Ísafjörður (Isafjordur), Iceland

After an unscheduled sea day with the cancellation of Akureyri the prior day and the announcement that Reykjavik would also being cancelled for the next day because of weather, everyone aboard Sky Princess wanted to make the most of our last port day in Iceland.

Princess shore excursions quickly sold out, so there was something of a scramble at a tour company not far from the port.

Upon departing the ship early, Julie and I queued in line.  For about $100 each we managed to secure space on a van tour heading out to see more waterfalls.

With at least 30 minutes until we would depart, Julie and I headed out to spend some of our excess Icelandic Kronas on an overpriced Cappuccino at a funky little coffee shop that seemed to be a center for the artist community.

When we arrived back at the tour parking lot, we saw that our van had arrived and was almost full.  We boarded, using only our names as proof of purchase, because the printer had been on the fritz.

Our affable driver who bore a passing resemblance to the late John Candy checked his list and welcomed us aboard.  We took two seats on the right side of the bus next to windows.  The seating configuration had two on the left side and one on the right.

As we began our drive, John Candy made a couple of humorous observations, setting my expectations high that unlike in Aalesund, he might indeed be an entertainer ready to share some great local color as well as being a competent driver.

While being a notch better, he still was a far cry from the best guides we've ever had.  Nonetheless, we were happy to be traveling through the sometimes other-worldly countryside toward our destination.

Upon arrival, we found ourselves at the base of a truly remarkable series of waterfalls cascading down from the tall mountainside.

We proceeded to make the trek upward, taking photos along the way.  Once again, photos and videos tell the story.

While our videos and photos don't show all of the falls from any given clip due to limited perspectives where we were standing, the water cascaded from one waterfall to the next, all the way down the mountain.

The grandeur and scope of these waterfalls must be experienced for  yourself, because only standing among the vast panoramas provides full appreciation for the vast size.

As on many drives back, most folks relaxed on the ride back to town.

We would have liked to see puffins at nearby Vigur Island, a private bird sanctuary of sorts, but there were no tours or ferry boats heading that way.

Julie and I did our usual return to the ship for lunch, but with no other ports before returning to England, we decided to take the tender boat back to shore.

One of the most surprising sights in town was a car with surfboards on top.  Nearby, wet suits hung out over a balcony on an apartment building, indicating that there must indeed be surf not far from our calm harbor setting.

Desiring to send out a couple of postcards, we searched for the post office, and upon finding a limited selection of postcards at the store next to it, we headed to a bookshop and purchased a couple.  We jotted down a few quick words and mailed them out.

We stopped again at the overpriced coffee shop and had another coffee.  Artists at a nearby table were discussing their living arrangements and artistic inspirations.

We had been disappointed to miss our two biggest ports in Iceland, ports at which we had excellent shore excursions booked, but no one can take away the fact that we went to the home of the Vikings and experienced some magnificent waterfalls.

Ski Resort Along the road to the Waterfalls

Eider Ducks, as in Eider Down Pillows