Akeruyri, Northern Iceland

Our journey into Akeruyri saw as briefly cruise through the Artic Circle at around midnight. We set an alarm so that we could go and sit in the hot tub during the 30 – 60 minute transit. Unfortunately they had been closed for the night. So it was a quick lap around the ship in the midnight sun before heading back to bed.

We arrived to a beautiful clear, sunny day in Akeruyri. After self guiding our way through the European and UK ports, we had booked a ship excursion in Akeruyri.

Akureyri

View from our balcony while in Akeruyri.

The first stop on our tour was Godafoss Waterfalls. By no means a big waterfall, but the summer time glacial water was a beautiful blue green. Godafoss Waterfall is very significant in Iceland as in the year 1000 a local chieftain Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði was given the job to decide whether Icelanders should adopt Christianity or continue to worship their old Norse gods. Having decided on Christianity he threw all of his statues of Pagan gods into the waterfall and the waterfall was appropriately named Goðafoss, which translates to the “waterfall of the gods”.

Our next stop was Skutustadagigar. This is an area of pseudo craters formed when lava spreads over wetlands – imagine porridge boiling and you get an idea of how the features are formed. Beautiful but also lots and lots of midges!

Icelandic horses – much revered by Icelanders for their companionship, usefulness and taste!

Back on the bus and this time to Dimmuborgir, yet another very different looking landscape. This is an area of lava formations, but local legend also has it that they are petried trolls that lost track of time partying during the night and then got petried by the rising sun in the morning.

Can you make out a troll face?

Remains of a lava tube.

Not just any hole in the ground. A fissure between the 2 tectonic plates that is continually growing.

Dimmuborgir is also said to be the home of the 13 Icelandic Yule Lads – 13 brothers who are the sons of 2 vicious trolls called Gryla and Leppaludi. The brothers all have funny names that refer to their interests or food preferences. Their names are Sheep-Cote Clod
Gully Gawk, Stubby, Spoon Licker, Pot Scraper, Bow Licker, Door Slammer, Skyr Gobbler, Sausage Swiper,
Window Peeper, Doorway Sniffer, Meat Hook and Candle Beggar.

Yule lads

Volcanic crater

Our final stop for the day was Hverir, an area of high temperature geothermal activity with many fumeroles and mud pots. Once again a very different landscape – also very stinky because of the sulphur being released.