Near the top of this serene fjord, is something you don't expect, wouldn't find unless you were told about, and would never know how to get a peak  at the operations unless someone gave you instructions to "follow the path along the side of that hill and come up to a perch with a bird's eye view." The Hvalfjorour Whaling Station -- read that "slaughter house" -- was actually open to the public until just recently.  But after an "attack" by Greenpeace demonstrators, it was locked down.

Whaling is legal in both Iceland and Greenland, though much of the rest of the world objects violently.   Iceland kills about 250 whales a year.  About  half that number are non-endangered minke whales.  Whale meat is a staple in both countries.  And we confess, we had whale steaks one night for  dinner in Greenland.  A more delicious and tender piece of meat would be hard to find!

Minke are small by whale standards.  Only about 35 feet long and 15 tonnes each.  Although the slaughter of this whale was well under way by the time we happened on the scene, the photos give you an idea just how big these "small" creatures are.

The process of butchering a whale hasn't changed much since Moby Dick.  But tools have been updated.  A huge electric saw replaces knives and axes.  An electric winch take the place of grab hooks. But the long-handled  flensing knife used for cutting away the blubber is still a staple tool.

Several huge rib bones have already been cleaned and laid aside, possibly for use by artists who still carve items from the bone.

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