Our afternoon arrival to Akureyri was a rainy one, just as it had been much of the day, on and off.  Fortunately, it never rained hard, so we donned our waterproof gear and carried on.

I found Akureyri appealing, regardless of the weather.  As we drove into town along the waterfront, I gazed out the bus window and did a double-take as we stopped at this red light. (I photographed another one the next day by the pool, since it was a bright, sunny day!)

Awww; it was love at first sight!  What a clever idea and a warm welcome to Iceland’s fifth-largest city, and the largest city in North Iceland.  Still, it only has just a bit over 19,000 residents.

Nicknamed the “Capital of North Iceland,” Akureyri is an important port and fishing center.  Surprisingly, given how far north it is, the climate is relatively mild.  They don’t get much sun, but the temperatures are not extreme. The harbor is even ice-free in the winter, which is a huge advantage for the fishing industry.

Although the waterfront is flat, the topography becomes quite steep and hilly just a short distance from the main part of town.  This added visual interest and character; I quite liked it.  (Besides, it was a great workout for the legs while walking back up to our hotel up on the hill!)

Akureyri has an active cultural scene—especially folk culture. I liked the artsy vibe of the town, especially these quirky knitted trash receptacle covers around town:

I also loved this splash of rainbow colors to brighten up an otherwise boring concrete sidewalk:

The same for the rainbow stairs.  Good on Iceland for being inclusive!

After we settled in at the hotel, Thorunn took us on an orientation walking tour of the town.  Just across the street from the hotel was this awesome swimming facility I wrote about in my first Iceland blog post:

Nearby, we took a brief walk through the Akureyri Botanical Garden, established in 1912 by a group of local women who had founded the Park Association, two years earlier, to beautify their city.

Rather than returning to the hotel with the group, we headed back down to town to do some exploration on our own before joining our group at the hotel for dinner.

Coming up next: More of North Iceland’s Natural Wonders & A Home-Hosted Dinner

(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)Note: If small group travel is of interest to you, I highly recommend Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT). Although Bruce and I travel together, they do not charge a single supplement for those who travel on their own. Singles also get their own room at hotels. If you book, you can get $100 off your trip by providing my name and customer number (Elaine Krugman, #3018126) as the person who referred you. I will also get $100 off fut