Category Archives: travel

Atop a hill in Akureyri is a prominent Lutheran church that has overlooked this town since 1940. This is Akureyrarkirkja (Akureyri Church) at the end of the tourist-popular Kirkjutröppurnar (Church Stairs).

Akureyrarkirkja may look new because of its modernist architecture, but it isn’t. The church, designed by Guðjón Samúelsson, was completed in 1940.

The beautiful stained glass by J. Wippell and Co. of Devon, England:

The pieces behind the altar are stunning:

I really enjoyed this next stained glass photograph, as the light cast a an appropriate mood for the composition:

I assume this church adornment hanging from the ceiling is meant to invoke Akureyri’s status as a major port:

Time to head down the hill and back into the town center:

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

On Monday I showed you Akureyri, Iceland as seen from the deck of our cruise ship, Jewel of the Seas. Now it’s time to head out on foot, beginning with our departure from the Akureyri Harbor Cruise Terminal:

As you head into downtown Akureyri you’ll pass an outdoor sculpture garden on Hafnarstræti:

These sculptures are in a small, park-like area that includes a playground:

And, still here from our last visit, you’ll find a vendor selling Iceland’s famed but overrated reindeer hotdogs. Honestly, Ursula and I cannot really detect much of a difference in flavor or texture from the traditional hotdog. But Icelanders and most visitors rave about them so you should probably give one a try.

Continuing south on Hafnarstræti you’ll pass Akureyri’s main shopping district, which sports some fun architecture and bright colors:

From here we started climbing some stairs to get to a church, which I’ll show you next Monday. But, from these stairs, which are called the Kirkjutröppurnar (Church Steps) turn back for this view of the Hafnarstræti shopping district and beyond:

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)