It’s moved on from drizzling last night to rain at Lake Myvatn. I’m struggling to see the attraction of the lake. I’d like to photograph the bird life on the lake, but it seems to be difficult to access with mostly private farms around the lake, and there is no point trying in strong winds anyway. I decide to drive to Husavik (about an hour away) to see if the weather is better and to try to go either whale watching or to Flatey Island late in the afternoon.
The weather is worse in Husavik, and forecast to get worse tomorrow. There is no prospect of a visit to Flatey Island, and little chance that the whale watching tours will depart later in the day. I decide to head back to Akureyri, and work on blog updates in the 1862 Nordic Bistro, part of the Hof Concert Hall. It was deserted yesterday, but seems to be doing a better trade today. It might be me sitting working on a laptop that inspires more people to take advantage of the bistro’s excellent but expensive food and hot chocolate, as before long there are at least 4 laptops or tablets out on tables.
No whale watching in Akureyri today either – it’s not raining as hard, but it’s still blowing a gale. The Ambassador whale watching vessel is actually docked at the little wharf in the centre of Akureyri, and it doesn’t move in the 3 hours I’m in the café.
The weather has set in at Lake Myvatn. Low mist and drizzle on the drive from Akureyri long before I reach the lake. The only thing to do this evening now is to visit the Myvatn Nature Bath – the local thermal springs. This has been ‘pre-paid’ by Iceland Travel, and you should by now be able to guess what’s coming next. The itinerary proudly announces that they are environmentally sensitive and save paper by running a voucherless system. Someone ought to tell the suppliers this, as everyone so far has wanted to make a photocopy of the itinerary. So there’s your printed voucher. In the five minutes that it takes to find a photocopier that works, 10 other people in the queue have paid and gone throught. And then I find out that I need to pay to hire a towel, so I’m wondering what the hell all of this is in aid of. The baths are good, but not great for the $30 entrance fee. Adding the towel hire (all of $6) to the prepayment would have smoothed things a bit, but $30 for about 30 minutes in the thermal pool doesn’t really seem to be worth it.
I would change things around considerably on this itinerary. Two nights in the Sel Hotel is two nights too many…I have my usual single bed and customary view of the carpark and dumpster. Lake Myvatn can really be done in one day maximum, and is easily reached from either Akureyri or Husavik. I would stay 3 or even 4 nights in the Hotel Kea in Akureyri, go whale watching locally on one day, visit the islands of Grimsey and/or Hrinsey the next, and then drive to Husavik for a trip to see the puffins on Flately or Lundey islands. There is plenty to do for 3-4 days and with a car it is better to be based out of Akureyri, particularly for eating out options when the weather is bad.
