Akureyri feels a lot like a child’s drawing: sailing boats glide up and down
the fjord, the snow-capped mountains are perfect triangles and off in the
corner there’s a bright yellow sun that never goes away – not even at
bedtime. Also, all the geese have pink feet. They patter about the runway
after we land on the silver shores of Eyjafjörður, the longest and narrowest
fjord in Iceland. Basalt mountains rise up on either side and the sky is a
calm blue. I’m told the scenery tends to block out the moody Arctic weather
and that’s why Akureyri is the warmest place in the country.
Mention Iceland and most admit to having been there and done that, for a day.
Icelandair’s budget transatlantic flights have lured a lot of tourists up
north, but they’ve also reduced the whole country to a caption-sized
layover: mad clubbing in Reykjavik, pony rides, a quick dip in the Blue
Lagoon, and an expensive hangover. The great irony is that Icelandair was
founded in Akureyri back in 1937. “Akureyri Airlines” only moved south to
Reykjavik after the Second World War, when the RAF built an airport for the
capital. Since then flying to Reykjavik has been a cinch, but venturing
beyond was a logistics headache. That will change now that Icelandair offers
a direct 45-minute connection to Akureyri. It’s a grand opening for the
rugged northern coast.
Iceland’s other “city” boasts a population of 16,000, a determined little
place that insists on normalcy despite the reputation of its latitude. Every
gingerbread house has its own white picket fence surrounding an optimistic
flower garden. Getting things to grow is a town tradition – Iceland may be a
treeless country, but Akureyri has tree-lined streets. What’s more, the town
square is swept by hand and the church on the hill chimes the hour.
The Art Deco cathedral is fascinating on many counts, not least for its twin
square steeples and the altarpiece window, an original taken from Coventry
cathedral. Anticipating air raids, Coventry’s stained-glass windows were
removed in 1939. Not long after, three of the windows popped up in a London
antique shop and were quickly purchased by a Reykjavik dealer who in turn
sold the smallest one to the Akureyri town council as a decoration for its
new church. Today, the very English-looking window is brightened by the
midnight sun, set among the stained-glass scenes of Icelandic history.
For such a small place, there’s a lot to see in Akureyri: the beautiful old
Danish houses, a dozen quality museums, the vibrant art scene, and about 40
species of Arctic birds that breed here in summer (such as the pink-footed
goose). Action junkies need only leave town for a fix. Within the hour you
can ski down a glacier, fish for giant cod, hike into a volcanic crater, or
get sprayed in the face by a humpback whale.
Tempted as I am, I turn down the world’s northernmost 18-hole golf course in
exchange for a long soak in the geothermal waters of the Akureyri pools. The
whole country is known to travel up here for a swim and I check out their
claims by testing each of the pools myself. An afternoon of relaxation costs
less than £3, and I plot tomorrow’s adventures while sun-bathing in a jet of
hot water. Back home, it would be dusk – but then the unwritten rule in
Iceland is that when the weather is nice, stay outside. And that’s exactly
what I do. Andrew Evans is the author of the Bradt Travel Guide to Iceland ,
to be published at the end of the year.
Need to know
Getting there: Icelandair (0870 7874020, www.icelandair.co.uk)
flies to Akureyri via ReykjavÍk until August 31. Return fares start at £220.
Where to stay: Hotel Akureyri (00 354 462 5600, www.hotelakureyri.is)
has doubles from £128; KEA Hotels (460 2000, www.keahotels.is) has three
good hotels in the city centre with double rooms from £128; Hoepfner
Guesthouse (463 3360, www.hoepfner.is)
has doubles from £50.
Where to eat: Karólina (461 2755, www.karolina.is)
serves fish fresh from the fjord. FrÍdrik V (461 5775, www.fridrikv.is)
dishes up Icelandic tapas, such as grilled reindeer, local cheeses with
blueberry jam, and ginger rhubarb pie.
Ice adventure
Europe’s largest glacier has long lured tourists, who sail through its
necklace of icebergs, climb its jagged fissures and dine on a crust of ice
under the midnight sun.
Now Vatnajökull has received protection by law, with a Bill passed in May to
establish the Vatnajökull National Park, Europe’s biggest natural reserve.
The park will cover an eighth of the country, stretching 15,000 sq km (6,000
sq miles). Vatnajökull covers 8,100km and is about 400m (1,312ft) thick.
Beneath the glacier are volcanoes, causing steam blowholes, warm lakes and
mudholes. The first of six new visitor centres opened in April. Further
information: www.vatnajokull.com.
Lee Karen Stow
