After a bumpy night sailing through the Denmark Strait, we woke up to views of waves from the windows of the 270° Restaurant on deck five. We were glad to be on National Geographic Endurance and not on one of the Viking ships we have heard about during our trip. Most of us spent the morning attending Peter Wilson’s presentation on the history and present international situation of whaling and Kevin Rattue’s talk on the intricate geopolitics currently at play in the Arctic.

Waves and wind continued accompanying us during this second day as we crossed towards Iceland, making the amazing job of our crew and officers even more evident as they safely and smoothly brought us closer and closer to our destination.

After lunch, we enjoyed Jonathan Fuhrmann’s wonderful lecture on climate change. Just as he finished his last words, we were greeted by the unmistakable green silhouettes of the cliffs around Grundarfjördur. Everyone welcomed the calmer waters of the Icelandic fjord and celebrated the arrival by taking pictures and cheering.