Akureyri, Iceland... Part 1 of 3

I got up at 5:30am for sail in, as it turned out, it was way too early since we were fogged in…  After about 45 minutes, the fog cleared and it was lovely to sail to Akureyri up the longest fjord in Iceland, Eyjafjörður. I took a lot of photos while we followed the Windstar, Star Legend to the pier. With a little bit of preplanning, we decided to try travelling the Arctic Coast Way. Travelling this route means leaving the common routes behind and going off the beaten path. We picked up our rental car and headed north out of Akureyri to discover some of the remotest places in Iceland, the Trollaskagi Peninsula or Troll Peninsula. The Troll Peninsula is an epic fairy tale route, along the spectacular coastline, through small fishing communities like Dalvik, Olafsfjordur and Siglufjordur. The first main town on the East coast of the peninsula is Dalvik a fishing port. The town has colorful building, and it is also a departure point for whale watching activities. Past Dalvik, the road continued along the coast with stunning views. Then we entered the Mulalong tunnel that connected us to Olafsfjordur. It is 2 miles long, only one way with pull ins when you cross paths with other cars. At the town of Olafsfjordur, the small fjord is narrow and majestic. This is where you must decide if you take the coastal road with tunnels or the inland gravel road. The weather was good so we opted to take the inland gravel road and loop around rejoining the coastal highway near Siglufjordur. We had to keep our eyes peeled for rogue sheep on the roads…. They’re everywhere! We were happy with our decision as the weather was perfect and the road was not too challenging… The landscapes were just incredible; good job driving Cathy! A major highlight for me, along the way, was the Saudanes lighthouse.  Built in 1933-34, it was put into service as a sound lighthouse, emmiting three sound signals in fog and dark weather.  It was decommissioned in 1992.  We were concerned about time but everything worked out fine and we arrived at Siglufjordur around noon, so we decided to take a break and stretch our legs. We walked around the town admiring the colorful buildings. Siglufjordur was the center of the Icelandic fishing industry in the 1940s and 1950s. Herring fishing declined sharply in the early 1970s and it is no longer fished here. Driving out of town, we spotted the Herring Era Museum and made a quick stop. The museum has three buildings; the first building is a re-creation of a fishing dock, with original boats and captains’ quarters, the second a re-creation of a fish processing factory, the third was a look into how the people lived….so happy we stopped. We maneuvered more tunnels and made it back to Akureyri in lots of time.   Trollaskagi has some spectacular sceneries at every turn an unforgettable experience. We were so glad we decided to take this scenic drive along the peninsula that rewarded us with snowy mountains, impressive fjords, traditional villages, and stunning views of the endless sea…this was a new experience for us and gave us the opportunity to explore Iceland beyond the well-trodden path and escape the crowds. The weather gods were with us again, no rain and great visibility…  In case you missed it, I took way too many photos so the blog will be in 3 parts.