Husavik 30/5/25:
We awoke to grey skies and rain on the bow camera view. Yet there are some patches of blue on the horizon.
I went to the Bistro for coffee and a fresh warm out of the oven pastry.
We have some lectures to attend this morning.
On my walkabout the ship this morning I discovered a couple pieces of informative art. On was a large piece to Colin Archer. Yes That Colin Archer. He was the marine architect who along with Nansen designed and built the MIGHTY ICE SHIP FRAM!!
The other piece was a print of the Belgica. The Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–1899 was the first expedition to winter in the Antarctic region. This expedition was led by Adrien de Gerlache aboard the Belgica, it was the first Belgian Antarctic expedition and is considered the first expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Among its members were Frederick Cook, as the Medical Officer and Roald Amundsen, explorers who would later attempt their respective conquests of the North Pole.
The MV Belgica design was later copied by De Gerlache in an endeavor to start a tourist ship, named Polaris, in the Arctic. He fell upon financial difficulties and sold Polaris to a fellow named Shackleton, she was rechristened Endurance after the Shackleton family motto, Fortitudine vincimus ("By endurance we conquer”).
I should let you know this morning we observed humpback whales, Orcas, puffins, arctic terns, a loon, kittiwakes, fulmars, and more as we sailed into Husavik.
The Lindblad Nat Geo Explorer was also in port. We have sailed on her a couple times.
After lunch we started our self guided walking tour of Husavik. The first stop was the Husavik Whale Museum.
Húsavík is known as the whale-watching capital of Iceland, if not Europe, thanks to bay full of plankton. I also enjoy the charming harbor.
We visited the Husavik Whale Museum which housed in a renovated slaughterhouse overlooking the harbor, is one of the few museums in the world solely dedicated to whales. The most interesting item is also the largest: a blue whale skeleton recovered from a 2010 corpse found on a remote beach in northern Iceland. The whale is displayed upside down, with the rib bones reaching towards the ceiling, and isn’t visible until halfway through the museum. The museum also interprets Iceland’s whaling history and, most recently, an installation about plastics in the ocean.
The next stop was for a hot dog at the Nesti gas station. We introduced some fellow travelers to the wonders of the Icelandic Hot Dog. I will add the condiments in Northern Iceland are the same on in Southern Iceland with one exception. In North Iceland they add a cocktail sauce. ( I think it is a ketchup mayo mix)
The Eurovision Museum was the next stop.
The 2020 Netflix comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga made Húsavík known as the ‘Eurovision town.’ In the film, Húsavík is the hometown of Lars and Sigrid (Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams) who eventually make it to beloved Song Contests. The film prompted so much interest from Eurovision fans that a local entrepreneur – who also operates a bar called ‘JaJa Ding Dong’ – decided to open a small museum about Iceland’s role in Eurovision.
Sadly the Museum was closed but there were several items from The Story of Fire Saga on display in the bar.
We enjoyed the deck absorbing vitamin D and some refreshment.
Across the street is a monument to the NASA training which happened here in Husavik.
Husavik and NASA:
Húsavík also has a connection to NASA as it was a training ground for the Apollo astronauts in 1965 and 1967. NASA chose Iceland because its volcanic terrain and lack of vegetation were considered similar to the lunar surface. The astronauts practiced geology field work and sample collection in preparation for their missions to the Moon.
We then strolled back to ship to get this published before dinner.
Tonight there will be a “tiny talk” on the Arctic Circle.
Enjoy following along as we are experiencing amazing weather here in Iceland.
Some time tonight we will cross the arctic circle as we sail north into the land of midnight sun.
