Satellite
  • Day 12

    Akureyri port, Iceland

    June 6, 2013 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We are sailing down the inlet to Akureyri and the scenery is fantastic, so dramatic.
    The mountains either side of us look as if they are only a couple of hundred yards away, towering above the ship and covered in snow.
    If this is anything to go by the Norwegian fjords are going to be fantastic.
    Also the sun is shining and just a couple of fluffy white clouds in the sky, all in all it's a beautiful day.
    Got off the ship with Maz and Sue for a walk around the town, what a beautiful little place.
    It was more like I imagined Iceland to be, with the quaint little town overlooking the fjord and the high snowcapped mountains in the background, it is quite stunning and picturesque.
    The ship docks right in the town so it's only a very short walk to the centre, and one lovely place to see is Akureyri church, known as the church on the Hill, because, yes you've got it, it's built on a bloody great hill. The church itself was only built in 1940,and is quite plain.
    But the interesting thing is its association with Coventry cathedral. Apparently during WWII the beautiful stained glass windows of Coventry cathedral where removed because of the bombing and stored for safe keeping.
    After the war somehow three of the windows went missing and ended up in an antique shop in London, and an Icelandic antique dealer from Akureyri bought them and donated them to the church, and they now make up part of the alter windows of the church.
    The bumf you get on the ship telling you about the town says that the centre window was donated by Coventry cathedral, which is a bit boring, my story comes from a description on the wall of the church itself, and I think it's more interesting.... Lol
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