As we approached Iceland and watched the sunset golden hour light reflect off the towering fjords, we were all in agreement that despite our reluctance to leave Greenland, we made the right choice to sail to Iceland. Seeing everything from the water gave us the shear scale of these beautiful fjords. Some peaks reach around 3,000 feet, and it was easy to see that Dogbark has much to explore!
Arriving in the dark around 2a.m. and after we got Dogbark tied off, I noticed a simple wooden structure on the dock we were tied up to. I jokingly said out loud, “Hey is that the sauna?” The next morning, I noticed the tar/linseed oil finish to the fence and building, and noticed a QR code and keypad on the outside. Turns out, I was actually correct. It was a brand new sauna called BRYGGJUSAUNA, just opened 3 weeks ago and I immediately added it to the mental check list of things to do.
It was a very busy first day, since there was some crucial boat work that needed to be done before Al and Ted headed out to fly back home that day. Customs came to the boat to check us in, but we would need to go to the police station to be checked in by immigration. I can’t say enough how sad I am that nobody stamps passports anymore. In all my travels this summer I haven’t gotten a single stamp 🙁 Am I just too sentimental and old school to want a collection of stamps from my travels? I digress…
We were welcomed mid morning by Rusty’s family (his parents Tad and Joyce, his wife Haley, and their son Barrett), who were all traveling on the National Geographic Expedition cruise between Iceland and Greenland. It was so wonderful to have a welcome party on shore, and even more amazingly, they had helped us procure some important boat parts in Reykjavík that we needed to put Dogbark away. It made for a very smooth arrival and logistic wrangling for us (THANK YOU Haley!). Plus a few extra knowledgeable hands to flake the sails was wonderful!
Al and Ted stayed below most of the day working on getting shore power to the boat and installing a converter (I am sure there are many more complicated layers to this that I am oversimplifying). Rusty and Graeme worked on troubleshooting the forward bildge pump that wasn’t working. Brian and I worked on all the other miscellaneous tasks like putting lines away, taking down the dodger, reorganizing everything below to get ready for Graeme’s “winter condo”.
With just 30 minutes before they needed to be at their airport shuttle, Al and Ted finished their tasks and super packed their remaining belongings (wet socks and all!). We gave some frantic hugs goodbye and while I wished we had had more time for a proper goodbye, we are all so grateful for the amazing work they both did to help get Dogbark ready for the winter.
Meanwhile, the rest of us was frantically trying to look decent before meeting Rusty’s family for a fancy fish feast at Tjöruhúsið, a famous family owned seafood restaurant just a couple blocks from the harbor. With only two seatings an evening that require reservations months in advance, we weren’t sure if we were would be able to sneak in on Tad and Joyce’s reservations, but we certainly were going to try. Neither of us had even had showers yet, but the button up shirts came out and I used it as an opportunity to wear sequins.
We were able to snag a table outside that was for walk ups, and watched Ted and Al’s flight take off above us. Rose never tasted good! The beautiful small wooden building featured communal seating (maybe 60 people at most?) in one large room, a turntable, and a buffet. Next to the food, the whole schpeal the chef/owner? gave before service was a wonderful welcome. We started off with the seafood chowder and house bread (dill butter might be my new favorite).
There was so much food, it truly felt like a feast! Honestly I don’t even know what kind of fish I was eating i lost track. Monkfish, cod, char, haddock, halibut cheeks? There were so many options, the chef told me to come back to get the rest because my plate was too full!
It was absolutely such a treat. An amazing first day in Iceland. We are so grateful that Rusty’s family told us about this place! Would highly reccomend to anyone visiting Ísafjörður. We were so sad we couldn’t share this meal with Al and Ted!
After rolling ourselves off the patio, we went for a little shore stroll just steps outside the restaurant exploring some beautiful boats. Anyone who knows me knows I love to photograph an old wooden boat.
The sun was still up when we returned to Dogbark, and I checked the availability of the sauna. I wanted the sauna, but what I wanted more was a shower, which it also had. I figured it would be a win win. No one else had signed up for the last booking of the day so I registered the 4 of us for a 10pm session and we had the whole place to ourselves!
The sauna was multilevel and had beautiful windows with views looking out the harbor and the fjords. There was a ladder for swimming in the harbor, but between the deisel and the jellyfish, I opted to stay ashore this time. It was the perfect landing for a first day in Iceland. It was amazign to wrap up our session and just climb back into Dogbark for a restful slumber.
Tomorrow: The soalr eclipse!