Akureyri
Today we arrived in Akureyri - (AH-ku-ray-ree) - according to our guide today, if you want to sound like a native Icelander, you always stress the first syllable of the word, then mumble every syllable that comes after. That about sums it up!
It’s a gorgeous little town - even though it’s the 2nd largest city in Iceland at 18,900 residents.
Reminder that you can click any image to see it fully on your screen without scrolling
We started off with the included tour, whose first stop was a botanical garden.., yeah, not something you expect in Iceland! Akureyri has a mile microclimate, though, which allows for growing plants you wouldn’t see elsewhere in the country. It was really pretty.
The bees were out doing their thing
Look at this HUGE wild rose! I’ve never seen one this big in Alberta.
The blue poppies were really pretty
The wine-coloured ones were even prettier
From there we went up the hill to the ski resort and admired the view.
Interestingly, all the stoplights in town have the red lens in a heart shape.
A quick stop at the church with its striking architecture
From there, we chose to walk back to the ship rather than ride the bus back. It was such a pretty day, it was the right decision for sure.
Plus, the city centre was super-cute.
Rob found a new wooden friend at the concert hall
Back on the ship, I had a walk around and noticed that NOBODY was in the pool. I also found out that the reason for that is the water isn’t heated when the ship isn’t moving. So… outside temp was 11C with an icy wind chip on deck and the water temp was lower than that.
But the scenery was too good from the infinity pool to pass it up, so I decided to do the “Nordic bathing” ritual where you go from hot to cold and back. There’s a hot tub right next to the pool, so this was perfect.
Cold first.
few people walked by and said, “I didn’t realize it was heated.”
I said, “It’s not.”
Them: Aren’t you cold???
Me; I’m Canadian.
Them: Ohhhhhhhh, ok.
I swam for a bit before going to the hot tub. Met some folks in the tub from Toronto, then back to the pool. Next time in the tub, I met some folks from Australia.
Back in the room, we discovered that we’d gotten certificates for entering the Arctic Circle.
Aaaaand I saw another whale just off our stateroom balcony, but he decided to go hide by the time I grabbed the camera.
Oh, well.
As we sail out of Eyjafjördur (AY-yah-fyoor-durr) - the longest fjord in Iceland - the scenery does not disappoint.
We watched it all from our fave lounge at the front of the ship, accompanied by some lovely piano music.
Dinner was good as well. I had pork loin, but Rob hit the jackpot with “the best fresh pea soup I’ve ever had” and a lamb curry that was absolutely delicious. I’m hoping it shows up on the menu again, as it was perfection.
Plus they're still serving those crunchy breadsticks that taste like enchiladas. They’re so weird, but so good!
Tomorrow is the last stop in Iceland. As much as I enjoyed Reykjavik, I must say that I’m really charmed by the smaller towns in the north. Everyone is very friendly, the little houses are charming, and the geography here is breathtaking.
Looking forward to tomorrow’s stop in another town I’ll have to learn to pronounce.