The White Falcon - 27.08.1965, Blaðsíða 6

6
WHITE FALCON
Friday, August 27, 1965
AKUREYRI
£an4 Ofi Icelandic Culture
(Continued, from page 5.)
more intimate rooms with a spec-
ial bar. The main bar is large
and attractively decorated.
Among the popular dishes served
in the restaurant are varieties of
herring, fresh salmon, sea-trout,
chicken, but all the usual inter-
national dishes are also available.
The restaurant is open every eve-
ning, except Wednesday, and a
band plays for dancing on all oc-
casions. The Manager, Mr. Thord-
ur Gunnarsson, who also super-
vises the Menntaskoli Summer
Hotel said trade had been brisk
last summer. It should be noted
that “Sjalfstaedishusid” does not
provide hotel accommodation. On
the other hand, the Hotel Vard-
borg is situated just across the
street.
Tourist Agencies
Akureyri has three tourist of-
fices—the State Tourist Office, the
Saga Travel Agency and the Lond
& Leidir Agency, all of which have
a head office in Reykjavik.
These agencies provide hotel ac-
commodation, cars for hire with-
out driver, arrange sightseeing
trips twice weekly and give any
information that may be required
by tourists.
A local airliner has three flights
a day in summer and one or two
a day in winter between Reykja-
vik and Akureyri, while there are
frequent passenger services by sea.
It runs connecting services from
Akureyri to East and West Ice-
land. A private local air company,
based on Akureyri airfield, runs
charter flights to many other
places, including the island of
Grimsey.
Moreover, Akureyri is a center
for regular bus services to the
surrounding area, to the popular
Lake Myvatn and the Dettifoss
waterfall, and to the fjords of
Eastern Iceland.
Strolling Through Akureyri
The main street is Hafnar-
straeti, running north-south along
the waterfront, with the shopping
center at its northermost part
where it joins the Radhustorg
(Town Hall Square).
Oddeyri is the name of the flat
tongue of land which shelters
Akureyri’s fine natural harbor.
Here and along the river Glera
on the northern outskirts are
where most of the industries are
located. A few minutes walk to
the north from Radhustorg Square
is the town’s modern stadium,
where soccer matches or track and
field competitions take place every
Sunday during summer. In win-
ter when freeze allows, a skating
rink is maintained here.
The cliffs, right behind the sta-
dium, offer a spectacular view of
the fjord and the surrounding
mountains. Here one will find a
special dial indicating names of
places in view.
Akureyri Church
From the Hafnarstraeti and
Kaupvangsstraeti intersection,
(KTA Administrative Building
and Hotel), the 112 “Church
Steps” lead to Akureyri’s most
significant edifice, the Akureyri
Church (Lutheran State Church
of Iceland). Completed in 1940,
the church was designed by Gud-
jon Samuelsson (1887-1950) who
also designed the University and
National Theater buildings in
Reykjavik along with several other
well known buildings in the capi-
tal and around the country.
The church is open to visitors
every afternoon in summer. From
the middle of the church terraces
a short path leads to Akureyri’s
small Museum of Natural Sciences
and the Matthias Jochumsson
memorial museum at Sigurhaedir.
Beyond the church the road to
the right leads past two public
schools for compulsory education
to the town gymnasium and swim-
ming pool. Right in front of the
swimming pool is the “Andapol-
lur” (Duck pond), where various
breeds of Icelandic ducks and
other birds may be watched.
Sporting Activity
There is much sporting activity,
REFLECTIONS OF BUSINESS—Many boats and ships in the harbor are seen coming or going through-
out the day.
especially in connection with win-
ter sports. Excellent skiing terrain
is to be found close to the town
both for beginners and experts,
and in the mountains just west
of Akureyri is a new hotel men-
tioned above specially intended for
skiers. It also has a ski-lift.
Many skiers of international re-
pute have been impressed by the
suitability of the area for skiing
and consider it to be equal to
some of the best elsewhere. The
Akureyri municipality has done
much to improve sporting facilities
generally, and the town can now
boast of a modern football/athle-
tics ground, a fine gymnasium and
a large swimming pool.
The swimming pool has a big
outdoor pool with good sunbathing
facilities as well as an indoor
pool and Sauna. On the adjacent
grounds is the official camping
site with special sanitary installa-
tions.
The road to the south from the
gymnasium leads to the “Mennta-
STROLLING—The warm climate makes many people walk instead of ride the bus in Akureyri.
skoli” (grammar or high school).
Next comes the town park, re-
nowned as the most beautiful of
its kind in Iceland. The botanical
section has samples of nearly all
species in the Icelandic flora.
Close by the park is a nine hole
golf course—and town hospital.
Now the road leads into the old-
est part of town, which has not
changed very much during the last
half century. Here is another me-
morial museum, the “Nonnahus.”
This was the childhood home of
Pater Jon Sveinsson, who as a
Jesuit monk spent all of his
grownup life outside Iceland.
Close by the “Nonnahus” is a
recently founded local museum.
Only a small section of this has
been opened to the public, exhi-
ting out-dated tools and appli-
ances.
Most houses in the town have
neat, attractive gardens with trees
and flowers, carefully nurtured by
the local inhabitants in their
spare time. Trees and flowers have
also been planted by the munici-
pal authorities in various public
places, and a pretty wood is now
growing up on the steep slopes on
the outskirts.
But the pride of the town is the
beautiful park, which was started
in 1912 on the initiative of some
local vomen. It has a botanical
garden with the most comprehen-
sive outdoor collection of flowers
and plants in the country.
Useful Information
Shopping hours are from 9 a.m.
until 6 p.m. Office and banking
hours are from 10-12 a.m. and 1-3
or 5 p.m. Restaurants keep open
from 8 to 11:30 p.m. Bar hours
at licensed restaurants are 12 to
2 p.m. and 7 to 11:30 p.m. (1 a.m.
on Friday and Saturday) except
Wednesdays when all bars are
closed.
Akureyri theaters usually have
only one daily show at 9 p.m. with
matinees Saturdays and Sundays.
English language movies are
shown in original version, others
usually with Danish translations
inserted.
The Taxi Station is open from
8 a.m. until 3 in the morning.
Akureyri’s own Swimming Pool
and Finnish-type Sauna is open
to tourists from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
on weekdays and from 8 a.m. un-
til 3 p.m. on Sundays.
The post office is open 10 a.m.
until 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday. On Satur-
day it is open from 10 to 12 noon,
and Sunday from 10 to 11 a.m.
On weekdays the telegraph of-
fice is open from 9 a.m. until 9
p.m. and on Sunday 9 a.m. until
8 p.m.
Cost for riding town buses is
Kr. 4 (about 10 cents) per trip,
regardless of distance traveled,
the fare must be deposited in ready
money in a special bucket at the
driver’s seat on entering the bus.
Don’t Tip!
An easy rule for tipping in Ice-
land: Don’t tip. Restaurants al-
ways add a 15 per cent service
charge to the bill. Drivers bar-
bers, ushers etc. are never tipped!
HOTELS FILLED? — That’s all
right. Just bring a tent and enjoy
yourself at the camp site.