We sail heavy seas and find Iceland

I am not sure what I expected Iceland to be like, but it is a very differ place to the fjords and scenery we left behind in Scandinavia. As we approached, it was flat and quite barren, then a few very rugged mountain peaks, savagely gouged through volcanic activity and glaciers. There are hardly any trees, if you were lost, I guess you just stand up.

Reykjavik is not a huge city, though it is spreading out as growth comes. Iceland has diversified from a mono economy of fishing, to a diversified product development including energy production. Thus it is a very prosperous city, and very clean, uncluttered and confident in itself. The locals speak generally three or four languages, English being mandatory at school. Icelandic is quite a guttural language with Germanic overtones, but also heavily influenced by the Scandinavian and the Viking past.

We walked quite a lot of the city, and saw thee beautiful Lutheran cathedral on the hill above the city. It is spectacular inside, so filled with light and space. There is very little adornment as is the Lutheran tradition, which adds to the drama of the building. We loved it.

We are now at sea for three days, high in the North Atlantic, so far from home. The seas ar a little lumpy (a sea term!), but we are fine, and having a nice time exploring the ship, and then coming back to the cabin to watch a dvd. The Library is quite extensive, with books on many subjects, very good fiction collection and a huge dvd range.

It is a hard fact though that these waters also saw some very heavy battles through the war, and the bleakness of the day reinforces how terrible it would have been. There are different realities going on as we sail these seas.

More soon