North coast villages
Today, we had planned less walking because our legs were sore, but a nice day awaited us in the North. We would drive along the north coast and sleep near Akureyri. We hit the road just before 10:00AM to join Road 76 with a first stop at the Hosfos swimming pool, famous for its unique sea view.
The pool includes two pools, the main one, heated to 30 degrees, and a second, smaller pool, to 37°. The view over Skagarfjörður Bay is indeed incredible.
Shortly before noon and after going through the one-lane but two-way tunnels, we arrived in Siglufjörður. These tunnels were somewhat scary, but we had already seen them a few years ago in the West fjords and knew there were a few in Iceland so we were ready for it.
The small port of Siglufjörður and its typically colorful houses were so charming we decided to stay there for lunch after a very nice walk in the village streets.
A little further away lies the village of Dalvik, a lovely spot and departure point for boats that lead to Grimsey.
There are also several companies that offer whale watching trips, but we plan to do one a little later, in Husavik.
We arrived in Akureyri, the northern capital, in the mid-afternoon.
A particularly pleasant town with its botanical garden and its city center with plenty of souvenir shops and restaurants. After a walk to the Akureyrarkirkja Church, also called the “Ice Cathedral,” we stopped at Kaffi Ilmur for excellent fish soup at a fair price.
Before joining our guesthouse, we decided to take a short detour to Godafoss while the sun was still shining. This waterfall is really magnificent, probably one of the most beautiful in the country. I think the view of the waterfall is nicer from the restaurant side and also allows you to see it from the bottom, a path that allows you to get very close to the water.
It was in Grenivik that we were sleeping this evening, a little further north; we planned to stop in the area in Laufas. There was a pretty cool museum here.
It was, in fact, a farm: small houses with peat roofs, typical of Iceland, in which are exhibited clothes and a variety of objects that retraced the history of local farm life since the 17th century.
The interiors of the houses perfectly preserved, reminiscent of the Skogar Museum in the South. A fascinating museum that was well worth a visit, much like the small church located very close to the famous colorful cottages.
