Akureyri, at the bottom of Eyja Fjord.
2nd city of the country, 18 000 inhabitants.
In the plains bordering the fjord, the farms follow one another, surrounded by their fields, by their fleets of woolly sheeps. You have to have a lot of courage to be a sheep in Iceland, in the rain and in the cold.
We left early for our rendezvous at the port, to embark on an old wooden fishing boat, converted for whale watching. It was certainly slower than other boats from other companies, but it had an “authentic” stamp that was quite attractive. The guide explained to Luca that the fishing boats had to be bigger to be profitable. As the Icelandic shipowners could not build them, they closed one after the other. Now, Icelandic fishing boats are built in Chile or Turkey…
We were armed with red rescue suits that made us look like bibendum, but had the great advantage of being waterproof and windproof. It was nice and warm. And too bad for the look.
Before seeing the whales, we hear them: the sea was very calm, and suddenly, we heard a powerful breath, before locating a plume of water. Whales breathe about six times before diving into the depths of the fjord for three to six minutes. We have been watching for the two apneists who have done us the honor and the pleasure of their presence. We know where they dive, but never where they go back. This is the surprise.
In the afternoon, we took a tour of Akureyri and its botanical garden full of autumn scents.
Tomorrow we leave for Eglisstadir (East). However, we may not be able to tour Iceland as planned: because of heavy rains, Highway 1 is blocked south, at least until Monday. We will certainly have to retrace our steps and go around in the other direction. And for the wonders of the south, it will be necessary to return another time.
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