 |
| I've drawn my route this morning in red. These aren't historical sites, but mostly local businesses. |
It was a short tender ride, and it wasn’t raining, so I did
the walking tour this morning. The guide
was excellent. He was a native of this
community, and he shared a lot about the life in this community. The community is under constant threat of an
avalanche in winter and mud slides in the spring and summer. The have a series of mirror on the sides of
the mountains that ring the city. On the
other side of the fjord are lasers that constantly bounce off the mirrors to
detect movement. The most recent destruction
was in December 2020. No one was killed
because of the detection system, but much of the town was covered by mud.
The guide shared with us that the fish process plants (cod)
were the main source of income. It has
shifted in the 21st Century to hydroelectric power, aluminum
smelting (although the material from which aluminum is made is imported, but
the cheap electric power makes it a great industry for Iceland), and
tourism.
Iceland has one of the highest standards of living and
income in the world as a result of these people toughing out the often-hostile
environment.
I made the loop of the town and took several photos. I wasn’t brave enough (or strong enough) to
hike the trail up to the waterfall.
 |
| The guide today did an excellent job of sharing information about this part of Iceland. |
 |
| The last big avalance/mud slide was in 2020. You can see the area devasted by this event, but no one was killed. |
 |
| A memorial that captured the event in pictures. |
 |
| This was no way to celebrate Christmas in 2020. |
 |
| The town is relatively small. However, lots of tourists come in to visit each year. |
 |
| An elementary school in the city. |
 |
| This was the old elementary school. The people of Iceland are practical. Notice the Christmas Bell it remains up all year, but is only lighted at Christmastime. |
 |
| This is the area hospital. |
 |
| The celebration of diversity walkway leads to the local church |
 |
| Several businesses celebrate with colorful paintings on their buildings. |
 |
| Although it was Sunday morning, there were no church services in this church. He says it used for other things today. |
 |
| The Viking ship was smaller and could dock. Our ship was too big for the dock, so we had to tender for this port of call. |
 |
| The people of this village are on two or three generations removed from Turf Houses. The first homes were ordered from Norway from a catalog. |
 |
| Some folks decided to hike up to the waterfall. I think I can enjoy it from below. |
