Seydisfjordur - Gateway to Europe

This is the port closest to Europe and used by a large ferry that arrives twice a week. It's a huge boat bringing loads of people and cars, mostly on holiday. As a result there is a customs' building that we had to pass through as we left the port for the town. 

In the morning it was cloudy with lots of low hanging clouds. They made the landscape look rather mystical. It's a very small place, population-wise, but very important as the entry port. Luckily for us the ferry had been in the previous day and the Ocean Diamond had the dock to itself. We took a walk guided by one of the staff of our ship.

This is also an important fishing centre and is deep in a fjord. The water is very calm and we were able to have a fjord tour in Zodiac boats. We keep our Zodiac vests in our cabins in case of having to tender to shore, or for the tours. Luckily we have not had to tender except at Hrisey a couple of days earlier.

The ship was at anchor as the port was very tiny and could not handle the ship. The water was choppy, the wind was blowing and I got a seat on the side of the Zodiac at the front. The seat of choice is as close to the back as possible. My rain pants failed the waterproof test. Ugh! But it was fun.

In summer, Seydisfjordur is a busy colony of artists, musicians and tourists. Sadly for us they have all left. Very little was open - including places recommended to visit. The beauty of the surroundings were worth taking in anyway. We learned that the houses are usually built of wood but have a sheathing of corrugated metal. The climate is so wet that the wood would rot. The metal is painted, or was in the past. Now, the homeowner can simply choose the colour of aluminum corrugated siding that he/she wants and is then free from the chore of painting the house.

The traditional colour seems to be white with red trim. A lot of the homes have interesting window frames and some have specially decorated front doors. Often there is a small plaque naming the house and the year it was built. The exterior can be re-clad many times so even a house that is 100+ years old can look in quite good condition.

The main religion here is Lutheran. The churches all have a pretty similar exterior design and the insides are quite unadorned. However, every one we went in had a magnificent pipe organ - appropriately sized for the building.