Akureyri is the second most populated city in Iceland behind Reykjavik.
Today was our only booked shore excursion of the trip. BTW the shore excursions get really stupidly expensive if you wait to book them until you’re onboard, like $250pp to walk and have seafood, that kind of thing.
Since we weren’t able to cruise Prince Christian Sound the day before we were able to make it to Akureyri earlier than initially scheduled, arriving at 8am instead of 1pm.
We left for our tour at 2:30 and visited three different sites. Before leaving the kids were under the impression we were going hiking. In retrospect, perhaps they would’ve preferred a little more hiking and less history talking.
From Laufás Heritage Site:
Laufás is a breathtaking farmstead surrounded by mountains and a picturesque view of the fjord with history at each footstep. Inhabited since the settlement of Iceland (874-930), it has been a church site since early Christianity in Iceland with a constant lineage of priests and ministers from 1047 to the current day. The heritage site contains a 19th century timber church and a vicarage. It is a maze of interconnected rooms, one of which is a unique bridal room from 1733.
(I was still pretty sick here)
From the Akureyri Botanical Garden website:
The garden began as agricultural land which was set aside in 1910 for the formation of a park, the design of which was entrusted to the Akureyri Park Society, which unusually for its time, was composed entirely of women.
The park was officially opened in 1912 and was Iceland’s first public park. After subsequent donations of plant collections, the park was officially incorporated as a botanic garden in 1957 run by the municipality of Akureyri. The picture to the right was taken in the 1920s and shows the park in its formative stages.
Akureyri seems like a place I’d like to visit again, perhaps as part of a Ring Road vacation I don’t think the kids would have the patience for. As mentioned, it’s the second largest city in Iceland and felt like it had a good vibe.
There were a lot of trees here, too, which you can’t take for granted in Iceland!
Tonight’s sunset:
