Splishy splashy

Were only a few kilometers front the Arctic circle, yet the weather today was the best we've had in days! Although still overcast, it was a balmy 13 degrees Celsius. This morning we headed north to a small fishing village called Husavik; also called the whale watching capital. There are several tourist companies that offer similar tours. I did the logical thing and chose by which food they served. I ended with Gentle Giants which served hot chocolate and Icelandic donuts. Spoiler: they were tasty!!

The tour was about 3 hours and prior to departure Andrew and I once again suited up in those oh so attractive thermals. Only today because the weather was supposed to be "splashy" they gave us extra attractive Haz mat orange raincoats. 

 

Looking Gooooooood 

So "Splashy" in Icelandic doesn't mean a light spritz. It means the boat lists from side to side, throwing water over the side. Luckily, Andrew wanted to be up top in the crows nest, so instead of getting wet, I had to hang on for dear life. 

About an hour into the tour we hit the bay where most whales hang out. There were birds screaming everywhere overhead diving for the food below. Then in the distance, we saw the distinctive fin of a whale. The guide explained that these were Minke whales, about 30 feet long and weighing about 10 tons. Over the next hour we saw many minke whales, but never the humpback that are so common in these waters. 

There's a whale!

After finishing the tour, we headed over to the museum next door that had 12 whale skeletons and talked quiet extensively about the mating habits of all the whales. This was just the next section over from the children's area...soooo????

Lastly we wanted to get in a bit of hiking. The guide book said the city park was nice so we took a stroll through there. The stroll led into a hiking path which we followed for the next hour, not sure where it led. At several points we treked over several snow packs. The trail eventually turned cold (pun intended) and there was too much snow to continue, so we headed back. 

Trying to find the trail