Still raining when I woke but today the rain, while continuous, lacked the power of the last two days and the wind was no longer blasting my face. Going out without full waterproofs no longer completely soaked me within two minutes and the weather warning has been reduced to "yellow". However....the strong recommendation I received was not to go to Hornstrandir today. Heavy and prolonged rain has meant the rivers are too high to cross and there are risks of rock falls. Safety advice can sometimes be too cautious, as those giving it cannot gauge the abilities of those receiving it, however without a knowledge of the area it would be foolish to ignore. Consequently I am now booked on tomorrow's 6:00 am ferry to Hornvik. I asked for it to be written down as I am having difficulty understanding how words are pronounced. My return will be from Veiðileysa on Tuesday at 17:00.
This left me time to visit the Museum of Everyday Things, and the old hospital building. The former is principally a collection of aural histories of people who have grown up in the area and others who have come to the area from other countries, supplemented by various items and pictures. As a new hospital has been built the old one, dating from the 1925, has been converted into a library and culture centre, with a few exhibits from its days as a hospital. Following these visits I wandered around town photographing the buildings, some a 100 years or more old, generally with painted corrugated steel cladding and roofs. A container ship was being unloaded as I walked the length of the quays. After that, apart from a museum of accordions, in which I have no interest, I had exhausted the towns sights.
Needing some exercise I set off on a walk down the fjord, beside the road to the village of Hnifsdalur, beyond which the road enters a long tunnel. I walked a little on the old road which follows the coast, but after seeing some large rocks that fallen on the road from a fresh landslide scar I decided to return to Ísafjördur. On the way there was a capstan for hauling in fishing boats and some sheds with partially open sides which I think were used for drying fish. They no longer seemed to be in use, as all the accommodation seems almost full, I suspect tourism is a easier and safer way to earn a living.
Early night tonight for my 6:00 am ferry tomorrow.
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