Our 10 days on Endeavor went by in a flash. We spent our last day driving around Heimaey. The rain and wind only slightly impacted our enjoyment of Herjolfur in Vestmannaeyjar. It’s the site of an annual Burning Man type of gathering. Thousands of folks assemble for an enormous bon fire and a weekend of music. The get together was canceled in 2020 and 2021. Folks are hopeful for 2022.
It’s hard to convey just how enormous this venue is.
The acoustics are said to be amazing.
Those are pallets stacked for the bonfire. I sincerely hope folks will be able to celebrate in 2022. Archaeologists unearthed the remains of eight houses in 1971. It is estimated that the remains date from the 9th century. Here we have a recreation of one of those houses. It’s a long house, with one end partitioned off for animals.
After our stop at the festival site, we drove across the Island to the world’s largest puffin colony. During August and September, the baby puffins are left to fend for themselves. Some of these babies become disoriented and wind up on the streets or in yards. Local children are allowed to stay up late during these weeks to rescue the puffins. They patrol their neighborhoods with small boxes, collect the tiny birds and return them to the wild.
I can’t tell you how much I love these precious puffins. Maybe it’s because they are so comical looking or so tiny, but I truly delight in them. Here’s 20 seconds of happiness.
You are welcome.
In addition to the puffins we were treated to several encounters with the wild Icelandic horses.
We were blessed with such beautiful weather throughout our time in Iceland that it seems petty to whine that our last day was cloudy, drizzley and cold. So I won’t. Here are some photos I took as we drove around Heimaey.
Back on Endeavor we enjoyed lunch.
After lunch Timmy took a nap and I had a relaxing Thai Massage. Life is wonderful on a Crystal ship.
After dinner we said goodbye to some of the terrific folks that we met on our adventure.
It’s always bittersweet when a trip ends. I’m grateful for the folks we’ve met along the way, the beautiful scenery experienced, lessons learned and time sent with Timmy. This adventure was just so “extra” for so many reasons and I’m so appreciative of the fact that we were able to safely travel during this pandemic.
Here’s a last photo of Endeavor as we drove to Crystal’s hospitality venue. When passengers have late flights, Crystal provides space and a lovely lunch before transferring us to the airport.
And here’s a photo of Voyager as we leave Reykjavik.
Back home we unpacked, did the laundry and began planning our next adventure. Thanks for reading about our time in Iceland, it really was wonderful.
