Heading North

Sunday, August 5th: 

Sad day, today we had to give up our Ikea catalog apartment and pack up to leave. We had a quick breakfast, packed and then walked down to the bus station. The car wasn't much bigger than a Volkswagen Bug, but it was a hatchback, so for two of us, it worked out perfect. Two backpacks and plenty of room to pull stuff out as needed. A quick stop at the grocery store and we were on Iceland Route one on our way north.  

The drive was stunning and relatively uneventful. Traffic is incredibly light in the north part of Iceland. There were half hour periods where we didn't see more than two or three cars going the other way. The views were stunning and the weather perfect - blue skies and mild temperatures. By late afternoon, we found ourselves in the town of Akureyri on the central portion of the north coast. Iceland is not a big place.  

We had a great fish and chips meal at a little hole in the wall and then spent an hour or so in the town walking around and enjoying the waterfront. The city sits at the head of a beautiful fjord and as the sun sank lower, the long shadows spread a wonderful light on the large central church and small shops on the main street. As the sun continued to drop lower on the horizon we headed north to Davick, our destination for the night. 

Davick is a tiny little town sitting in an absolutely gorgeous fjord. By the time we got there (around 9:45) the town had pretty much closed its doors and rolled up the sidewalks. We followed the signs to the local free camping area, which as it turned out was the football pitch for the local school. We set up the tent and hit the hay. Tomorrow we had a boat to catch.