Jeffrey Donenfeld

Tag: Akureyri

  • Iceland Day Four – Akureyri to Myvatn

    Iceland Day Four – Akureyri to Myvatn

    Although Iceland lies far north, its only stake of the arctic circle lies in the middle of a small rock island in the North Atlantic called Grímsey.

    We woke up early this morning at Joseph’s apartment, and make a quick getaway back to the bus depot in the center of Akureyri. We took the local bus an hour up the fjord to the small fishing village of Dalvik. Dalvik was a quaint fishing village, and from there, we caught the Grimsey ferry to Iceland’s northernmost point, and the only spot that crosses the arctic circle, Grimsey.

    The ferry ride was 3.5 hours, and for the first 2 hours of the trip across to Grimsey, our boat was surrounded by a thick, surreal layer of fog. Since we were sailing directly north towards the arctic circle, it felt like we were going into an unknown apocalypse – random sea birds swooping out of the fog at us, occasional dolphins swimming with the ship, and a stiff breeze over the bow.

    In addition to being a passenger ferry, the ship also acts as Grimsey’s main lifeline for food and supplies. While all the passengers were loading on, forklifts also loaded the cargo hold with palates of groceries, farm equipment, and empty fish containers coming back from a successful day at the market.

    Once we had docked in Grimsey, we were greeted by some of the locals – there are only 90 or so permanent residents of this northern rock, and the only real source of outsiders is from the three-times-a-week ferry, or daily prop plane flights into its small landing strip. Because of the predictable weekly small influx of tourists, the one restaurant and one shop get staffed by a few of the local kids on just these days.

    Along with our new Czech friend Petra, the three of had a relaxing lunch at the one restaurant, and then started the northerly hike towards the arctic circle.

    The actual crossing is somewhat un-spectacular – a simple signpost and line for photos – but significant nonetheless. After the line, the hike continues north another hour, to the puffin-inhabited northern cliffs of the island.

    Our stay at the northern tip, looking off to the north pole was short, and after that we hiked back to the harbor to relax before our ferry ride back.

    We returned by ferry to Dalvik, and then by bus to Akureyri.

    Petra was still with us, and we piled back in the car, picked up Petra’s gear at the camping site, got a quick Indian Food dinner at the Curry Shack, and then hit the road for Myvatn.

    Tonight the three of us are camping by Lake Myvatn, and plan on waking up early tomorrow morning to try out the Myvatn Nature Baths, and then explore the volcanic landscape.

  • Iceland Day Three – Blönduós To Akureyri

    Iceland Day Three – Blönduós To Akureyri

    Since the earth’s crust is so thin in Iceland, natural geothermal pools of water, locally called “hot pots”, are in almost every town.

    This morning Sari and I woke up at Christina’s apartment in Blönduós, and together with our Slovakian hitchhiker friend Martina, hopped back in the car and drove a ways down the road to Sau?arkrokur. We stopped for a minute to let Martina out at the petrol station in town, and then turned off Route 1, onto a smaller dirt road to the north. Dropping Martina off at a petrol station on the side of the road felt a bit strange, but since she was hitchhiking around Route 1, she said it was no problem, and that she’s surely find her next ride easily. She was traveling with a medium sized camping backpack, and had mostly been spending the nights camping in her tent at local campsites in the towns she was dropped off in.

    We turned off Route 1 and headed north towards the small farming town of Reykir, which is named after the region’s role in Iceland’s famous “Grettir’s Saga”. According to the Saga, Grettir swam ashore here, after a long 7.5 km swim from the flat-topped island of Dragney, and soothed himself at Reykir. Grettislaug is the geothermal pool that Grettir relaxed at during the 12th century, and still exists today.

    Sari and I arrived at Grettislaug in the afternoon, enjoyed a relaxing time sitting in the geothermal pool looking north into the Skagafjordur bay.

    After Grettislaug, we drove on to the 18th century turf farm museum Glaumbaer. The museum is a collection of 12 turf houses that give real-world insight into the living conditions that 18th century Icelandic farmers endured.

    Our last stop of the day was for well deserved pizza in downtown Akureyri, and then a quick walk around town, through the botanical gardens.

    Tonight we’re staying with Joseph, and tomorrow we’re waking up early to take the ferry to Grimsey.