Akureyri, Iceland

July 23 - Weather: Sunny, hi temp in upper 60s (Sunrise/sunset 3:21 am/11:16 pm)

Today we were docked in the town of Akureyri, which is located at the bottom of the Eyjafjörỗur fjord along the northern coast of Iceland.  The population is around 18,000, and the town is considered the northern capital of Iceland.  Only Reykjavik, the capital, is larger, and it is about 45 minutes by air or 4 1/2 hours away by car.  We went on our first shore excursion today and had a lovely guide with an unpronounceable name about ten syllables long.  She told us that the entire country of Iceland is in one phone book and many people are related.  We went to Goðafoss, one of the hundreds of waterfalls in Iceland.  The terrain was rocky lava and difficult to navigate in places.  We also visited a Laufás, which is a church site and vicarage.  The farmhouse is turf-clad timber and is an example of a wealthy vicarage many years ago.  Last on our tour was a botanical garden that's 100 years old and very pretty.  It is the northernmost botanical garden in the world, and the town also claims the northernmost golf course in the world.  Our team won convincingly at trivia and we watched the Polar Bear Plunge this afternoon.  The Plunge is to prepare for our crossing the Arctic Circle this evening.  This part of the world has about 20 hours of sunlight a day this time of year.

© Jay 2020