JodockWorldTravel

August 5, 2025

Welcome to Iceland, a country smaller than our own U.S. state of Kentucky, the least populated NATO country, and the only member without a standing Army. It is also a country that consistently receives high marks for international comparisons of quality of life, education, protection of civil liberties, government transparency and economic freedom. Maybe it has something to do with being the sixth wealthiest country in the European Union, or the provision of universal healthcare and free college education.

Today we visited Isafjordur, a town located just 18 miles from the Arctic Circle, situated in the crook of  Ísafjarðardjúp fjord. Known for its dramatic landscapes and many outdoor activities, Isafordur (pronounced ee-saf-yorder) is also a college town, offering a renowned advance program in coastal and marine management that admits only 20-40 students a year and boasts a graduating class of fewer than 80 students. Our guide is a student there and has come all the way from England to attend. The blue building in the picture below is the college.

Our ship was docked in a tiny little inlet at the base of the towering fjord. The wind was blowing mightily, as you can see by the flags in the picture below, making us very glad we chose to layer up in winter clothes, despite the 42-degree reading on the thermometer.

As we made our way to a beautiful waterfall our guide explained that despite its small size the town boasts a Division I soccer team that is currently a contender for the Icelandic national title. The town is also home to the region’s only high school. Surrounding villages may be as much as 2-4 hours away and Isafjordur is completely inaccessible during the winter, so it is a residential high school.

Ken was impressed that even in the Middle of Nowhere, Iceland Pam found a sign to read!

From here we traveled to a small fishing village. Mountains in the area can get as much as 90 feet of snow during the year, and the threat of avalanches is real. If you look closely at the photo below you can see what look like horizontal lines going across the mountain. Those are metal grates meant to lessen the threat of an avalanche, slowing the cascade of snow that would be traveling down the mountain. The tunnel is another way to by-pass the avalanche threat, providing 3-1/2 miles of safe passage through the mountain instead of around it.

Bolungarvik is a one of the oldest farming and fishing towns in Iceland, believed to have been settled during the 12th century (by a woman! according to the Icelandic Book of Settlement). The area has always enjoyed abundant fishing grounds, but in the 1990s the Icelandic government imposed strict fishing limits to protect the area from overfishing. Between these new regulations and the introduction of commercial fishing activities life dramatically changed for the people of Bolungarvik. Farming and fishing are still the primary industries, but methods have changed. Instead of going out in small fishing boats or trawlers, they now use nets like the ones in the pictures below (the round objects in the pictures)

The farms are mainly sheep farms. One of the things that hasn’t changed over time is the way Icelandic farmers graze their sheep. They mark them with a colored “earring,” and in the spring turn them loose to graze free range all over the mountainside. In the fall all of the farmers work together to find and herd the sheep into a communal pen where they sort them according to their ear tag and then have a big party. We were in the lowlands so we didn’t see any sheep, but the farms are beautiful.

During our visit we were treated to a short vocal performance at the local community theater. Turns out the singer is also a doctor in Reykjavik. She is here on holiday making a few extra dollars performing. Apparently it is quite common in Iceland for people to have multiple jobs.

A local fisherman, dressed in traditional garb, spoke to us about how fishing was done in the old days, and we checked out an outdoor museum of buildings that once housed the fishermen and provided work space for them.

The house below would have provided shelter for six fishermen, sleeping two men to a bunk to help them keep warm in a hut with no heat.

Sheds like this were used to dry the fish.

On the way back to Isafjordur our guide shared some fun facts about the area…

• Sheep farming is their number one industry; they have more sheep than people by a ratio of three to one
• The area receives the second least amount of sunshine of all the countries in the world
• Despite Iceland’s reputation for volcanoes, there is no geothermal activity in this area. They rely on hydro power from area waterfalls to provide electricity to over 7,000 people in the region and still experience blackouts in the middle of winter because of snowfall. Each town has its own backup generate for such occasions.
• Our cruise ship is taller than any building in the region
• It is illegal to live in one of the nearby towns between September and May because of avalanche danger.

Once back in town we had the opportunity to explore a bit on our own. We came across what the sign said is the most complete settlement of original houses still standing in all of Iceland. These homes were built in the 1800s. The area is marked by a town square with a rainbow road and seating benches that wear smiles. 🙂

Isafjordur is a beautiful town in a beautiful setting!

As we were preparing to board the ship, we looked up to see the rays of sun shining down on the surrounding fjord, as if to say, “Thanks for coming!”