A Most Beautiful Day in Akureyri, Iceland

Today we are in Akureyri, Iceland.  It is June 24^th already.  Time definitely flies by when you are on vacation on the ship.

First, thanks to Tony Barnhill for the beautiful picture he took of the Disney Magic today in Akureyri and which he gave me permission to use in my blog.  It is one of the most stunning pictures of the ship I have seen.  Thanks again Tony!

Akureyri, Iceland is Iceland’s longest fjord in the Eyjafjordur Channel.  It is also just a stone’s throw from the Arctic Circle (which we passed last night).  Only 18,000 people live here.

Today we are headed out for a day long tour on the Jewels of the North.  I did this tour last year, but my daughter Jamie and her husband Q have selected this one so I will get another perspective of it this year.

First we head to the Godafoss Waterfall –waterfall of the Gods. In the year 1000, the Chieftan was entrusted with the momentous task of deciding whether Icelanders should accept the Christian faith.  When his decision was formally accepted, he went home and threw his statutes of the pagan Gods into the waterfall.  

For those that read my blog last year, this is the place where I went for an accidental dip in the stream and was wet all day.  But this year, the water is not anywhere near as high and the stream is dry, so I did not repeat that feat, thankfully.

Jamie and Q pose for a few pictures at the waterfall.

Next we head to Skutustadagigar which is a natural monument of pseudo craters.  The pseudo craters were formed by steam explosions when the burning lava encountered lakes and wetlands.

There are many lava fields

Next we head to Namafjall Hverir, and just like last year they are still as stinky as ever.  It is a high temperature geothermal area with fumaroles and mud pots.  Along with the steam comes fumarole gas  such as hydrogen sulfide which is where the “stink” comes from.  The hot springs produce considerable sulfur.  In previous centuries the sulfur was used for gun powder.

One Hidden Mickey

As we head back to the ship, we stop for a quick photo op

Back to the ship at 4:15 p.m., we are departing at 4:45 p.m.  We all go out on deck to enjoy the fjords, but it is cold and the headwind is strong, so that doesn’t last long.

While we are eating dinner, the officer on the bridge announces that there are four whales on the port side of the ship, but we are in Animator’s so we don’t see them.

After dinner it is time for Bingo and then off to the Walt Disney Theater for Junnk, who is a percussion and comedy act of four lads from the UK.  They are great and have seen them any times these last couple of years.  However, my son in law has never seen them, so anxious to get his impressions. He absolutely loved the show and thought they were great.

At 10:30 we head to Fathom’s for Round 2 of Match Your Mate.  George and Kathy are the longest married couple in the room (50 years) so they are couple #3.  They don’t miss a beat, they get every question correct and win the game picking up some champagne and rainforest passes.

We have to move our clocks forward one hour tonight, which is okay since tomorrow is a sea day (sea day #3).

Off to the room we go, and we turn on the tv to see what movies are on and I type the blog and before you know it, it is time to call it a night.

So for now……..goodnight from the Disney Magic!