After a night’s steaming from Isafjardardjup in the West Fjords, we woke to glassy seas and clear, sunny skies off Grimsey Island, 41 km north of the Iceland mainland. Grimsey is home to some 155 people and has the distinction of being cut by the Arctic Circle, marked by a monument. Its spherical shape allows the marker to be moved as the exact position of the Arctic Circle shifts through time.

Along our way to the marker, literally thousands of puffins hugged the sea cliffs we walked along. We then shifted positions and, after an early dinner, departed by bus for the spectacular waterfall known as Godafoss and Thyeistareykir, an impressive geothermal field that has been harnessed for electrical power generation.