Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.11.2010, Page 22

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The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 17 — 2010
Travel | The North
Flight and daytour provided by Air Iceland in collaboration with Nonna Travel.
Book daytour: +354 570 3030 or www.airiceland.is
”A million miles from the internationalisation
and hubbub of Reykjavík,
and among the snowy,
sheep pens of Eyjafjörður,
I had found my very own
authentic slice of life,
Icelandic style.
Words
Eimear Fitzgerald
photography
Joseph Henry Von Ritter
On arriving in Iceland, it generally follows that tour-
ists are bombarded with advertisements to expe-
rience either of two things. Firstly to spend time
and money immersed in the cultural, culinary and
creative honey-pot that is Reykjavík or secondly, to
get away from everything and disappear into the
country’s solitary landscapes and raw wilderness
in a jeep. It strikes me that there’s not so much em-
phasis placed on promoting what lies between the
two.
But on a recent trip to Akureyri and its sur-
rounding countryside, I found a quiet, humbling
and extremely sincere part of Iceland that lies
somewhere between the rush and clamour of the
capital and the intense postcard landscapes of gla-
cial peaks and dramatic waterfalls.

NO SECURITy FOR THIS GLORIFIEd TIN CAN
Arriving at Reykjavík Airport, the first thing that
struck me was that there were no security checks
to pass through. In fact Iceland is one of the few
countries where security checks aren’t mandatory
on domestic flights. The reason, I discovered from
some friendly check-in staff, is that the planes are
so small they probably wouldn’t make it far even
if someone did ever try to hijack one. Well that’s
comforting to know (I think?).
After a turbulent flight, which made me all too
aware of the fact that I was hurtling though space
in a glorified tin can, my companion and I landed
in Akureyri Airport. Pulling into this tiny airport in
the snow was charming enough, until the pilot got
out and had a chat with us while he fiddled with
something on the propeller. It took the meaning of
personal service to a whole new level.
vISIONS OF EyjAFjöRðUR
Bearing a big sign and a bigger smile Ana Korbar,
our tour guide from Nonni Travel, greeted us in ar-
rivals and gathered us up into her cosy 4x4. The
plan for our half-day trip was to head north around
the sixty kilometres long valley that is Eyjafjörður,
the longest fjord in central northern Iceland. We
would be stopping for a visit at a local farm, before
moving on towards Grenivík, an isolated village in
the north of Eyjafjörður. From there we would track
back along the valley, to finish up in Akureyri later
that evening.
With the snow having seriously set in visibility
was low, but the clouds hung just high enough to
make out the mountain peaks that lined the valley.
As we drove out through the white countryside,
a few hardy wild rabbits scurried across the fro-
zen fields, and some solitary looking birds of prey
swooped along the banks of the river Eyjafjarðará,
hoping to catch a glimpse of dinner among the
cracks in the forming ice.
Full of curiosity and questions we chatted about
local geography, history, economics, philosophy,
cooking… pretty much everything actually with our
Slovakian guide Ana, who has lived in the region
for over twenty years. There wasn’t really much that
she couldn’t answer, or didn’t venture information
on for that matter.
The valley is a surprisingly fertile part of the
country, with dairy farming being the primary type
of agriculture in the area. Fishing is also another
major industry and a high sector of employment for
those who choose not to work in Akureyri.
True North
Eyjafjörður and Akureyri deliver an authentic slice of Icelandic life
Always best price online.
Various online-offers to all Air Iceland's destinations.
www.airiceland.is
websales@airiceland.is / tel. +354 570 3030 Contact Air Iceland or
travel agent for reservation.
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