Warm Welcome

Snow Dragon In Siglufjordur

Siglufjordur has become a central part of our experience in Iceland. The people here have gone out of the way to welcome us from the moment Snow Dragon entered their harbor. Once we tied up to the dock, a constant stream of curious people came by the boat, including the mayor of the town, the police and a reporter from the local paper.

Valgeir Tomas, who runs The Harbour House Café at the head of the dock, raised a large American flag in our honor. Every morning we would go in to have a cappuccino and use the café’s wi fi, to update our blog and check the weather. It was also a great place for us to meet the town's residents.

One of Sigulfjordur’s treasures is it Herring Era Museum. Instead of focusing on individual aspects, the museum ties everything together. The exhibits are housed in three buildings. The first has a replica of a herring dock with full sized boats tied to it and work sheds around the edge. A second shows the processing of the herring. The third was a warehouse with living quarters and office above. Walking through it made us feel as if we had gone back in time and we left with a real sense of what the town had been like when herring was plentiful and the bay was filled with anchored fishing boats.

The mountains surrounding the town provide for great hiking opportunities. There is a complicated system of avalanche defenses which were a pleasure to walk along. The large numbers of flowers in bloom and being able to sit on the café terrace indicated that winter had truly left.

Thanks to Halldor, a local resident who we met at the café, we got to see some of the beautiful countryside. He drove us out to see his horse and the surrounding farms. We could see that his Icelandic mare was full of personality and were impressed by her unusual color. The other horses in the herd also enjoyed the attention and tried to nibble on Frances’ jacket, convinced that she was hiding treats.

Frances With The Icelandic Horses

Yesterday, Halldor drove us out to the next bay and gave us directions to a lake. We kept glancing at the map he drew as we hiked. The land seemed to rise evenly towards the mountains and we could not believe there was a lake. Then suddenly it appeared right in front of us.

We have spent almost a full week in Siglufjordur, enjoying the town and waiting for the prevailing westerly winds to shift. Now the wind has changed and it is time for us to move on to Iceland’s northwest corner. Thank you to everyone in Siglufjordur who made Snow Dragon feel at home. We had an amazing time thanks to your hospitality.

For more photos please click on Siglufjordur Album.