May 30 - For some reason adjusting from jet lag is more difficult when it doesn’t get dark at night. It may be that my body is looking for the onset of darkness to act as a signal for sleep. The places we are staying usually have blackout curtains, but light gets in anyway and can be confusing at all hours of the night.
Today start out driving north to Árskógssandur, a tiny town with a ferry dock. It is starting to get more windy, but looks like today might see some sun. When the ferry arrives, it does an impressive swing maneuver that leaves no room for error. I would guess that any Icelandic boat captain is an expert within a population of experts. The ride is about 20 minutes, pay on board.
Hrisey is Iceland’s second largest island, at 7.5x2.5 km. It was settled from quite early, about 890 CE, but struggled along until the 1800s, when the population finally began growing in earnest.
When we dock, it is sunny (and very windy), we walk to one of the primary bird-watching sites. It is in a forest of mixed deciduous and evergreen trees, with some patches of snow and a small lake. Not so many birds but the setting is beautiful, with deep blue skies and spring growth poking out everywhere.
Back to Hrisey (town), quiet with hardly any occupants out on the streets.
It seems one of the most notable inhabitants of the island was Jörundur Jónsson, whose house is preserved as a museum. He was more popularly known as ‘Shark-Jörundur’. He moved here in 1862 and bought one of the two operating farms on the island. He started a shark hunting company, to collect shark liver oil (which was popular for lamps). He also had some normal fishing vessels, though they were destroyed in an 1884 storm.
His house (the one that is renovated) was built from wood salvaged from two Norwegian fishing vessels that were destroyed in an 1884 storm. He died in 1888, father of 17 children.
Though there isn’t much to do on Hrisey, I really like the vibe and wish there was reason to stay longer. We head back on the ferry.
There is a brief and futile search for restaurants in the area before making the decision to return to Akureyri, where there are many options.
Dump the car at the apartment (it appears today is our all-time least driving day) and walk around downtown. Eat at a hotdog stand (they have vegetarian options) and go south to the Akureyri Botanical Gardens.
The Akureyri Botanical Garden was created in 1957 as an extension of a park already in existence since 1912. It sits high on a hill overlooking the fjord. Now is a decent time to visit, as many flowers are in bloom.
For dinner, eat at the crêpe stand next to the hot dog stand we ate at lunch. We are fortunate with the weather today, it stays sunny until late.