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I’ve been to Iceland more than once, but the longest I spent there was in October 1994. I explored Reykjavik for several days, and since I had been there on a stopover in 1993, perhaps I could say I was almost an expert on that small, pleasant city.

North to Akureyri

Tony
2004-01-28 10:18:59

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I’ve been to Iceland more than once, but the longest I spent there was in October 1994. I explored Reykjavik for several days, and since I had been there on a stopover in 1993, perhaps I could say I was almost an expert on that small, pleasant city.

I had always wanted to see more of the country, so I thought a trip up north by bus would be a good way to introduce myself to the rest of Iceland.

Very early on a Thursday morning, I went by taxi to Reykjavik’s bus terminal. It was completely empty, and I sat for an hour all by myself. The bus was set to leave a few minutes after 8:00, and the bus driver didn’t arrive until right before the departure. Suddenly from nowhere, four or five people showed up, and a few moments later, we were on board and on our way. It couldn’t be more different than the Port Authority Bus Terminal’s continuous chaos.

It was just getting daylight as we passed through the incredibly non-descript suburbs of Reykjavik, more like the outskirts of any medium sized American town than someplace European, although admittedly on it’s remoter edge. Suddenly though the city ended, and we were on a two lane road, passing a crossroads which led to the nearby farm of Icelands most famous writer, Halldor Laxness. Soon we were passing along the Hvalfjordur. It was a narrow, dark inlet, with mountains looming right up to the edge of the road. There weren’t really any trees, but that’s typical of Iceland. Only near farms, in the towns, and in specially planted forests is there any treegrowth. That might sound boring, but as I was soon to discover, Iceland’s landscape is anything but dull.

The trip would take around 6 hours, with several short stops along the way, and a half-hour lunch break about midway through the ride. The bus would travel along Icelands Ring Road, Highway 1. Nowadays it’s paved the whole way, but just barely, and some parts of it ...