Iceland - Day 6 - Vestmannaeyjar: Pompeii of the North

Heading to the Westman Islands, most of the two hour drive is along a now well familiar landscape. Our adventure really starts with a ferry at Bakkafjara to the island Heimaey, where a major volcanic eruption in 1973 destroyed half the town and buried the rest in ash and lava. The large, comfortable ferry allows adequate viewing, fries and coffee is available on board, but the sea is rough today and walking is difficult - some of us are worrying about seasickness, however the ride is too short (about 40 minutes) for that to set in.

After about a 10 minute rest stop we are back on a boat, smaller one though, to cruise around the island, check out the coastline of lava and see the puffins in their nesting place. Not long into the trip we are on the ocean side and the waves are really rocking the boat. Not taking my cue from the captain ducking below the dash, we are caught by a massive wave coming over the bow and are soaked. A number of people, my teen and husband included, are now starting to feel ill. My son is 6'7" and, with a guardrail only up to the top of his thigh, waves pitching the boat and finding ourselves airborne at times, I am worrying about him going overboard. Pulling into a cave at the end of the tour we were serenaded by the captain, who also turned out to be a great sax player. Awesome acoustics in the cave.

After a delicious soup at the Cafe Kro (free wifi!) we enjoy a bus tour of the island, driving over the buried town and next to the volcano that destroyed it. A little creepy - thinking we are driving on an island with active volcanos, although the locals assure us they have very good early warning systems in place now.

Several stops along our island tour included an old stone house, a puffin nesting area, gazing out at a young island (formed only 40 years ago by a volcano) and some totally amazing views.

Back to the Cafe Kro for a screening of the documentary about the 1973 eruption, a yummy donut-style cake and the best latte in Iceland.

Reverse order to get home - ferry to the mainland and bus. The driver recommended an Italian restaurant named Italia on the main street by our hotel and we had a fabulous dinner. Pizzas and penne were great. Deserts were amazing and big enough for 4 of us to share 2 - we strongly recommend the ice cream cake.