Last Day with Iceland ProCruises

Day 11 finds us sailing into Stykkisholmur, Iceland – the sun shone, spirits were high, then the winds whipped up making Zodiac trips to the harbor quite wild and wet as waves sprayed over the sides. I tried to get the guy on the opposite end to move a little left to block the spray that was smacking me in the face. For some reason everyone was laughing at our plight. This picturesque town has a cool volcano museum, an old house you can visit and was one of the filming locations for Walter Mitty.

My new German friend had rented a car and invited me to drive about 50 kilometers to photograph the iconic Kirkjufell mountain peak and Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall just outside the town of Grundarfjordur. The further west we drove, the windier it became and the harder it rained. Our photographic efforts were largely thwarted as the peak was covered in fog. It was still lovely to see the lava fields, green mountains, feeding sheep on the roadside and blue-green sea with white-capped waves in the bay at Gurndafjordur.

After our last dinner, everyone retired early to pack up as we had an early morning start for the disembarkation process. Mother Nature was in rare form and we rocked all night long – the roughest weather of the entire trip. Day 12 started with a sadness knowing our grand adventure was coming to an end. After breakfast I said my goodbyes to our waiters, maître d, cabin attendant, the hotel staff who were always smiling and helpful, the doctor, new friends and the Iceland ProCruises’ expedition staff. They have a few new trips planned for 2016 that we’re excited to share.

The Ocean Diamond docks right at City Center so I did a little walk around town before transferring to the airport.  I had purchased Icelandic sea salts onboard in the gift shop and noticed while shopping in City Center that the Ocean Diamond prices were better than in town, which was a pleasant surprise.