Day 1: Whale Watch and Rekjavik

Whale Boat

Before heading to lunch, we all dressed in our full rain gear. It was pouring rain outside and cold. Our next stop was a ship on which we were to embark on a whale watch, but first we were taken on a driving tour of Reykjavik. Most of us slept through it.

We boarded the ship and were escorted into the bottom to don red, waterproof and floatable onesies. Finding a size that fit over all the clothes we already wore thinking it was enough was difficult. We succeeded, though, and once out in the ocean realized how valuable they were. It was really cold out there and windy. The red suits were the perfect outer layer. It had a hood that covered my rain jacket hood and knit hat. I wore both gloves because my hands were also cold. Getting out to where our guide thought we would see whales was not bad at all. Once there, all we saw were very entertaining dolphins. We stayed out there about an hour, but no whales appeared, so we headed back another hour to the dock.

Nancy

Along the way, I began to feel seasick. I meandered back to a bench, holding onto anything I could because the rocking boat was difficult. Nancy has great sea legs. She's a sailor. I am not, so I had more of a problem. Susan wasn't interested in the boat at all, and headed back to the hotel with the bus. She had a very relaxing day while we went on a cold, wet adventure. I sat on the bench for a long time being as still as I could, looking at the horizon. I could feel my stomach unrest, but tried to ignore it. Larry joined me and after a while we both headed down one level to the inside. It got very rocky out there, and cold. There was no place to sit on the next level, and I didn't want to stand against a rail. So, the rocking threw me onto a bench just inside the door and there I stayed. I looked at the monitor near the ceiling of the room, while the young man next to me was quiet. Soon, he flew out the door leaving it to slam against the outdoor stairwell, while he hurled over the side. Larry said it was good I didn't see it.

Me and Nancy

Larry came to sit beside me, and all I could do was keep everything down. Once the rocking slowed, it was time to go below and take off our red onesies. Nancy was already down there catching a few z's, and soon we were docking. We were disappointed not to see whales, but the adventure was still fun. We were glad we did it.

Our hotel

Next, we headed to our lovely, contemporary hotel, Hotel Canopy By Hilton for one night. Caitlin told us this was the flagship Canopy Hilton hotel. We had trouble finding our room once we ascended to the fifth and top floor of the elevator. We had to go to a wing off the roof terrace to get there. Our room was a good size, with a very nice window seat on which to write in my journal, a very modern bathroom with a great shower, and a very comfortable bed. Our wet clothes, hung up, dried very well over night. There were also lots of cute tchotchkes that added a homey touch. We had an hour to freshen up before meeting in the lobby to walk to dinner.

Bathroom

Our View.

People complained about the length of our walk to the Reykjavik Restaurant, but it really wasn't that far. I guess after a very long, eventful day, people were just tired. Marco had the bus pick up those who didn't want to walk back to the hotel later. Five of us did walk, and it was nice to move.

Our dinner was just delicious. We ate in a private room that was beautifully decorated with candles lit everywhere, including a single candlestick on the table that would never be seen in America. I bumped the table trying to pull my chair underneath and that candlestick rocked precariously back and forth. We received a complimentary glass of white wine to enjoy with our salmon salad. There was chopped arugula, little pearled onions with something special I didn't recognize, nuts and a dab of date compote with another dab of a mayonnaise dressing with the raw salmon chunks. Just scrumptious.

Hotel Lobby

Next we were treated to an entree of rare Icelandic lamb served on beautiful ceramic platters in a delicous gravy with mushrooms, shredded beets and finely chopped root vegetable with a touch of broccoli and cauliflower. It was fabulous! We also received a complimentary glass of red wine with our entree.

Hotel Cafe with LPs

For dessert we enjoyed a dense cake made with vanilla and orange (I think) covered with a mixed blueberries, raspberries and crowberries (the berry of the island that tastes like cranberries) in a fruity sauce with a dab of Skyr (not yogurt, but like it).

Surprise of our walk.

After we got back to our hotel, Larry and I adjourned to the bistro bar for a nightcap of whiskey before bed. As soon as Larry crawled into bed, he feel fast asleep with his glasses still on his head. I sat in the window seat, writing in my journal and watching Poldark on PBS. It was a glorious first day, and so far we were all very impressed with the quality of the tour, hotel and food. Marco also provided snacks on the bus each
day of a bottle of water, a piece of fruit and a cereal or protein bar. The Marcos took very good care of us and we were very grateful.