Grundarfjörður: Hikes, Waterfalls and Ship Spotting
Grundarfjörður: Hikes, Waterfalls and Ship Spotting
David Eugene Perry
4 August 2026: Ahoy! We set off by tender from Nieuw Statendam to explore Grundarfjörður, Iceland. We dock next the classic, smaller cruise ship Deutschland: more about her at the end of this report, including her “TV fame” and its connection to my earlier life at sea.
At the harbour, signage explains the importance of fishing and maritime trade to the town:
The Grundarfjörður Harbour
“The harbour is one of the main lifelines of the town. The good natural harbour facilities indicated that the village would be built in this area. The development of the harbour, employment and habitation have been growing hand in hand since the beginning of the 20th century.
A good harbour is a prerequisite for utilizing the rich fishing grounds and creating growth opportunities for the fishing industry. Fisheries have been built up here, over the years, with much power and foresight. Technological advances in the fishing industry can best be seen in the fact that far fewer people are needed today for fishing and processing in order to produce much more seafood products.
In former times, the harbour played an important role in the transportation of goods to and from the town. All seafood was either frozen or salted on ships, which then delivered these products to various markets overseas. Today, almost all goods are transported by truck and a large portion of the seafood is flown fresh to overseas markets.
There are various services offered by the harbour for the fishing industry. There are also many cruise ships that come to Grundarfjörður because of its excellent natural harbour and facilities.”
Two illustrated panels identify the birds and marine animals found around Grundarfjörður. The bird panel reads:
Fuglar við Grundarfjörð
Birds around Grundarfjordur
“Kría – Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaea”
“Æðarfugl – Eider duck
Somateria mollissima”
“Lundi – Puffin
Fratercula arctica”
“Skúmur – Great Skua
Catharacta skua”
“Haförn – White-tailed Eagle
Haliaeetus albicilla”
“Fýll – Fulmar
Fulmarus glacialis”
“Álka – Alca
Alca Torda”
“Hettemáfur- Black-headed gull
Larus ridibundus”
“Langvía – Guillemot
Uria aalge”
“Teista – Black guillemot
Cepphus grylle”
“Stuttnefja- Brünnich’s guillemot
Uria lomvia”
“Rita – Black-legged Kittiwake
Rissa tridactyla”
“Hvítmáfur- Glaucous gull
Larus hyperboreus”
“Súla – Gannet
Sula bassana”
“Toppskarfur – European shag
Phalacrocorax aristotelis”
“Skarfur – Great cormorant
Phalacrocorax carbo”
“Sílamáfur- Lesser black-backed gull
Larus fuscus”
“Svartbakur – Great black-backed gull
Larus marinus”
The accompanying panel reads:
Sjávardýr í Grundarfirði
Marine animals in Grundarfjordur
“Lúða – Halibut
H. hippoglossus”
“Ufsi – Coalfish
Pollachius virens”
“Ýsa – Haddock
Melanogrammus aeglefinus”
“Þorskur – Cod
Gadus morhua”
“Karfi – Redfish
Sebastes”
“Hrognkelsi/Rauðmagi og Grásleppa – Lumpsucker
Cyclopterus lumpus”
“Sólkoli – Lemon sole
Microstomus kitt”
“Höfrungur – Dolphin
Delphinus delphis”
“Landselur – Common seal
Phoca vitulina”
“Skötuselur – Monkfish
Lophius piscatorius”
“Tindaskata – Thorny skate
Amblyraja radiata”
“Makríll – Mackerel
Scomber scombrus”
“Skarkoli/Rauðspretta/Lýri/Koli- Plaice
Pleuronectes platessa”
“Hlýri – Spotted Wolffish
Anarhichas minor”
“Keila – Cusk
Brosme brosme”
“Loðna – Capelin
Mallotus villosus”
“Langa – Ling
Molva”
“Sæbjúgu – Sea cucumber
Holothuroidea”
“Steinbítur – Atlantic wolffish
Anarhichas lupus”
“Atlantshafssíld – Herring
Clupea harengus”
“Trjónukrabbi – great spider crab
Hyas araneus”
“Rækja – Shrimp
Pandalus borealis”
Inside a nearby visitor facility, display cases contain preserved examples of many of the birds found in the area, including puffins, ducks, gulls, owls, birds of prey and other seabirds. The collection also includes an Arctic fox and cases of eggs and stones, displayed above locally produced knitwear.
It’s a misty, pleasant chilly day as we set out on a hike to the big waterfall at edge of town, just past the “Harry Potter” wizard hat shaped mountain Kirkjufell. All along the way, we pass white, blue and yellow wildflowers: yarrow, harebells and buttercups. A small group of sheep ignore us completely. About an hour later, we’re treated to a spectacular cascade emptying into a lagoon before then meandering to the sea. On the way back we stop for an Einstök Icelandic Pale Ale (Alfredo) and s Viking Draught with a side of blueberry cake (me, and Alfredo helped with the cake).
The waterfall is Grundarfoss, a roughly 70-metre—or 230-foot—fall fed by the Grundará river. The approach follows the river inland from the road outside Grundarfjörður.
We make our way back to the pier by way of the church, and two monuments adjacent: one a statue, one a name emblazoned rainbow ribbon bench.
The statue is Sýn, created by Icelandic sculptor Steinunn Þórarinsdóttir and installed in honour of the lives and work of fishermen. Its female figure represents a fisherman’s wife standing on shore, looking out to sea and waiting for her loved ones to return. The adjacent steel element reproduces the form of Kirkjufell and is intended to represent the sea. The work was unveiled on Fishermen’s Day in 1989 by Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, then president of Iceland.
The second work is Veðurhorfur — Weather prediction — Météo, by Sólrún Halldórsdóttir. Its plaque reads:
“Veðurhorfur
Weather prediction
Météo
Sólrún Halldórsdóttir
Til heiðurs þeim sem á undan gengu
Eliza Reid, forsetafrú afhjúpaði 4. júní 2021”
The 18-metre-long work incorporates 112 Icelandic words for wind and variations in the weather, a number chosen in reference to Iceland’s 112 emergency telephone number. The words are arranged according to wind speed, with their changing background colours based partly on the weather codes used by the Icelandic Meteorological Office. The installation is made from stone, steel and hardwood and was unveiled on June 4, 2021, by Iceland’s then first lady Eliza Reid and two-year-old Elísa Gunnarsdóttir.
Just around the bend, lined with neatly trimmed lawns and sleekly efficient designed homes we spy my prize: a view of the M/S Deutschland — well part of the time. From September through April she changes her name to the World Odyssey as part of the “Semester at Sea” program. Also, she’s had a starring role in a popular German TV show.
Built by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in Kiel, Germany, Deutschland was launched and entered service in 1998. Designed as a smaller, traditionally styled cruise ship, she measures just over 175 metres in length and has seven passenger-accessible decks. She served as an entertainment ship during the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and as a hospitality ship for the German Olympic Committee during the 2012 London Games.
After her original operator, Peter Deilmann Reederei, encountered financial difficulties, the ship was sold in 2015. Since then, she has alternated between two roles and two names. During the northern summer she operates for Phoenix Reisen as Deutschland. From September through April she becomes World Odyssey, the sixth vessel used by Semester at Sea. In that role, she operates as a floating university with approximately 600 berths, nine classrooms, a student union and a library.
From 1999 until 2015, Deutschland was the principal filming location for the long-running ZDF television series “Das Traumschiff” — “The Dream Ship.” The German drama follows the passengers and crew of a cruise ship travelling to destinations around the world and is often compared with the American series “The Love Boat.”
Since 2015, “Das Traumschiff” has continued for a whole new generation of fans, but now being filmed onboard a ship with whom I have a direct connection. Now known as the MS Amadea, the ship started life as the Asuka built by NYK – the company which birthed Crystal Cruises. My very first ship was the Crystal Harmony.After Asuka was sold to the German company Phoenix Reisen (which operates Amadea and Deutschland) Crystal Cruises turned the Harmony over to the Japanese market as Asuka II under which name she still sails. Crystal Cruise veterans always referred to the original Asuka as the “Baby Harmony” so the lineage continues. To me, “ship spotting” is the true ocean cruise sport: even more fun than bingo or trivia.
