Day 24 Torshavn, Faroe Islands

The sail into the harbor of Torshavn this morning was full of great sights… the only problem was it was so cold being on the forward decks in the wind but, lovely all the same. After we arrived into the port the weather wasn’t quite so cold. I buzzed around town taking photos and doing a bit of shopping early this morning since my tour didn’t/\’t leave until 10:00. The town is very quaint with photo opportunities everywhere. I have never seen greener slopes in the fields and mountains. I also love the sod covered roofs, very cool. At 10:00 I boarded the bus and headed for the town on Vestmanna. The drive was very scenic and in about 45 minutes we were there ready to board our boat. I was very nervous when I saw our boat. It was quite small and we had a busload. The boat was clearly stenciled with a maximum capacity of 25 and we had 33 (I believe that’s about 135% of capacity), very healthy, adults onboard. I kept thinking of those headlines you read about boats that go down because they were overloaded. Unfortunately this happens from time to time with refugees trying to escape some sort of oppression; not tourists from a luxury cruise who paid $129 for a 2 hour boat ride….. When asked about life jackets all you got was the “deer in the headlights” look…. I almost got off but I was stupid and stayed… Sometimes I do silly things for a photo or two. I was concerned about our safety the entire trip. I was less than enamored when we started hitting a few waves and my camera got douced with sea water (a bad mix), that’s was an overloaded boat will do for you…… Anyway the Vestmanna cliffs were pretty spectacular. I would not recommend this tour to anyone for obvious reasons…. Tomorrow we are back in Iceland. We will be going to Djupivogur. I have another tour and…it’s on a boat. I just hope the Icelandic people take safety a little more seriously. Holland America which has been informed about today’s less than safe excursion will surely be checking into tomorrow’s tour with more than a cursory look. (I hope). Anyway, here is a description of my ($319, 7 hours) tour: Glaciers and Lagoon
Travel by bus from Djúpivogur to the glacier lagoon known to the locals as Jökulsárlón. Here you will find Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Europe. You will see magnificent landscapes and touch the ice. The boat trip among the floating icebergs is an unforgettable experience. Refreshments of hot chocolate and an Icelandic pastry will be served at a restaurant by the lagoon. From Almannaskar Pass, near Höfn village, there is a striking view of the area.