Djupivogur

No more fjords protecting the harbours. The dock in Djupivogur was almost on the eastern coast and barely sheltered. When we left the ship for our excursions, we had to bring along our Zodiac life jackets in case the ship had to move away from the dock because of wind or sea conditions. Luckily the vests were stowed beneath the buses and we didn't have to keep them in our laps.

This was our first day of rain - and rain it did. All day. Heavily. We kept hoping the weather would change if we waited a few minutes but that never happened.

Everyone dressed in their best rain gear and over the course of the day we found it inadequate. A couple of people did remain dry all over. My jacket was fine - proved its guarantee was valid. The rain pants - nope! They were the ones I used for golf. However, when it starts to rain I usually stop playing so they had never really been tested. They failed the test. A shopping trip will be in order when I get home.

The destination du jour was the Glacier Lagoon, where small icebergs which had broken off the glacier, floated around in the lagoon which is now about 30 square kilometres and growing, as the glacier recedes. To see the icebergs close up, we boarded amphibious truck-boats. No roofs. Seats were soaked wooden benches. They did attempt to squee-gee them before we sat down. The effort was futile. The rain continued to bucket down. 

It was however, a wonderful experience. A zodiac follows each duck boat - I suppose in case someone decides to test the water as a swimming hole. It's about 2C and supports life for mere minutes after exposure. We all remained aboard our tour vehicle. Once off the land we could stand up and look around.

There was on spot which is a favourite swimming place for seals, who quite liked the chilly water. A flotilla of tourists in bright red kayaks brightened the grey landscape.

The icebergs themselves were multi-hued white-blue and black. The black is volcanic ash. They all eventually drift down the river from the lagoon and out to sea where they break up. Some of the pieces are later carried onto the black volcanic sand beach by the incoming current. This is diamond beach where the sparkling chunks of ice resemble diamonds. At least they do when it's sunny - which it was NOT. The rain never let up.

Lunch was delicious lamb soup (vegetable option provided) and some very tasty bread which seemed in short supply. Then it was back on board "the bus of death" for the return trip.

We had the same driver but he drove much too fast for conditions - rain, turns and hills. We left the road surface twice but he didn't slow down. The comment form would not have given him any compliments - terror on the part of passengers doesn't lead to good reviews.

Safely back at the dock we saw the ship still at the dock so we could board via the gangplank and didn't have to tender in the zodiacs. The Zodiac vests are once again stowed in the cabins.