23-25 August 2026
The first real rain of the trip.
Lunch
Hard to find the turnoff and even harder to find the door! Was it open? Was it really a restaurant? We needed food. Although we always had some groceries in the car.
On the Road
Letting Off Steam at Námafjall
Geothermal pools and vents. Similar to Yellowstone, but far smaller and more lenient on close up access.
Fossholl
Yes, another waterfall. This time horseshoe shaped
Lodging in Akureyri
The apartment was a five-minute walk from the downtown. Clean and very large. And, most importantly it had a washer and dryer!
(They are not all the same.)
Wandering
Akureyri is a bit strange for tourists. It is the fifth largest community in Iceland with a population of 20,000, and claims to be the capital of the north. The downtown is small and lacks the charm of much smaller places we have visited. It’s just a few blocks long, with, of course, two 66 North stores for outdoor clothing. (They are everywhere.)
The town seems to cater to tourists, but not too much. Two huge cruise ships were in port near our apartment. One left at five pm, and one stayed for several days, no doubt taking advantage of boat tours to see whales or bus trips to the herring museum. Commercially, the mild climate, in comparison to much of Iceland, supports an ice-free harbor that the Allies took advantage of in WWII. (Wikipedia) The long fjord was a runway for seaplanes watching over the North Atlantic shipping lanes.
Eats
Next Stop—Hofsós!