A Whale of a Day

First, here are some more photos of last night's aurora. The shots I posted last night were not as well-focused, and my photographer is picky.

The colors aren't all visible with the naked eye. David tells me this has something to do with the long exposure on the camera. A bit of research adds the info that the cones in our retina, which see color, require higher light levels than the rods, which see black-and-white, and so our night vision tends to be lacking some color. The camera - especially modern digital SLRs - has a much greater ability to capture light with a long exposure. It was still spectacular to watch in person, and I'm glad we have the photos as well. This is why we came to Iceland in winter.

I kept reminded myself of that when we left the hotel this morning. We had a brilliant aurora last night because it was crystal clear - no clouds. Clear weather in winter is colder weather. The car thermometer told us it was -20 C when we headed out today. We found our way to (yes) another waterfall and had a short hike in from the road. A short, COLD hike. It was worth it.

Godafoss - the waterfall of the gods

We had no other specific plans for the day except to head west toward tonight's lodgings. We stopped in Aukreyri for lunch. Aukreyri is the largest town we've seen since we left Reykjavik - they had stop lights!

Side note: Iceland stop lights and road signs are kinder than those in the US. The stop lights in Aukreyri were changed after the 2008 financial crash to make the world a happier place.

They also have the same kind of speed monitoring signs we have the US, with one difference: if you're under the limit, you get a thumbs-up or a happy face. When you leave the city limits, you see this:

When you arrive in town, you see the same thing without the red line

They also have electronic signs that tell you the weather conditions up ahead. Very handy when driving through unpopulated mountain areas.

So back to Aukreyri. We found a parking spot and figured out what they meant when they said "clocks for parking are available in banks and gas stations." Parking is free and limited to two hours. At the bank, David picked up a cardboard clock, which we set with the time we parked and left on the dashboard.

We had delicious mussels in an Asian-flavored broth for lunch (mmm) and looked out over the harbor while we ate. We noticed the whale-watching boat, and checked their website to learn that yes, there is whale-watching in winter. So we headed over there and bought tickets for a three-hour tour after I retrieved the scopolamine patch from my suitcase. You never know when you might need it.

They can't guarantee whales, of course. We got lucky - again. This gorgeous creature was feeding in the fjord and we watched him? her? for nearly an hour. David took pictures. I just watched in awe.

Humpback whale heading down for a dive.

We could hear the whale breathing.

Rolling around, just for fun.

And a waterfall on shore for good measure.

I took advantage of the insulated overalls they carry on board. That went over my leggings, turtleneck, hiking pants, rain pants, sweater, scarf, and parka. It's a wonder I could move. I also bought hand heaters for my gloves and I was toasty - except for my feet, even though I had wool socks and silk sock liners inside my boots. It was totally worth it.

We defrosted in the car on the way to our lodgings in a cabin on the hillside in Hvammstangi. Here's the view from the living room window.

David suggests that Iceland's tourist slogan should be "views that never suck."

We had yet another delicious meal with (of course) delectable homemade bread. Local lobster (tempura for David, soup for me) and lamb steak (David).

Tomorrow we head back to Reykjavik via (of course) a waterfall and whatever else catches our fancy along the way.