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Akureyri
• Myvatn
Akureyri's
climate supports diverse vegetation and locals put lots of effort into
planting trees and gardens to maintain the town's lovely appearance. Akureyri
is small and easy to see on foot. Most shops and restaurants are concentrated
between the bus terminal and football stadium, and activity centres on
the pedestrianised shopping street. Also sprawled across the town you
will find several churches's, a swimming pool, botanical gardens and medical
centre. Popular attractions to visit include the Natural History Museum
which boasts a collection of stuffed Icelandic birds as well as stuffed
fish and mammals and a variety of native shells, insects, fungi, lichen
and flora. The swimming pool is one of Iceland's best and is open long
and convenient hours. In additional to the saunas and Jacuzzi's, it offers
tennis courts and a solarium. The fishing town of Olafsjordur is beautifully
situated beneath snow - capped 1200 m peaks. It makes an ideal day trip
from Akureyri and it enjoys quite good weather. The area on the outskirts
of Akureyri (Jadarsvollur) boasts to Worlds northern most 18 hole golf
course and during the summer perpetual daylight you can play around the
clock. Akureyri has a wealth of supermarkets and kiosks, all well stocked
and convenient. There are also many bread, cake and pastry shops. Several
pubs and discos can be found in Akureyri although the nocturnal nightlife
is not as lively as Reykjavik you can still have a good night out.
 
Myvatn has about 470
inhabitants, of which approximately 200 live in the village Reykjahlíð.
Before, people used to live on the proceeds of the land by farming and
fishing for trout in the lake but it has changed radically in the last
few decades. A diatomite factory was established in the late sixties and
soon became the biggest source of employment in Myvatnssveit. The geothermal
power plant at Krafla also provides for quite a few positions for the
locals and tourism is a steadily growing business. A few hotels can be
found around the countryside as well as restaurants, camping sites and
other small companies connected to tourism. In addition to two swimming
pools, there are numerous bathing possibilities in Myvatnssveit. The most
interesting ones are the Lagoon, which is similar to the Blue Lagoon in
Suðurnes, and for rinsing off the clay afterwards there is a natural steambath
in Jarðbaðshólar. It is an old site where hot steam rushes out from the
core of the earth and has been used for bathing for ages. It is especially
beneficial for those suffering from arthritis. The natural beauty of Myvatn
and surroundings is unique and has been sculpted by volcanic eruptions
through the ages. The lake is one of the largest in Iceland, 36.6 km2
and renowned for wildlife. It is thought to nest more species of duck
than any other place in the world. The name, Myvatn, means the lake of
the midges of which there are two kinds – one bites and the other does
not – and they constitute an important part in the food chain being a
large proportion of the food for many birds as well as the trout.
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