Akureyri - and a small aurora!

We woke to more rain on Monday although the clouds seemed to be breaking up a little. And once we were on our way north, it was starting to look better & better. In fact by noon we could see sunshine ahead!

The terrain was changing too, to wide open glacial valleys with semi-snow-covered mountains on each side. Vidar explained that most mountains are either volcanoes or have remained after the ground around them has eroded.

Everything is essentially grey/black and white, with brown grasses and some green starting to show through in places - spring is not far away. The patterns in the mountains are striking & textural wherever we look - they can be horizontal stripes (photo), triangular patterns and round often associated with distinct craters.

Distances are large, roads are narrow and there are few cars around - at this time of the year the monochromatic colours, few towns and grey skies increase the feel of isolation. I'd not expected the vastness and large scale of Iceland - the photos don't do it justice but it's fun taking them!

We've been able to stop safely on small roadside areas and lookouts, and Vidar has been great at manoeuvering the car so that we can sometimes take photos through opened windows (much easier than climbing down and up via the small step ladder every 10 km or so).

We took our time getting to Akureyri, stopping at the The Glaumbær turf house, a museum that is a restored turf house. It's fascinating to see how people lived in Iceland in the 18 & early 1900's. Life was hard but their communities were strong.

When we arrived in Akureyri mid-afternoon, the sun started to shine. So we unpacked and dressed in more comfy clothing before going out to explore. During our excursions we expect, & have generally experienced changing weather.  Dressing in layers is best: long-johns (thick or thin depending on temperature), waterproof over-pants, 3 layers on top finishing with a waterproof shell, then gloves & hat (sometimes with a liner), thin socks (have been fine with my hiking shoes), back-pack with camera gear including waterproof covers, and hiking stick - and we're good to go!!

So when we arrive somewhere, it's nice to "de-layer" if possible, and since it was fine in Akureyri, it was great to be able to do this. This is a small city in northern Iceland - unofficially it's Iceland's capital of the north, the second largest urban area and an important port and fishing centre with good shopping, and as we've found everywhere, good food.

Dinner was at a very nice Japanese restaurant on the main street, Rub 23 - delicious Arctic Char tempura (similar to salmon) and sashimi. Then back to the hotel to edit the day's photos before sinking into bed.

As I was lying there looking out the window I saw a small Aurora appear and then get hidden by the clouds. So I rolled over and went to sleep. At around 4:30am, I looked out again and saw a more distinct band of green - it was time to wake Sue!

Without a car it was not possible to go somewhere where there was little light interference so we took a large numbers of photos through the window - I know, not the best, but we're getting picky about when we'll put on all our clothes and head outside - it's not a trivial exercise!

Tuesday morning we are heading to Lake Myvatn - the weather forecast is good, and the Aurora forecast is also good. Fingers & toes crossed!