Back in Reykjavík for our final few days.

To start with, a trip out of the Reykjavík harbour to see if we can spot some whales and the infamous puffin.

It was a very good day. We saw lots of seabirds (they tend to flock around feeding whales), several minke whales (the less common in this area; humpbacks were not seen), the funky little puffin birds trying really hard to actually fly above the waves, and the most interesting sight of all - the bundled-up, freezing humans on the boat. Yes, it was more than cold once you left the harbor - suddenly you do realize that you are in the Arctic when there is nothing to protect you from the open ocean winds.

The puffins are interesting birds (be sure to check out the links - fun facts). They literally live their life on the open ocean and only come into land to nest. Watching them skip just above the water, you can almost hear them saying ‘I know I can fly, I really know I can, I know I can...’. You can see an example with the bird with a black top, white bottom, feet out behind him, and if you look close enough, a very determined look on his little face (image 035).

As we came back into the harbor, we were passing one of the major islands that the puffins breed on by the thousands. The guide informed us that we were at the end of the breeding season, so there was a good chance that most of the puffins had packed their bags and headed back out to sea. As you can see in the pictures, the little creatures must have left on their own group tour a day or two before our group got there. It would have been a wonderful sight watching all of them head out with their little suitcases under their wings.

We finished the day with a walk around town, soaking up some of the local atmosphere (and when sheltered from the breeze, warm sun). The evening closed with a group meal in a very high-class restaurant just after we took our final group photo.