For All those who Pledged to Visit Iceland....

Posted by Lisa at 7:07 PM, June 24, 2005

© Greenpeace/Morgan On the way to Isafjordur Tweety went off again and returned a few hours later having spotted Orcas!

So the ship finally MOVED! As the engines started up I climbed up two flights of stairs after helping sort out the garbage into different recycling bins on the Poop Deck. We were leaving Reykjavik and going whale watching!

For the first couple of hours we followed a whale watching boat, hoping to catch a glimpse of some whales. Unfortunately we never saw any but I didn’t really mind since this was my first time seeing the Icelandic scenery up close.

For all of you who pledged to visit Iceland if the government stops whaling, this is the scenery that awaits you!......

Steep mountains descend straight into the ocean. Snow is scattered across the highest peaks like icing sugar. Volcanic rock is speckled with browns, grays, purples and greens. Best of all….. it’s completely devoid of development and destruction, which is my favorite kind of scenery.

I’ve just been talking to some of the crew about how to describe it. We’ve seen a lot on our way to Isafjordur, where we are now (see map on right). Everyone agrees that you can’t really describe it in words. The photos don’t even do it justice. It’s pure magic out here and once Iceland stops whaling I want you to know that you have a very special place waiting for you to explore.

Here’s what the Nordic gang came up with. Stefan says “there’s a lot of stones”. Martin says “it’s very steep”, Frode says “meow”, (not many of you may know this but sometimes Frode turns into a cat!) Johanna says “it’s dramatic”. Hmmmm, maybe I asked the wrong people? To be honest I don't think anyone's attempt can even come close to good enough.

While we were traveling north along the coast I stood at the bow of the ship trying to catch a glimpse of a whale or a dolphin or anything alive in the sea! For a short moment a large grey fin broke the surface My heart felt like it had skipped a beat and I stared out across the ocean hoping to see it once more but it had gone, vanished into the great unknown probably eating up all of the fish in Iceland, that damn whale, why don’t we kill it?

Aside from the lack of cetaceans the experience of being out on the water was amazing, as I am sure many of you can imagine. We pushed ahead right through the day and the night, cutting across huge open bays and peninsulas, watching the sun pass behind the clouds, which rested on the horizon. I stayed up until about 2am still hoping to see something magnificent rise up out of the ocean and although that did not happen the sunset and sunrise (which happens at the same time in Iceland) was probably the best one I have ever seen in my life. Of course sunsets and sunrises at sea are always pretty spectacular as long as the weather is suitable but this one was like being in a dream. Soft multi-coloured light was reflecting off the water making it look like liquid metal. I felt as if I had literally gone to one of those places they tell me to go to in my head when I am doing yoga.

The ship arrived in Isafjordur at 8am on Thursday. It is a little fishing town built around, and right out into a fjord. More soon…..

All photos © Greenpeace/ Steven Morgan