Akureyri, Iceland
- Amaris Scipione
- Aug 7
- 4 min read
Today we are docked in Akureyri! I am hosting on this sailing, and I have one shore excursion that I coordinate. Today is the day of our excursion! Our group meets at the lounge at noon and most of the group arrives promptly, but we are missing one person. 12:05pm and I begin the hunt. I try calling his cabin, then knocking on his door, then checking with the crew to see if he already left. He’s on the ship and the ship isn’t that big. I check the two other common areas and no sign of the guy. We try calling him one last time and he answers and is not going. 12:10pm and then we’re off to meet our driver and tour guide. The 26 of us on the tour walk a couple minutes to the parking lot with buses and our guide greets us. We have a large coach bus so there is lots of room for all of us. Most of the group sits at the front and my family takes the back of the bus.
Our first stop is Turf House Museum. We learn about how people lived in Iceland. I was expecting this little shack with grass on the roof. This turf house was massive! People were shorter back then, so the ceilings were low and many had to crouch down to move through the house. I did not have to crouch down so if you’re 5ft 2in you can move around without worry. The house had a little visitor center as well with local goods and bathrooms. A couple of people from the group bought Icelandic sweaters which looked so cozy and warm.
We move to our next destination which is a waterfall. This waterfall isn’t breaking any records for being the tallest or largest, but it was just as impressive. Rushing water is always a crowd pleaser.
My son and I were walking on the main path at the top of the waterfall when he sees my husband down close to the falls. He wants to go there! We rush to try and catch him and need to traverse uneven stone steps to get down. The steps are covered in gravel. I plant my left foot on a step and the gravel acts as tiny little rollers and rolls my foot right off the step. I use my right foot to try and catch my fall, but the right foot plants on the uneven slope next to the steps. I fall down and my ankle makes a loud snapping noise. I’m familiar with that noise and this isn’t going to be fun. I try to stand, and my ankle says no. I have my son run ahead and find my husband because I’m going to need help back to the bus. A couple other tourists help me move to the side and eventually my husband and son come back and I am able to walk back with assistance. I’m mad at myself for trying to rush to catch-up. I should have taken my time. What I really wanted to do while I sat there was stick my ankle in the rushing cold water. I consider doing this but then decide walking back up with wet feet will probably make it harder. Surprisingly, my ankle isn’t that swollen.
The bus moves to our last destination which is a botanical garden. Here we have some cake and tea/coffee. I’m thankful for a resting stop without too much walking! The botanical garden is a pretty place to rest, but we didn’t get much time to explore here. We are given the option of ending the tour here and walking back to the ship or they can drive us to the ship. The skies look ominous and my ankle isn’t up for a walk so we take the bus back. The majority in the group opt for this as well. The guide says the ship is about a 20-minute walk away, but it looks really far!
My ankle could use a little support. First, I call my travel protection and confirm what documents are needed to file a report for a doctor visit. They email me a list of needed items. Then, I call the medical center on the ship. I ask if they have anything to help support my ankle and they do. I go down to the medical center and we file an incident report. The doctor looks at my ankle and confirms that it’s sprained. They fit me with an ankle sleeve and give me 3-days worth of Ibuprofen. I’m super surprised to find that they do this for free, so I end up not needing to file a claim. It becomes much easier to walk with the brace and Ibuprofen.
Tonight’s dinner is at Amphora and it’s our last meal here. Windstar has specialty dining on the ship that is included for everyone. You can eat once in each specialty restaurant and maybe even more if they have availability. Reservations are required for the specialty dining, and we have those scheduled for the next two days. Amphora has been lovely and each evening they give us one of the circular booths. Tonight, I have a salad, pasta, and an apple dessert. It’s all very good.
There is a concert this evening in the lounge and we all go to watch it. Greta Salóme is the performer and she’s a violinist. She represented Iceland in Eurovision for two different years and also did some work on the movie Frozen. She is extraordinarily talented and it’s a privilege to hear her perform in such a small venue. My son doesn’t handle loud places well and a concert is typically something we avoid with him. He had his noise cancelling headphones on for most of the concert, but partway through he took them off. He loved it! We even had a chance to meet her and take pictures after the show.
We arrive back at the cabin, and our bed greets us with a small puffin towel animal and chocolate. We have received a sweet every evening on this cruise and each time it’s different. I love vacations that include nightly chocolate!
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