ban on whale hunting is more complicated than it seems.
Whale hunting in the 1800s and even into the 1900s began to deplete the supply of whales. Japan was late in the hunt but began in earnest after WWII to feed its starving population. The population of larger whales such as the humpback declined precipitously, and limits were put in place by the International Whaling Commission. Today, the limit for Minke whales is apparently 1000 whales worldwide, not a significant number considering the 500,000 minke whales alive today. Norwegian whalers argue that whaling is good for the environment as whales eat most fishes in large quantities, meaning the stock of cod, halibut, etc. are diminished when whales are left unchecked. Also, thousands of whales are killed in other ways such as plastic in the water and commercial fishing nets. And the biggest surprise is that whale meat tastes like beef, not the ubiquitous chicken. It’s still hard to argue for whale hunting, especially as they are hunted with a harpoon hosting a grenade on the end.
The sea is never far away in Iceland and it provides beautiful views, healthy foods, and an important contrast to the volcanoes inland. The Icelandic people love their ocean and all it has to offer. They should be proud.
It originally broke the surface of the glacier but had been filled in at the top by recent snows. Purple lighting gave an eerie feel of other worldliness as the crevasse hole disappeared into darkness. The guide emphasized the cave we saw that day would not be the cave of the next year or the next, as the glacier filled in some parts of the cave tunnels each year and had to be carved out again. If left alone, it would fill in six years.
A no-nonsense stable master directed us to horses to fit our size and horse-riding experience. We rode English style, meaning there was no horn on the saddle to help pull our bodies up and over, a distinct disadvantage. And, to direct our horse, we would pull back on the right reign to go right and the left to go left. We were instructed NOT to hold the reigns together and direct from there as we do in Western riding. It took some getting used to. I know I confused my horse more than once.
The transfer on a small fishing boat seemed interminable. At the port, Mack jumped out, looking for our guide and boat. He sheepishly returned with the news that the fishing boat we were on was our boat, the San Pedro II. We looked around incredulously at the small boat. Below, two beds lined the walls with the motor in between where Mom and I would sleep. Behind was a second room with two sets of bunk beds for my brothers. The captain and his son, Walter, would sleep on deck. We motored out of the bay into the open sea, enviously eyeing the larger boats and one small cruise ship in port.
We would jump into the water, carrying our shoes and were then free to roam. We were often the only visitors on an island. Since neither the captain nor his son were particularly talkative, our experience was based on exploration and a small guidebook. Seeing the blue footed boobies, red footed boobies, playful seals, and frigate birds was exciting. We could walk amongst them as they were not afraid of visitors. In the lagoon of one island, we swam with the Galapagos penguins and the sea lions seemed to tease us
What distinguishes OKC’s run is its purpose. The OKC bombing on April 19, 1995 was American’s worst domestic terrorism episode until 9-11. It shook the city, the state, and the country. OKC remembered it in a stunning memorial that moves anyone who visits to tears. But they needed to support the Memorial Museum and the marathon was born. The date is always the last Sunday in April.
When Cliff and Sherry Scott visited, we stopped at the beautifully lit Memorial the evening before. Streets were empty and barriers up. Standing in the quiet space where the Run would begin, imagining the coming morning’s chaos, and recalling the Marathon’s motto of “we run to remember,” was chilling even in the warm night.
We joined a Virginian couple in their booth even as they were continually drawn outside to take photos of the shoreline, including seals sunning on rocks. They were spending the day traveling from Bergen on the coast to Flam and back.
An upscale restaurant had a talented chef and fix prix dinners. Plastic ware was forbidden throughout the ship. At one port, I watched residents leaving the boat and mail being delivered and local cargo loaded, illustrating the duo purpose of the ship.
A car deck was also available.
At his Fully Lit show in Dallas recently, sponsored by AT&T, the devotion of the sold-out crowd illustrated the reach of this rising star whose stage name is Shangela.
The Dallas show featured dancing, storytelling, a short contest for the next drag queen in the audience, and shout outs to those in attendance. She asked all Paris people to stand, and the crowd went crazy. Actually, the crowd responded heartily to everything. They clapped, laughed at her stories, cheered her escapades to introduce herself to stars such as Beyonce and Lady Gaga, and shouted out appropriate answers to her questions. I recognized my ignorance of many trendy songs and shows but loved the crowd’s enthusiasm. I was struck by her ability to relate to the crowd, talking of her early embrace of shopping at Ross’s, and then with her newfound wealth laughing at flying first class where she entertained herself by endlessly moving her seat up and down.
Because of its tough winters, the Finns have embraced saunas. They are found everywhere – homes, hotels, public saunas and even one of the cars on its famous Ferris Wheel has darkened windows to provide privacy for the sauna inside.
On the third floor, we had a wonderful cappuccino at the coffee bar as we watched a group of young mothers and their small children talk and play in a circle. Baby strollers filled a nearby area.
