Arctic Blast

Today was a surprise adventure for Mom and Pop.  Several times on past trips we have scheduled a tour or activity that they didn't know about in advance, only that it was a surprise.  Mom has been pestering me for weeks to tell her but we held firm.  She had several guesses including a Phallus Museum in Reykjavik (yes, there really is one: click here).  We finally broke down and told her last night so she could be anticipating.  To say she was giddy as a school girl would be a slight understatement.  Our surprise -- visiting the Arctic Circle.

Grimsey Island as seen from our plane

There is only one place in Iceland that is within the Arctic Circle and that is the island of Grimsey off the north coast.  The island is about 5 square kilometers and has a population of about 100 people and 1 million sea birds.  It is a center of cod fishing and the folks who live there are fishermen.  There are two ways to get there -- a 25 minute flight from Akureyri on a Twin Otter turboprop plane that seats 19 people or on a 6 hour ferry from the neighboring town.  I booked the flight which included a tour of the island with one of its residents.

The flight itself was an experience.  You board on pull down stairs at the rear of the plane.  You can't really stand up in the aisle -- even Mona and Mom had to bend over when standing inside.  There were 19 seats, but you couldn't actually say it seats 19 comfortably.  It probably could accommodate 10 comfortably.  There was no cockpit door so I could look and see all of the instruments, watch the pilots at the controls and see out the front windshield.  The cabin was not pressurized, so we flew at a relatively low altitude over the fjord and snow-capped mountains which was quite a treat.  The scenery was incredible.

Standing at the Arctic Circle marker

Our guide was a very nice lady who's family has lived there for generations.  Not only was she our guide, she was also the airport employee who directs the plane where to park, helps with luggage, etc.  Her husband owns one of the fishing companies and we toured that and watched them pack cod for shipment to the mainland.  We strolled around a while and saw the lighthouse, local church, and school house.  Currently, there are 13 children on the island with a 14th on the way.  They are completely self-sufficient, generating their own electricity for the island with a large generator and a community well that provides water to all the residents and buildings.  They have their own school, their own store, and the doctor comes to visit once every three weeks or so.

They say that in a small town everyone knows everyone.  That is certainly true on Grimsey -- no one locks their doors, they leave their keys in the car, etc.  Not your typical small town by any stretch, but one that has a lot of character -- and the views aren't too shabby either.