August 4, 2023 Akureyri, Iceland
In the mailbox there was a letter explaining the Immigration and Customs examination requirements for the stop in Lerwick, Scotland, on August 6. We need to do a face-to-face appearance before Scottish official in the World Stage, probably a similar procedure as entering Korea and Japan on the spring cruise. Our slot is 7:15 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. Then later, at 9:15 a.m., we need to be in the upper dining room for our excursion. Everyone, whether getting off the ship or not, has to appear sometime between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.
The morning temperature was 8° C under mainly cloudy skies and a light wind. We ate breakfast by ourselves in Lido Market, which was not at all crowded. There were a lot of busses of people leaving before 8:30 a.m. for five and six hour tours, who were long gone. We had taken the rural tour on our visit in 2017 when we saw Ireland and Iceland. Ellen and David had a 9:30 a.m. departure for a tour to the Godafoss falls, Dimmuborgir lava fields and Namaskard geothermal field.
We left the ship a little after 9 a.m. The information office in the Hof Cultural and Conference Center was about a 700 meter walk away and not busy. We got a map and asked about Wi-Fi, which was free there.
Akureyri is situated in north-east Iceland, in one of the longest fjords in the country, Eyjafjördur, and is surrounded by mountains reaching 1000-1500 meters. The Arctic Circle in only 96 kilometres north of Akureyri but still the climate is mild, with summer temperatures up to 25° C and winter temperatures in average around 0˚ C.
Originally a Danish trading post established in 1602, it was not until 1778 that Danish merchants were allowed to have winter residences. Akureyri was given chartered town status in 1787. It was withdrawn in 1836 by the Danish merchants and changed to a certified trading post. Then, in 1862, it was granted the privileges of a chartered town again. By 1900 the town was spreading north to Oddeyri and they eventually merged.
Our seven kilometre walk continued from the Hof Center toward Akureyrarkirkja, the stunning Lutheran church which is undergoing a renovation. We saw the interior on our last visit. We stopped along the way at Kaupvangstorg Square with the Penninn Eymundsson bookstore on the corner and the navy coloured Bláa Kannan Café just down the street.
We continued to a path leading up past Akureyrarkirkja. The church was designed by the state architect Gudjon Samuelsson and consecrated in 1940. Up a bit and to the side was a small cottage built in 1903, called Sigurhædir, that became the Flóra Cultural House in 2022. It was an interesting small museum. At the top of the hill was the Akureyri Junior College. The original grammar school building was built in 1904 in the Sveitser architectural style. More buildings have been added over the past century.
We entered Lystigardurinn botanical garden at its east gate and wandered uphill along its paths admiring the different gardens. It is a public park which was first opened in 1912 with the botanic section added in 1957. The park has been enlarged three times since 1912 and is now about 3.6 hectares and lies at 40-50 meters above sea level. It is the most northern botanical garden in the world.
A rock garden with Lewisia, a member of the Portulacacesæ family was first garden. Next was a garden with tall pink flowers that attracted lots of bees. There were several fountains. Near the café was the greenhouses and some rows of flowers separated into to similar groups including colourful Meconopsis, poppy-like flowers brought from the Himalayas in 1956.
We exited at the gate where we entered and walked downhill back to the main street by Breidigangur alley to Laxdalshúr, the oldest building in Akureyri, having escaped unscathed several town fires since it was built in 1795. It was renovated back to its original look in the early 1980s. We were on the main street of the old town section of Akureyri. The houses when built were along the shore, but infill has extended the land another 500 meters with newer post war homes. There was a house with a verandah built in 1900. Next door was a yellow building built in 1835 originally as a residence, but given to the town to become the hospital in 1874. This was the southern boundary of the old town. There were several Zuiderdam tour busses using the road with its 30 km/hr speed limit to reach the causeway to get to the highway that ran further north.
We found the museum area where we paid the senior admission of just 1300 Krone (about $14) at the main Akureyri Museum, known as Minjasafnid. Also on the grounds was the original village church, a statue of Jón Stefán Sveinsson (1857-1944) and the Nonnie Museum. It was the early childhood home (built in 1850) of author Jón Sveinsson. As an adult he wrote children’s books about the adventures of Nonnie which have been translated into more than a dozen languages. It was time to return along a nearby street where we found a few more interesting buildings at the old town centre. Höepfnershús built in 1911 and Tuliniusarhús built in 1902 at which time they were right on the waterfront. Further along we could see and below the Junior College. On the fairground below it, there was a travelling midway being set up including some bouncy castles and carnival rides. It was part of the Merchant weekend or verslunarmannahelgi held on the first weekend of August. Tomorrow will be Súlur Vertical, the annual running races. For 2023, there are four races ranging from 19, 28 & 43 km on trails in the townland, starting in Kjarnaskógur woods but the 100 km race starting at Godafoss Waterfall, is being held for the first time.
As Zuiderdam departed at 4 p.m., into Eyjafjördur and entered the Greenland Sea, she briefly crossed the Arctic Circle again on her way to the Scottish Shetland Islands for arrival on August 6. The captain had opened the bow on Deck 4 for a scenic cruising but it was quite windy and some hats were blowing around the deck.
We joined Cee Kaye and Brad for dinner then went to the show featuring the Serbian Saxophonist, Akos Laki who had arrived to the ship this morning. We saw him crossing the parking lot as we ate breakfast. When we returned to the stateroom after the show there was a thick fog outside.
Total steps today 21,484.
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