August 19 – Akureyri
Wikipedia says that the climate here in Akureyri is moderate.
Someone should tell them it is freaking cold. It is about 6C but with the wind
it has to be close to freezing. It was dry where we were during the day, but
friends who went on an excursion into the mountains got soaked by a heavy
rainfall and strong winds.
Akureyri sits on the south side of the harbour, which serves
as a berth for cruise ships, container vessels and fishing boats. The city of
30,000 inhabitants spreads out from the harbour to the small hills south of the
city center.
Today there were two other cruise ships in port. One was called the World Navigator, which is a luxury yacht from the UK and the other was an older and smaller cruise ship owned by a German company. We couldn’t find a name for it when we passed it on the way out.
Nicknamed the "Capital of North Iceland" Akureyri is the 5th largest city in Iceland. The Norse Viking Eyvindarson originally settled the area in the 9th century, but it did not receive a municipal charter until 800 years later. The first official mention of Akureyri is in court records from 1562, when a woman was sentenced here for adultery.
During World War II, Akureyri was one of three air bases
used to protect the convoys as they crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
There are many tours from Akureyri that go inland to see the Godafoss waterfall and the thermal geysers. You can also take a whale watching excursion thar heads back out to the sea and then goes into the many coves that dot the northern shores.
We decided to go to a thermal spa which was across the
harbour from the city. To start, we were taken on a quick tour of the city.
Akureyri is like most towns of their size, with schools including a university,
shopping malls, a hospital, a mix of old and new housing and a golf course where
they annually have a midnight golf tournament on June 21. In the old town,
homes which had full views of the harbour, now have that view blocked by the
construction of a series of apartments in front of them. I feel sorry for the
owners of these houses. What was very noticeable was the amount of forest in
this area. It made for a nice change from the grey rocky landscapes we’ve seen,
so far.
The spa we went to, was a huge pool filled with hot water
that exists in the mountain. Because of its purity there is no reason the use
chemicals to keep in clean. The pool is about a football field in length and 20
meters wide. The water temperature varies from 38c to 40c depending on where
you sat in the pool.
It had its own swim up bar. This is a necessity because
Icelanders tend to socialize in spas, and it is common for them to sit in spa
for a couple of hours. When you arrive you are given an electronic bracelet which
you tap against sensors to secure your locker or buy a drink. When you leave
you tap the bracelet against a sensor, and it tells you what your bill is. You
then tap your credit card to pay the bill. It is very smooth.
Iceland must be the most advanced cashless society in the
world. The expression “cash is king” is not true here. Credit cards and apps
rule here. The cash we bought in Canada prior to leaving has hardly been touched.
The show on the ship tonight was a great trio from the
southern USA called Vox Fortura. They sing opera and arrange popular songs to
fit their operatic style. They’ll be doing a second show later on in this
cruise, and we expect the theatre will be packed.
After dinner, we’ve been going to the Cellar Master bar. The
waiter has a great sense of humour and now knows each of us by our room number and
our favourite drinks. This is typical of the great service we’ve been getting
onboard, although we tend to avoid the more popular bars because they’re too crowded.
Tonight, we leave Iceland on our way to Greenland. Around midnight, we will be crossing the Artic Circle. There won’t be a celebration, but it is still pretty cool
.
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