My Mum had given us some spending money before we set off (thanks Mum!) and we decided to treat ourselves to a 3 hour whale watching boat tour. While we were waiting for the tour to depart we went into the Husavik Whale Museum. It was really fascinating (more than any of us had expected) with loads of Whale skeletons and interesting exhibits about the history of whaling etc.
Annoyingly the boat trip got postponed as the weather wasn’t good enough for the small boat we were booked on. The company moved us to the next tour on a bigger boat (cue lots of Jaws jokes). The rescheduling gave us a bit more time in the museum. Once aboard we all had to get into insulated jumpsuits and then full length waterproof coats over the top.
The guide gave us a fair amount of safety information and also lots of information about what to do if you felt seasick.
We set off and travelled out North in the direction of the goddamn Arctic Circle! The sea was really rough and I spent the whole time with my eyes fixed on the horizon to try and steady myself. About 45 minutes into the journey we saw our first whale! Initially we just saw it blow air out and then its back appeared. The boat slowed right down and we saw it dive down and flick its tail (or more correctly fluke) into the air. It was really amazing to see and it all seemed like it was in slow motion! A few minutes later our guide spotted another one even closer, again we saw it dive and flick. Each time I thought she said these were Hamburg whales and gave us details about how they are baleen feeders and they tend to be solitary. It turns out that I heard her wrong and they were HUMPBACK whales! Then we saw two Humpbacks swimming alongside each other and she said it was really unusual to see a pair. We didn’t get any photos as we were too busy holdingonto the boat and trying to stay upright.
[warning] If you are at all squeamish I suggest you stop reading today’s blog at this point.
I started to feel a bit queasy just after seeing the pair of whales so I left Eve and Leo and went towards the back of the boat, which was more stable. Quite quickly I felt really seasick and proceeded to spend an ACTUAL HOUR OF MY LIFE being sick off the back of the boat. At one stage a massive wave came over the boat and anyone who wasn’t vomitting was able to duck but I got completely soaked. For the final hour of the journey back I sat freezing cold and snivelling and feeling utterly disoriented and miserable. Luckily Eve and Leo were blissfully unaware and tucked into the on-board hot chocolate and homemade cinnamon buns.
When we got off the boat I found Eve and Leo and apparently my lips were blue. I had to sit in the back of the van with the heater on to warm up. Leo was so kind and sat with me and put his arm round me, what a lovely boy!
Apparently I didn’t miss any more whales whilst Iwas being sick. All things considered it was such an amazing experience, really once in a lifetime and it was great to see the whales in their natural habitat, so thanks Mum we loved it.
Whilst I am thanking people it seems a suitable point to say thanks to my brother James and to my late Grandma. It is because of both of them that we are on the holiday. When my dear Grandma died last year she left some money in her will to all of her five grandchildren. I’m not sure what she would make of me driving two of her precious great grandchildren around Iceland in a camper van but I am sure she would love the thought of us spending time together seeing amazing sights. Back in the 90’s James was working for the publisher Bloomsbury and I had read the first Harry Potter book. When the proofs for the second book came out he gave one to me. I enjoyed reading it and it stayed on the bookshelf for 20 or so years. To cut a long story short James was contacted by a collector who wanted to buy the proof. I much preferred the idea of an experience with the kids compared to a book on the shelf, so a deal was done. So thanks Grandma and James.
Back to the detail of the day... Once I felt ready to drive we headed off to Akureyri which is Iceland’s second biggest town. We are in a city centre campsite and we will explore tomorrow, but I already feel hugely welcomed just by the traffic lights.
Aw ... that's lovely. Thank you for your thank you. Grandma would, I am sure, be thrilled at what you're doing. And such bad luck with the seasickness. It sounds like it's a truly desperate condition, going far beyond simple nausea. x
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