I GOT TO GO TO A BREWERY IN AKUREYRI

Akureyri 7/27/2019

On the way in to the port 

Akureyri is located at the end of Eyjafjordur where an natural harbor is found. Akureyri was settled in the 9th century by the Norse Viking  Helgi Magri. 

Akureyri is the second largest city in Iceland and the economy here is fishing, tourism, and the University of Akureyri. This is also the gateway to Hrisey. 

Today we opted for a tour to Hrisey. We boarded a motor coach and drove to the ferry dock. The short ferry ride to Hrisey was nice and calm we did see a couple dolphins on the way over. 

Hrisey is known as The Pearl of Eyjafjordur where one can find 40   species of birds. One can find several walking trails, however our visit was a tractor pulled trailer which transported us to a lighthouse on a high point of the island. The fog and low clouds hindered our view but there was a slight break and we did get a glimpse of the surrounding area. 

We did observe several Tern, Gillamonts and a Gyrfalcon.  

 Hrisey is a summer community where small tractors are the main method of transport. 

We returned via ferry and visited a local micro brewery for Koldi. This was actually the first micro brewery in Iceland. Iceland enacted a prohibition on alcoholic beverages in the early 1900’s. Then, via a national referendum, most alcohol was legalized, with the exception of beer containing more than 2.25 percent alcohol. It was thought that the beer would lead to drunkenness among the common folks. It was not until March 1, 1989, a date now celebrated in Iceland as Beer Day, was the consumption of beer made legal.

Great Tour and Tasting 

We returned to Akureyri and got off our bus and walked to the city center and, yes, found a hot dog stand. This will have to hold me over till February when we return. 

Back on the ship we unpacked and went  to the show of Susan Egan, which was excellent.