– The original Tauck Tours itinerary said the cruise would include a drive to Mt. Snaefell. Wrong, and I was disappointed because Snaefell volcano was made famous by Jules Verne in his epic Journey to the Center of the Earth. If you don’t remember either the book or movie storyline, they enter into Snaefell’s extinct crater and after many journeys to the “center of the earth,” exit through Stromboli volcano.
Snaefell is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland and there are climbing tours to the summit where it is said half of Iceland can be seen on a good day. This stratovolcano last erupted 1,800 years ago when lava flowed down the southern slopes forming Haabraun lava field.
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L’Austral course sailing around Iceland
Iceland waterfall
cruising around Iceland
– L’Austral sailed past two rock islands with nesting colonies of gannets, the largest seabird around Iceland. Often called the queen of the Atlantic Ocean because of its elegance, they have a ginormous wing span – 165-180 cms/5-6 feet!
– I admired a plant growing in boggy areas called Angelica. The herb Angelica is used as a seasoning, in tea, for medicine and even in combination with other drugs to treat premature ejaculation! I’m telling you. The things a person learns while traveling…
Angelica herb is used medically
“Codfish” geometric church in Iceland
Iceland lighthouse
– L’Austral has exercise classes in the afternoon, entertainment, language lessons, games, all of which we never had time to participate. There are also daily Happy Hours but when drinks are included 24/7, who needs a Happy Hour?
– We sat in row 9 on the tour bus one day, second-to-last passenger seat, and a 747 can empty faster than this bus.
– There are only two jails in Iceland. One in Reykjavik and one in Grundarfjordour. Reykjavik’s 86 jail cells are completely all full with a waiting list of 300 to be incarcerated. The jail in Grundarfjordour is primarily for white collar crime and/or embezzlement and a family member is the most common perpetrator.
Iceland Viking
– Food (or cuisine to be fancy) on L’Austral was always delicious. A huge salad bar had wonderful selections that changed daily: artichoke salad, avocado salad, kidney bean salad, chicken salad, green salads, etc. There was always a carving station in additional to the many other hot choices, selection of cheeses, different breads and rolls, and an ever-changing dessert buffet to die for.
Chef de Cuisine sliced up a Yellow Pollack which had been swimming off the back of the ship 10 minutes before lunch into a delicious sashimi.
Yellow Pollack, Iceland lunch
cotton grass in Iceland
– Drove by a town with a new church built in the shape of different size triangles. From the air, it is supposed to resemble a cod fish. “Cod” is not a typo!
– Cotton Grass grows in wetlands and bogs and looks just like cotton. Poor people used it to stuff pillows and duvets to supplement down. Its white tuft was also woven together to make wicks for oil lamps.
– Kittiwake is a migratory bird and one of the largest bird populations in Iceland. Its main nesting grounds are high cliffs and sand eel is its most important food. Kittiwakes also eat squid and organic waste from fishing boats and fish factories.