Yes, it’s Independence Day, in Iceland! It’s their 81st year of celebrating their independence from Denmark in 1944.

Today, we are in Eastern Iceland. Very smooth sailing last night. It’s probably a good thing that our stateroom has blackout curtains or I’d never want to sleep.

We entered a fjord early this morning and arrived in Seydisfjordur. It’s a small, charming town of approximately 700 people. It’s located at the head of a narrow fjord and surrounded by tall, snow capped mountains.

It’s a misty day and the clouds are low. The buildings in town look colorful and you can tell people are very creative. Just outside was an old tour bus that someone turned into a coffee house and bicycle rental. We could see people sitting inside, enjoying a hot coffee.

We joined a tour, drove through town and saw some of the beautifully colored buildings. A cute little church that was light blue. We started driving up a mountain. It wasn’t exactly hairpin turns, but a gradual winding road that led us higher and higher. We saw plenty of waterfall but hardly any trees.

We drove through an area that we were told was very dangerous. Over the years there have been many avalanches and rock slides. The road was built in the 1950’s but before that only accessible by horse or foot. We pulled over to see the ocean below us and a cross before us. The plaque said ‘You who pass through here, fall on your knees in front of this cross at this spot and humbly show the sign of Christ reverence’. The cross has been replaced many times over the years, but original was placed there is 1306. Folklore says, they stopped using the path in the old days because a monster (half man/half animal named Naddi) lived in a cave near this spot and killed people. They say a farmer killed him in a long and fierce battle.

We continued our journey to Hafnarholmi. It’s a small island in the harbor that is renowned for being one of the best and most accessible places in Iceland to observe Atlantic Puffins. We walked down a steep path and then up some wooden stairs to a landing. There they were, right in front of us. There were hundreds on this small rock outcropping. The puffins were within arms reach (not that we tried to touch them). It was if we humans were invisible to them. They went on doing what puffins do and we enjoyed standing there and watching them. Puffins have been nicknamed ‘sea parrots’ and ‘clowns of the sea’. They change their color during the year. The bright colors during the spring. Their winter dress is rarely seen by humans because they spend 8 months of the year out at sea. What?! I didn’t realize that. They spend most of their lives bobbing on ocean waves, coming ashore only to breed and raise their young (each female lays one egg per year). During the winter, they spread out widely across the North Atlantic. Each bird has more than a square kilometer to itself, so it’s unlikely anyone will spot one (sounds lonely). They are able to dive approximately 200 feet! In late spring, thousands form colonies on coastal cliff tops, coming together to breed. Puffins usually mate for life and can stay together for over 20 years or more.

I should also mention that we saw Eider ducks. Famous for the best down in the world. We saw them, but the puffins were so cute, I failed to pay them attention.

We had a lunch in town at a small restaurant where they were serving ‘catch of the day’. We saw a book of the fish in the area and there were hundreds! I told our waitress that we were sorry she had to work on Independence Day. She smiled and said it was ok. Tourism is really their livelihood.

After lunch, we continued on our journey to a small down called Borgarfjordur Eystri. We noticed a group of people riding in on horseback and then a large group of people heading to their community center carrying their national flag. It’s their Independence Day celebration.

We walked around the town and saw the cute, red house with the sod roof. We went into their church and then walked up a trail to get a good view of the area. Lots of pretty, alpine flowers.

Time to head to the ship. Enjoyed the scenery on our way back. Decided to go to afternoon tea when we boarded the ship. Sit, relax and talk about our day. As we sat, sipping our vanilla rose tea (delicious), we noticed the mountain had a blue hue. What? Yes, you guessed it. Lupines! Lupines with a tall waterfall. Another memory of this cute town.

Enjoyed a nice dinner at The Restaurant.