Discovering Viking Roots in Isafjordur, Iceland

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This morning it wasn’t quite as hectic getting to the Lido and then onto our tour. We didn’t even bother with an alarm. Today’s tour was just 4 Hours, so it wasn’t going to be a terribly exhausting day either. Sharon mentioned that the tour cost $300, and that seemed a bit high for a half-day tour. In the back of my mind I hear the cautionary words that things are more expensive in Iceland. But still!

Our tour group wasn’t the first tour group called as we waited in the Showroom. When they announced the “Kayaking in Isafjordur” tour, participants got a rousing applause for their bravado (all six of them). As we left the ship I noticed the two on our deck getting their bicycles ready for another ride. We got on the bus, with only two people behind us. We got stuck in the rear of this super-sized minivan. It was up two steps to those seats giving me no view out the side windows. I sat in the center and Sharon took the window and my view out the front was of the road about fifty feet in front of the van. One of those behind us was a HAL escort, and she sat in the single seat in front of me on the right side. There were rows of two seats together on the left (and they were all full). At least we had the back all to ourselves and I had lots of leg room.

Our tour departed, and the weather appeared gloomy. Temperatures were projected to be in the high forties with showers. We drove through one of the longest tunnels in Iceland, that in parts is a single lane path through the mountain. Drivers just need to have a prior knowledge of who has the right of way. Traffic headed towards Isafjordur has the right of way. There are pullouts that cars can use to get out of the way. Our guide and driver is also the owner of the tour company “Fantastic Fjords”, which he assured us is a great name, along with his wife (who was busy doing another tour they were doing for the Rotterdam today “Surf and Turf”). He said that the other tour was taking people back to the turn of the twentieth century and what life would have been like here in Iceland with the fishing and farming; whereas our tour visited what life would have been like 1,000 years earlier in the time of the Vikings. We saw several fjords and our guide pointed out Hafnarfjörður, a town that we were headed to across the narrow fjord. “We still have a fifteen-minute drive to get there around the end of the fjord.” We learned that this town has an annual “Viking Festival” celebration, and they have recreated what one of the Viking Parliament Compound would have looked like. There were nearly twenty of these around Iceland. It would have been encircled by a stone wall perhaps two feet high. In the center would be a fire pit. As years past he said that these fires would become smaller and smaller as material to burn would become scarcer and scarcer. The primary shelter for the compound would have been a tent. He said, today, there would be little remains of these compounds, and it would have required constant maintenance just to maintain the wall. This re-creation needed to have the wall re-constructed after it collapsed last year. This would have been a constant problem for the Vikings for this compound which would be used but twice a year for governing procedures. The need for these was to be able to settle local matters locally, rather than to make the many weeks journey to the overarching governance compound near Reykjavik where the annual Althing would be held. People just couldn’t manage so much time away from home and fields. In the harbor was a small Viking longboat of the kind that would have been used for fishing.

We next drove to a church in town and began walking into the green grass field beside the church, and bounded on the other side by the back of a fish factory. The grassy field was perhaps the size of a high school baseball field and was full of rolling mounds. I said to Sharon, “Are we in a Viking graveyard?” The answer to that question was “No.” We were where the original Viking Compound in this area once stood. Our guide hopes someday to be successful in encouraging the government to put up a sign to document the significance of this sight. They suspect that the church is built over some of this ancient site, and when ground was broken for the fish plant they discovered some archeological remains from two mounds. There have been some ultrasonic investigation to identify what may lie beneath, and results are consistent with what might be expected; but, no detailed investigation or archeological digging is expected. One of the problems is the site was used so seldom, not much more than small stone structures and tent remnants would be expected from a site that saw so little use. The government has not expressed much of an interest to follow through with the modest funding that would be needed.

We walked past the fish company when our nostrils were accosted with the fullest impact of where we were. Across the street we found a place people could come to find out about what it was like to live in Viking Times. Our small group found seats on benches adorned with animal hides. The picnic-like tables had various Viking items. Our table had some flint and a hand held steel striker held by your four fingers. This venue is run by a man-and-wife team. She demonstrated who to use the striker, and she produced a spray of sparks on her first strike. I later tried to do the same, only it took me about ten tries to finally produce one modest spark. Viking beer was available for us to try in chilled Viking pottery tumblers featuring simple Viking patterns. There were some empty tumblers to pour chilled water for those who think they don’t like beer. Both of our hosts were wearing simple Viking clothing that she had made. She had given us “Friendship Wristbands” when we entered this Viking Experience, which were braided colored strands of string that were double-loop tied to make it adjustable to slip over and fit any sized wrist snuggly. There were prepared lumps of dough for us to roll out with simple wooden rollers one flat stones. Once the dough was rolled out, I took it outside where a fire was burning by the entrance. It was put on a flat spatula like end and held by a long connecting rod. The dough was baked on the open fire, and then turned and cooked on the other side. Both sides looked like thick browned tortillas… and it was ready to eat. I don’t think that Wonder Bread has anything to worry about. This whole wheat Viking delicacy was bland. I would say that my first bite tasted like eating two Saltine Crackers, one atop the other; but, without the salt and without the crunch. There was butter and honey inside to make it more palatable; but, I wanted the “Real Viking Experience”. Our hostess said that there was butter included in the dough. Sharon took one bite from the flatbread that I’d made; but, she didn’t ask for any more. Inside, she was finding a green Viking Dress to wear; so, I guess I needed to find something to slip into. The clothing is quite simple. A rectangular cloth with a hole in the middle goes over the head, and the sides sewn up until the armholes. There the sleeves are attached, and a triangular piece connects the arm to the body side. I spotted what looked like one oversized tunic and decided that must be meant for me. I was able to slip into it, and then fastened the leather belt about the waist. All that was needed was a Viking helmet (No Viking Helmets don’t have horns) and a Viking Shield and we were ready to have our picture taken.

We had a lot of fun on this tour and we learned a lot about the Vikings which is why we chose this tour in the first place on this “Voyage of the Vikings” despite what was a very steep price, especially for a limited four-hour experience and half of which was transportation time. Sharon later checked out their website and found that they charge $150 for the same 4-hour tour per person, so the 100% markup by HAL seems a bit excessive.

We were back by 12:30PM and headed up to the Lido for lunch. This being Wednesday it was time for another Wall Street Pizza with mushrooms and Kalamata Olives. Sharon got a Dive-In Burger with French Fries.

I was headed up to the Crow’s Nest; but, Sharon said that they were holding Trivia in the MIX again. We were the only people there, and when Sharon checked her phone, the Daily Planner said that Team Trivia was indeed in the Crow’s Nest. There was thirty minutes before it was to start, so we headed up to the Sports Deck. We noticed that other teams weren’t showing up, so we asked the Bar Staff if Trivia would be occurring up here. They directed us back to MIX. When we got there, Duncan and Pam had a small table reserved with chairs enough for Sharon and me. All the other tables were now occupied, including the very nice one where we’d done the work to set up the chairs. Rose Marie showed up and got a tall bar stool to loom over the very low table. Jim decided to join another team that had a chair for him to sit on. Linda began, “Name the member of the Kennedy Clan who was the founder of the Special Olympics.” I really should have known this one because in my Modern Commemorative Coin series I can see what she looks like. We went with “Ethyl Kennedy” which none of us thought was right. I knew the answer as soon as I saw it on the sheet we were grading: “Eunice Kennedy Shriver”. “What animal, as of 2016, is no longer on the Endangered Species list?” Our choices were (a) Giant Panda, (b) Black Panther, (c) Golden Lion Tamarin, or (d) White Rhinoceros. Sharon has a penchant for animals whose names begin with “P” and Pandas will always win out over some dumb cat. Don’t argue with our logic… we got the answer right! Linda got right to the point with the next question: “What is ‘Oology’?” Not a clue, we just took a WAG. Linda said that she was looking for “The study of eggs or birds.” When Linda asked, “What does the ‘OUIJA’ in Ouija Board stand for?” we knew that our streak was going to end at three. Duncan wrote down “Oh U Irritate John Awfully”. Evidently “Ouija” stands for “Yes Yes”: Oui is “Yes” in French and Ja is “Yes” in German. We tried to save face by getting all five-points Linda offered for the bonus question. “What are the five most populous countries in the world?” There was no bonus today for getting them in the right order. The first two should be pretty obvious: China and India. Back in the day before the breakup of the Soviet Union, they would have gotten into the mix; but, not anymore. Duncan and I both had USA and Indonesia next. There was some discussion about that fifth country, and ultimately, we went with Brazil. As our luck would have it, Brazil eked out sixth place Pakistan by about 1 million people.

Sharon was off to mass for the Holy Day of the Feast of the Assumption.

I met Sharon afterwards and we went for dinner. We wound up at that large table for ten again, only there were only nine of us. We were the first to be seated (for the first time on the cruise as I remember; but, I’m sure Sharon will correct me). My first appetizer was the Chicken, Ham and Parmesan Croquet and it did not disappoint. My Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup turned out to actually be Cream of Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup. And I got a Greek Salad with Roast Beef that for some unexplainable reason they served with Ranch Dressing. I should have objected as two others at our table did and gotten olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I just can’t understand why it wasn’t served with an Italian-like dressing in the first place. Sharon had to choose between Prime Rib and Roast Turkey. On this cruise Sharon is going with the Turkey. She said later that she should have asked for a Baked Potato. I skipped the “Blue Cheese” headline cheese plate and got the “No Sugar Added” Amaretto Ice Cream. Sharon enjoyed one of her favorites, The Lemon Torte. The shipboard Lutheran Minister and his wife were part of our dining party. He was hoping his Sunday service would be in the Showroom. Sharon asked if he’d met Father Roman, and he grinned. They obviously got along quite well, along with the rabbi who is also onboard for this voyage. I had to finish my dessert quickly, and make a mad dash to the theatre. It was thirty minutes before showtime and I was lucky to find two seats together in the front row of the balcony.

Sharon took her sweet time making her way to the Theatre and I suspected that she did so by way of the casino and perhaps even the Exploration Café in quest of those elusive chocolate chip cookies; but, she did arrive with fifteen minutes to go. I kept waving at her and the way she kept looking past me right and left I almost thought that she was looking for someone else! I suspect she thought it was hopeless and hadn’t found any seats; but, she did at last spot me. Linda came out to introduce Bud Anderson, the most famous comedian that nobody’s ever heard of (those are his words, not mine); but, the way that she introduced him made it seem she was attempting to upstage him by trying out her own standup routine. She asked, “You mothers out there, how well do you know your kids? Do you always know what they’re up to?” That drew a collective “No Way!” from the audience. “Really. Well I want to tell you about a mother that understood her son.” She related how the son and mother had always been very close to his mother growing up. When he went off to college it was the first time that he was living on his own. He confided in his mother, that he’d gotten an apartment, and that he’d had to get someone to rent the second room of this two-room apartment in order to make ends meet. And he’d even confided in his mother that the person he was sharing the apartment with was a coed at the college he was attending. “Ah ha,” says the mother. “So, tell me Joe, how close are you to this girl?” “It’s nothing like that, mother. It’s purely for financial expediency.” But his mother would not let go of the idea, that something was going on. Her son invited her to come have Sunday dinner at his apartment, to meet Helen, so that she could see for herself that nothing was going on. When she saw the beautiful young shapely women, it made her even more certain that something was up. When they were in the kitchen alone, her son once again assured his mother, “No mother, it’s purely for financial expediency.” Two days later Helen says to Joe, “My silver sugar bowl that was left to me by my grandmother is missing and has been missing ever since YOUR mother was here. Perhaps, you could mention it to her.” He’s not sure how to bring it up; but, he manages to ask his mother about the sugar bowl. “Well!” his mother says. “If she was really sleeping in her bed, I’m sure that she would have found the sugar bowl by now!” Well, she certainly warmed the audience up for Bud. Much of his hilarious banter dealt with some of the differences between men and women, and the way that they communicate with each other. He asked the audience to suggest some of the most common reasons that men and women fight. The immediate response came “Money”, followed by “Sex” and “Children”. He said that those are all good reasons; but, that he still feels that the main reason Men and Woman fight is… Well he claims that they fight over “Nothing”. The gist is that men and women just don’t understand each other. He gives examples: A man comes home and sees that his wife is not in a good mood and asks his wife what’s the matter… and her response is “Nothing.” Now he knows full well that nothing is not nothing, that it is probably something that he’s done, and he has no idea what this if. Take the same situation, only in reverse, and the wife now asks her husband what is wrong, and the man answers “Nothing.” She of course wonders what he means by that; but, he truly means nothing. The forty-five minute went by in what seemed a blink of an eye, at times with Bud adlibbing in an extraordinary exchange after getting his words twisted, and even he was laughing. He said, “I really must remember to write that one down.”

I decided to call it a night after the show ended, and Sharon considered stopping into the Piano Bar for some tunes by Simon & Garfunkel, Frankie Valli and Stevie Wonder. The room was already full, and the Buffaloes were being gagged by a smoking chimney that seems to have pitched her tent on Sharon’s machine, so she came back to the cabin as well.

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