August 2, Isafordjur, Iceland

 What a lovely small town! There are trees and bushes here, unlike Greenland.  There are sheep and CATS and Arctic foxes (although we didn’t see any) and other mammals!  This town is so much more prosperous than anything we saw in Greenland.

In the morning we took a walking tour through the “backstreets” of town. We came back aboard for lunch and to warm up! It was in the low 40s and damp.  For some reason, my wonderful walking shoes didn’t do their job today. I felt like I had no arch support!  In spite of “layers,” we were chilled to the bone.

After warming up, we went back out for a shopping trip.  We got a couple of T-shirts and a coffee cup for Paul.

Here are some pictures and the things we learned.

Many buildings were built in the 19th century, and most were made of corrugated steel. They often display the year of construction.
1903
1881


This is the newer Lutheran church, after the old one burnt down. The original was named Salem; not sure if the new one is the same. The roof lines are meant to look like waves. It serves as a community center.

Most people here are Lutheran, but a few Roman Catholics have moved in. They could not afford to build a house of worship, so they bought a house and repurposed it.




Genuine Icelandic sweaters are made from the wool of Icelandic sheep and each one has a unique pattern/design.  The purpose is to identify sailors lost at sea. It happened more often in earlier times, but even now the weather can change dramatically in a matter of minutes, defeating modern technology.

A memorial to fishermen lost at sea.


This is an avalanche/mudslide shield that saves many lives. When one comes down from the hills above, there is no time to save possessions, but hopefully family members!  They are very powerful.

Patrilineal naming system.  All the children are surnamed after their father. If the father is Paul, a son is given his unique first name, but his lady name will be Paulsson. Same for a daughter, but her surname will be Paulsdottir (Paul’s daughter). She will keep her name for life; it does not change when she marries. So husband and wife have different last names.

Flowers and Lace.
Residents have small yards, but many of them have colorful little gardens with flowers, rocks, painted rocks, driftwood, etc. And most use their windows as a showcase for pretty lace and interesting objects.



Rhubarb!


Finally we are seeing cats! And this little one.






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