6 July 2018:
Ísafjörður, Iceland:
The Ring Road by Ship

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Every year, thousands of people arrive in Reykjavik to drive the Ring Road, the only route that circles the island. It is 1,332 kilometers or 830 miles, mostly paved…of mountain passes, coastal chicanes, barren deserts of lava, huge glaciers, spouting geysers, and volcanoes at almost every turn.

The road was only completed in 1974, tying together some bits and pieces built during World War 2, and other stretches that date back many centuries.

It’s not easily accomplished— conditions are not often anywhere near perfect. There are not all that many places to stay, and as far as I am aware, the dormitory-like hotels do not come with a butler and room service.

We are setting out on our own version of the Ring Road, by sea, in great luxury.

Our first port of call as we head clockwise is Ísafjörður, the Ice Fjord, which is the northernmost place we will visit on this cruise, at 66 degrees 4 minutes North, 23 degrees 7 minutes West.

That is just 55 kilometers or 34 miles below the Arctic Circle. We will cross the circle—while at sea—after we depart Ísafjörður, and then drop below it to Akureyri.

Ísafjörður is a pretty small town—most places in Iceland are—with a population of about 2,559 close friends and sisters, cousins, and aunts.

Here are some photos I took today, once again under a startlingly blue sky and relatively moderate temperatures for which we are all grateful and more than a little bit surprised.

All photos and text Copyright 2018 by Corey Sandler, all rights reserved.

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