Today, the day was spent in Siglufjörður, a charming town in the north of Iceland surrounded by beautiful mountains and fjords. The herring industry has been very important for Siglufjörður, providing work for a lot of men and women. To showcase the important history of this town, we were headed to the Herring Era Museum. This opened in 1994 in an old salting station which was abandoned in the 1960s after the collapse of the herring stock. We were welcomed by working and singing “herring girls”, after which we danced a traditional Icelandic dance! We got divided into three groups and were shown around the museum where we observed the old machinery that was left behind and the ships which they used to catch herring.
After the guided tour at the museum, you could either stroll around town and enjoy lunch in Siglufjörður or back on board. The afternoon was either leisurely spent on board, in town, or you were given the option to join a guided walk through an Icelandic forest! The walking trail brought us alongside a majestic waterfall and ended at a cozy picnic area with refreshments.
