Akureyri
Akureyri, the unofficial capital of northern Iceland, is at the southern end of a long fjord. As we enjoyed breakfast, we watched a beautiful, glacier-made landscape come out of a fog. After breakfast we headed to the bow of the ship to watch for humpback whales. I found three, one multiple times.
In the fjord to Akureyri with a humpback whale just visible.
The ship was scheduled to be in port from 10 to 5:30. Before the cruise we had signed up for a tour that would take us to waterfalls, false craters, boiling mud pits, and a spot where partying trolls had been frozen in place by the rising sun (Dimmuborgir).
Our first stop was Godafoss, waterfalls of the gods. It isn’t the largest waterfall, but it is beautiful, with many layers. In addition to the falls, there are interesting lava formations and many types of wildflowers. It feels, in a way, like a very cold Hawaii.
Godafoss (Waterfall of the Gods)
It is here, at Godafoss, that a Viking leader of Iceland renounced Paganism and embraced Christianity by throwing his idols into the water.
Lots of small, pretty flowers decorate the otherwise rugged landscape.
We had just enough time to walk along the falls, take a quick bathroom break at the souvenir shop, look at wool hats, and re-board the bus.
The next stop was Lake Myvatn and a series of “false craters” that were formed when hot lava covered some wetlands. Under the lava, the boggy mass boiled and eventually erupted to dot the beaches with craters. There were paths to take anyone interested up to the rims to look down into the crater, but on our short stop we didn’t have time. A nearby hotel/restaurant was waiting to serve us lunch.
When we arrived to our table, it was already set with asparagus soup and freshly made brown bread. The main course included a salad, roasted potatoes and (I think) arctic char. We finished with tea and strong coffee.
After lunch we visited what could have been a superfund site if it weren’t natural and outside of the United States. Just on the other side of some hills from the beautiful Lake Myvatn is a hotspot, where the earth’s crust is thin. Unlike the green on the other side, this side looks like Mars. Hardly anything grows and none of it green.
Steam vent releasing sulfur stench.
Bubbling mud pit.
The range that separates the lake from the boiling mud pits is like nothing I’ve seen before. The tops are cratered from earthquakes, the result of the plates underlying this part of the island separating at the rate of a couple of centimeters per year.
Back aboard the bus and on our way to the next stop, my nose and throat still burned from the acrid sulfuric air. Our last stop was Dimmuborgir, a place where the lava ran over water. The trapped water and heat, in the form of steam, pushed upward to escape the lava blanket, creating tall towers. Legend has it that the lava statues are the remnants of a troll party. All were having so much fun that they didn’t notice the rising sun and were frozen in place by the dawn.
Dimmuborgir
And that was the last stop. We spent the next hour and a half retracing our steps back to the ship, arriving just 10 minutes before our scheduled departure.
As the ship left the Akureyri port and made its way back out, the Captain came on the PA to let us know that the seas would be rougher once we exited the fjord. The next day in Isafjordur did not look promising. The town is tiny with only 2500 inhabitants and there would be four cruise ships in port. The weather threatened to be cold, windy, and raining. Snow was even a possibility. As I sit now finishing yesterday’s post — again. I lost the first draft, damnit — I can tell you it isn’t as bad as originally suggested. But that’s the subject of another post. Until then, have a good day.