Akuyeri and the Surrounding Area

August 11, 1999 I followed Highway 1 from Goðafoss towards Akuyeri.  It was uneventful and pleasant, but not to scenic, at first.  There was one very long climb, which put me at the top of the ridge looking down into Eyafjorður, the fjord that Akuyeri is on.  It was a good fast downhill to the fjord and then rumble on to the big city.  The first european born in North America (the son of Guðriður þorbjarnardottir) settled on this fjord after returning to Iceland.  That was about a thousand years ago, of course. The fjord is very nice, anyways.  It is framed by snow capped mountains on bothe sides.  The penninsula on the eastern side has very few inhabitants, particularly in the north.

About 10 km from Akuyeri I came across this Folk Art Museum.  It was interesting, with several good artists Icelandic artists represented.  The wood carved figures near the entrance are the work of Ragnar Bjarnason (1909-1977).  Akuyeri was a very nice city of about 15000. I met up with Mathias again, at the campground.  He recommended the pool, which turned out to be the best one that I visited in Iceland. 4 hot tubs, steam bath and 3 or 4 swimming pools.  I also went to the factory outlet shop to buy wool for my wife (wool is very high quality and cheap) and went out for a dinner of guillemot (similar to puffin).  No, it did not taste like chicken, it was closer to steak and was served with a steak knife.  It was excellent.  There was much to see, but I seemed to restless to stay an extra day in Akuyeri.  I would leave in the morning.

Copyright © Scott Schuldt, 2000
Last updated; January 2000