Nicknamed the Capital of North Iceland, the area around
Akureyri was originally settled in the 9th century, but the first
official mention of Akureyri as a city was not until 1562. Today, Akureyri is a
thriving port town with an economy largely based on a booming fishing industry,
though one wouldn’t immediately know that. The city gives a much more affluent
impression – it’s extremely clean, transportation is modern, and folks look and
dress pretty sharp. Don’t take me wrong – I’m a fisherman as well, and have
visited many communities known for fishing. Akureyri is definitely the best
that I’ve seen!
Weather today was absolutely horrific – all day! Winds raged
from 25-40 MPH with light to heavy rain. We were on a 4+ hour tour that took us
to everything from waterfalls to steaming, sulphur mud pots. The countryside was hilly, though largely
baron. Homes were fairly modern, spaced typically as one would find farmlands
back home. Major difference, however.
Hay harvests were color-coded! Bails were wrapped in the color blue if the
farmer was donating $1 to prostate cancer, pink was breast cancer, or yellow
for children’s cancer research. If farmers elected not to donate, their bails
were wrapped in either black or white plastic. Very unique – very interesting!
There were only a few hundred folks who ventured off the
ship today because of the foul weather. We intended to visit this place one
time so off we went – soaked & very cold several times! That’s part of the
experience, and wouldn’t trade it.
We left North Iceland a few hours early to miss the worst of
a severe storm. While we did in fact miss the very worst, we still got nailed
by 20’ seas for a few hours last night, but that’s part of it.
Tomorrow, we’ll be in Bergen, Norway – hopefully warmer,
hopefully more dry.
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