The noise caused by a fly at the window at my bed woke me up at 7.30 a.m. I tried to continue my sleep but didn't succeed. I changed my clothes, packed my stuffs ready and had breakfast, which was lasagna I took from the residence with me. I kept half of it for Clair. Having Lasagna as breakfast wasn't as strange as it might sound. Ready to leave the hostel for the day, Clair was still sleeping. After a while, she woke up for a little time to tell me that she wasn't interested in the boat tour and that she would go for a swim. We could meet at the Folk Museum between 12.30 and 1 p.m. Then, Clair continued her sleep while I left the hotel and went to the reception to pay and inform that I decided not to stay the second night. It was around 8.15 a.m.
Leaving my backpack at the hotel reception (I forgot to tell that the hostel has its reception combined with that of a hotel located in front of it), I walked along Heidarvegur, heading to the harbor where the boat tour was supposed to depart.
A building on the way, which was the Natural History Museum, had a sculpture in shape of a whale's tail. It looked somehow ridiculous to have a whale-shape sculpture on grass. I might assumed that this was my first whale watching... This museum, as mention on the town leaflet, was claimed to be the only of its kind in Iceland. I didn't believe in this sort of advertisement anymore after Akranes.
On the west of Vesturvegur, a small road crossing Heidarvegur, I saw vibrantly painted warehouses. These houses were once homes to various fishing companies. Today, they are homes to clubs that battle with their parties during the July celebration (meaning heavy drinking as well as much music, bonfires and fireworks).
The boat went to the anti-clockwise direction, passing a pockmarked cliff full of birds in Ystiklettur. Bird feces seemed to create an additional color to the cliff.
The tour office which was also a cafe named Cafe Kro wasn't yet open when I arrived there at 8.30 a.m. A man who perhaps worked for the tour company or the cafe next door saw me and told me that the office would be open at 9.30. So, I spent this hour walking to the northeast part of the island where the fishing harbor is. I dropped by at the ferry ticket office to buy my return ticket to the mainland. The girl who sold me the ticket asked my full name. As she did it differently compared to the mainland seller, I asked why I wasn't ask me name when buying my ticket at the mainland office. She said that it was the regulation that the ferry must have all passengers' names and for icelandic people dates of birth as well. Sometimes, it isn't about a rule but rather about people who implement it.
This nice sign was situated in a hidden place behind the ferry ticket office at the harbor. Very useful indeed.
Then, I walked along Strandvegur towards the fishing harbor. The factories and warehouses were painted in various colors and some have wall paintings.
As it was an early morning, the harbor didn't look so busy. The serene harbor contrast the very shifty landscape.
The cargo ship seemed in the size comparable to Heimaklettur.
Cars appeared tiny with the mountain as background...
A fish factory building looked very 70s....
After an hour, I headed back to the boat office (or the cafe in the other words). On a small street before the turn to the cafe, I noticed a building with a doric column facade. Doric columns in an island in Iceland sounds weird...
The boat tour company's name is Viking Tours whose logo was a puffin dressed in viking outfit.
I waited quite a while to buy the boat ticket just because the woman who worked there had chatted with the man buying the ticket before me for more than 15 minutes about everything she could find a connection between her and the customer. She was extremely talkative. Anyway, she was really nice and chatted with me quite long as well. She then showed me a baby puffin the yesterday boat found falling from a cliff. The woman said that the baby bird was being fed with cat food. I hope the bird can still fly when it grow up... The baby puffin was so cute... Seriously, nothing can be cuter...
I ordered an expresso, drinking it at an outdoor table while waiting for the boat trip. An old dog was around in the yard. I guessed that she was owned by the cafe. When the dog saw people whom she knew, she waged the tail speedily. In contrast, the dog didn't pay attention to people she didn't know. The dog even seemed annoyed when I was shooting a photo of her.
Here was the boat... It had 3 levels that turned to be full with the tourists today. When the weather was nice, warm and sunny, who could deny a boat trip?
A rescue boat was at the same harbor.
The boat left at 10.30 a.m. The tour would last approximately 2 hours.
The boat went to the anti-clockwise direction, passing a pockmarked cliff full of birds in Ystiklettur. Bird feces seemed to create an additional color to the cliff.
The captain of the boat who was drunk on the 3 July celebration, so that the tour was not operated for a few days (info given be Tero and Karolina who was on Heimaey last week during the celebration)
Birds were everywhere.... Pockmarks were perfect for birds to stand.
The lava rock formation was with nice colors and texture.
Noticing a robe on the cliff, I thought it must be for Sprangan, a sort of sport invented by egg collectors who would dangle themselves from long robes over cliffs, swinging from side to side as they gathered eggs, with no harness but just with their strong arms. It sounds very dangerous, indeed.
The boat went through a cave. The rock had an amazing color combination, created by lychens and seaweeds.
Rock was formed as if someone molded it...
I call this the looking rock. The two pockmarks appeared similar to a man's eyes...
Klif (226 m)...
The little islands called Hrauney, Hani and Haena...
Each bird seemed to have its own precise place on the rock.
Although it was sunny and warm today, the wind was quite strong in the ocean. As the boat was so shaky, I couldn't hold my hand still enough to take photographs. Sometimes, it was even impossible to stand without holding any handrail. I think the photo below was Blatindur (273 m).
The boat went again to a cave... This cave was on the northwest of Heimaey.
Again, the colors of the cave was incredibly beautiful.
Even the colors without form made the photo below looked like an abstract oil painting.
Bjarnareyi, an island which looked similar to a piece of cake in my opinion. It seemed as if some one had put it in the middle of the sea.
There came again a cave with a vibrant color combination. It was amazing how the nature could create very beautiful surface like this.
A view of Myrdalsjökull from distance...
A view from the south of Heimaey, seeing Eldfell from distance...
Eldfell, Bjarnarey and Myrdalsjökull...
Helgafell and Eldfell...
Bjarnarey and Myrdalsjökull...
The east Heimaey formed after the 1973 eruption was the newest part of the island.
The captain gave details of each place during the tour in Icelandic and English. For German, there was a girl translating what the captain said. However, it was difficult to hear because of the wind.
Helgafell, Eldfell and a helicopter...
Ellidaey and Bjarnarey...
Heimaklettur and Ystiklettur...
The bird cliff at Heimaklettur...
The enjoying boat tour was closing with music in a cave where the captain nicely played saxophone. The acoustic of the cave was fantastic.
After the music performance, the boat brought the passengers back to the harbor. I noticed another rock formed in a human face.
On approaching the harbor around 12.30 p.m....
Then, I continued to the Folk Museum which was situated on Adhustraeti. Passing the building of the National History Museum on Heidarvegur again, I noticed another puffin (a non-living one unfortunately) on the wall.
The Folk Museum was located in the same house as the town library. It was 12.45 p.m. and Clair wasn't yet there. With no watch, Clair didn't know what time it was. However, she arrived at the museum around 1 p.m.
We stopped at the archive of the museum which was about the volcanic eruption in 1973. News cut from newspaper during the eruption was filed quite well.
I took photographs of some news and photos from the news. Many pictures even revealed the beauty of the disaster (sorry for saying that the disaster is beautiful but I really feel so).
The ground floor of the museum/library building seemed to be the storage room of the folk museum. They collected everything, even a plastic baby tub! The museum didn't look interesting. The display was dull. So, we agreed not paying a visit. We just bought postcards and left the building.
It was around 2.30 p.m., good time for lunch. We went to have lunch at Vilberg-Kökuhus, a bakery on Barustigur recommended by our guidebooks. The ham-filled sandwich (450 ISK) had a standard taste but the square donut (190 ISK) tasted good (not too sweet).
We had about an hour before the ferry departed. However, we had no idea what to do. So, we just sat under the sun until 3.50 p.m.
The ferry left at 4 p.m. On leaving the island, I shot the last few photos of Heimaey...
The ferry was quite crowded because of two school groups: a British group and an Icelandic one. The Icelandic kids (most were girls) seemed to have a football camp or so. Both groups were really noisy, running around the boat. The teachers must have been stressed to travel with these kids.
The sun was too strong for me to be outside. I felt like burning. So, I went inside and the only available seats were next to the British kids. Although they were pretty loud, I could manage to have a nap...
When the ferry arrived at Thorlakshöfn, the bus to Reykjavik was already waiting.
Look, how young these footballers were... Most of them traveled with their teddies and huge suitcases.
The bus arrived at BSI Station at 8 p.m. We then walked to the residents. I made instant noodle flourished with pork and bean sprouts for dinner and took shower....
Regardless my fear while climbing Eldfell, the trip was perfect with warm weather and clear sky...
