A Return to Heimaey:

 A Return to Heimaey:

 

We had been to Heimaey about 4 weeks earlier on our Hurtigruten voyage and were glad to return. 

Another beautiful day, we can not believe how great the weather has been. This has not been the Iceland weather we are used to. We have experienced warm sunny weather. 

 

After anchoring, we tendered into port. Here we started our walking tour, visiting the main district of Heimaey. We returned to the Bonus store and found some different licorice and I found a nice bennie adorned with the Bonus pig. 

Then we visited the gas station and got a hot dog and had a nice chat with the owner. 



Back to the dock and met up for a bus shore excursion. This was a bus ride about the city with a very good narrative. The guide had a puffing ( baby puffin). The pufflings take to the sea after hatching, but easily confuse city lights for stars and end up in town. Volunteers head out with cardboard boxes during the night to search for confused pufflings. They are taken to the Sea life Trust, to be weighed and examined. Once they are deemed healthy they are released to the sea. 

This year the pufflings are reported to be rather healthy and heavier than the past year.

Basically we had a bus tour around Heimaey and witnessed some Sprangan.   

In early days, the men of the Westman Islands would swing from ropes climbing the cliffs to collect sea bird eggs.  Suitable places on Heimaey were found to train for the rope swinging used when gathering eggs. There is one place in particular near the western harbor that has the conditions needed to teach the different techniques used when hanging from the face of the cliffs on ropes.That is called Sprangan.

 

                                     ELEPHANT ROCK

                                      Ieclandic Horse

This cat guards the entrance to the museum. By petting this cat any future eruption in the area are delayed by 10 years.

 Amazing ot see this house that was unearther from under the volcanic ash.

Our first and only stop was at Eldheimar, a museum of the 1973 volcanic eruption.
 
The Icelandic eruption in Heimaey 1973 buried around four hundreds of houses. Archaeologists have been uncovering what remained of the buildings, giving the island the nickname “Pompeii of the North”. An entire museum, Eldheimar, has been built around the remains of one of the homes. It’s totally worth seeing the museum and to get closer to the history of Heimaey.

Then a shuttle bus took us back to the ship where we started our packing and had a quick dinner.