Akureyri, Day 1

We liked Akureryi a lot. It is the second biggest city in Iceland at 18500 people. The apartment we rented was great. It is within walking distance to the downtown area, and is nicely designed. It's the lower part of a large house. There is a big living room, a kitchen, and a bedroom. There was a shower room, and little toilet/sink area. The toilet was technically outside the apartment itself, but still completely private. We loved having separate rooms after being in guesthouses up until Akureryi. The view was also great. The house was the last at the end of road, and right at the top of a hill. We looked out over part of the harbour and part of the city.

We appreciated being able to cook for ourselves a bit. Having said that, when we arrived we went for dinner at Mulaberg, and the food was fantastic. I had the most delicious appetizer - carrot with dried Icelandic ham. Yum! The mains were also great. I fell in love with an alcoholic drink, which is surprising as I rarely drink alcohol. It's called The Golden Gate, and contains vodka, vanilla liquer, syrup, bitters and pineapple juice. We may have to figure out the proportions and make some at home.

Downtown Akureryi is quite cute. Very touristy but in a nice way. There are lots of little shops to look at, and many restaurants. Akureryi also has its own special church, Akureyrarkirkja. We didn't get inside it, but it is beautiful from the outside. There are 100 steps that lead up to it.

Our first day we decided to take it easy. We did some sightseeing, and just hung out in the apartment. We enjoyed a quiet day, especially as we had a busy day planned for the next day. Our plan was to hit some hot spots on the Diamond Circle, which we did.

Here are some very quick pics of the apartment.