Day 28: Norðurfjörður – Drangsnes

We slept soundly once the fireworks display on the neighboring property had ended. It was a bit odd, though – fireworks in broad daylight... Later that afternoon, we learned that it is confirmation season – which explains the many large gatherings we’ve been seeing along the way.

In the morning, we drove over the mountain heading west to the next fjord and circled it via a small track along the shore. It was nice, but progress was very slow. Eventually, we turned back, as we had the whole journey to Drangsnes ahead of us for the day.

If the campsite here in Norðurfjörður were a bit better – or cheaper – we might have considered staying a second night. But paying around 40 euros to park on a bumpy field with just a toilet and cold water... hmm.

We read a bit about the two fish processing plants in Djupavik and Árneshreppur; the boom years for herring fishing were short-lived, occurring before World War I and after World War II. Stocks were already declining in the 1950s, and herring processing (salting) ceased here in the late 1960s. There must still be fish around, though – or perhaps they’ve returned – since thousands of seagulls nest in the steep cliffs of the rugged mountains.

The drive was lovely the second time around, too, though the weather was worse than yesterday. And honestly, you can’t put much stock in the forecasts; sometimes it’s better, sometimes worse, but rarely exactly as predicted. ;-)

Back in Drangsnes, we did a quick workout in the rain. We didn't feel like using the swimming pool today, and the three famous hot tubs situated between the road and the sea didn't hold much appeal. We’ll cook in the communal kitchen instead, and then see what tomorrow brings.