Grimsey Island is home to 100 people and one million seabirds. We got the chance to see more puffins, more Arctic Terns and various other birds. The island stands alone far out on the horizon, a blue cliff, surrounded by the wide Arctic Ocean. There is also no night in Grimsey during the summertime. We wanted to go there so that we could say we have been above the Arctic Circle. The island is about 40 km off the north coast of Iceland; it is about 5 square kilometers in area. You can still see the mountain of Iceland's coast from the highest point on Grimsey. The fishermen of Grimsey harvest the rich fishing banks all around the island but often venture in their small motorboats much further north on the Arctic Ocean. Sometimes the ocean is wild with waves fifteen feet high, but other times, such as during summer, the surface is flat as glass. Today was not one of those days.
On the way out, we started out pretty smoothly, chugging along. But when we got out a bit more, the waves started rolling the boat from side to side. There were people ralphing all over the place. I felt bad for them. My trick? Stay asleep and you can't get sick. Works every time! When we arrived at Grimsey, we asked the captain how he thought the crossing went and he said it was one of the better ones. Yikes!
Upon arrival, we noted the chorus of seabirds which never stopped during our entire visit. We went straight to the island's one restaurant so that we could grab a bite to eat. I had a very light breakfast and was running on empty. We also wanted to eat early and give our bodies a chance to digest and empty our stomachs out again in case the ferry ride back was a doozy. I had a hamburger and George had puffin for lunch. He said it had the texture of a steak but tasted fishy. It was wild gamey-tasting.
After lunch, we headed out to get those caches. The birds were nested in the high cliffs that surround the island and as we walked the path, they were dive bombing us. Neither of us got hurt, but it was a paranoid walk. After nabbing all three caches, we hoofed it back to the restaurant for dessert, chocolate cake with caramel topping and whipped cream. We bought a souvenir from the restaurant - a glass water bottle.
The boat ride back was not too bad, but I slept though it again. Go with what works, right? We drove back to Akureyri for dinner at a restaurant called Strikid. George had some more langoustine and I had chicken. Tomorrow's plan is to go whale watching and then make our way over to a seal research center. Fun, fun!
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