Akureyri

What a leisurely day this one was. We even let Doug sleep in while Ron and I found coffee and pastries. Delicious unnamed pastries.


Late morning, we drove down the Eyjafjörður (the ð has a th sound) Valley south of Akureyri, looking at old churches. Eyjafjörður is a 60 km long valley that is fertile and well-cultivated. Mountains line each side and between them, the Eyja­fjarð­ará river flows out to the Greenland Sea north of Iceland.

The churches were all a bit unique. Historically in Iceland, farmers would commission churches to be built on their land. Which means that to get in them, you have to go to the nearby farmhouse to get the key.

Grundarkirkja
Built in 1905 on a spot where a 12th century church stood. For an unknown reason, this farmer, Magnus Sigurdson, used a Russian style with onion-shaped domes.

Saurbaejarkirkja
One of a few remaining turf churches in Iceland, this church was built in 1858.

Möðruvallakirkja
Built in 1847, with a bellhouse (in front of it) dating from 1781. The best thing about this church is its medieval triptych as an altarpiece made of alabaster. It was a gift sent from Nottingham, England in 1484 to a church that existed on this spot.
Unfortunately, no one was home to give us a key and we could only see it through the window.

Munkaþverákirkja (the þ also has a th sound)
This church stands where a 400-year old monastery burned in 1551. It was erected in 1854 and has a beautiful rainbow-colored altar. The cemetery has a monument to the last Catholic bishop in Iceland, Jon Arason, who was beheaded in 1550.

Akureyrikirkja
Finally, back in Akureyi, the Akureyrikirkja was built in 1940. Its stained glass windows tell stories of Christianity in Iceland, including one window with the beheaded Catholic bishop who is also remembered in the Munkaþverákirkja cemetery. It comes with the axe that ended his life.

In 1000 A.D. a chieftain threw his pagan idols over Godafoss (a waterfall in northern Iceland--God's Waterfall) and Christianity became the official religion. This is his window.
And Now For Something Completely Different
Some street art in Akureyri and a curious lamb in the Eyjafjörður Valley.

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