We saw so many humpbacks whale-watching out of Husavik, and very close to the boat! Godafoss is a beautiful waterfall, though rather popular. We liked Siglufjordur very much, a prosperous fishing town with friendly people.
We arrived in Husavik mid-morning and dropped our luggage off at the Fosshotel before heading out to stroll around the town and have lunch. It's a very pleasant fishing town that runs very successful whale-watching tours.
We had a very good lunch at Gamli Baukur, white ling and fries, overlooking the harbour.
It was extremely warm, around 23C, and neither of us put on the waterproof overalls provided for our whale-watching tour. The sea was flat calm and we had an incredible 3 hour trip with North Sailing. We were very lucky to see 15 or 16 humpbacks, some very close to the boat, all diligently feeding. On board were two marine scientists who provided a running commentary on the whale behaviour and where they were around us. They said to see so may together was very unusual, it was actually quite difficult to steer the boat a couple of times as they were on both sides and in front!
The pattern on the underside of a whale's tail flukes is unique, and used as a way of identifying different animals.
Travelling north from Lake Myvatn to Siglufjordur we stopped at Godafoss. Absolutely beautiful, despite the many tourists here (it's an easy stop for coaches).
Godafoss means "waterfall of the gods". Legend has it that when Iceland converted to Christianity all the pagan gods were thrown into the waterfall.
We parked at the eastern side and walked down to the base of the falls as far as we could go, then up to an overlook at the top. Then back and over to the western side where there were far fewer people.
Leaving Godafoss we made a brief stop in Akureyri to visit the botanical gardens but there wasn't much of interest really. I suppose there aren't many native plants to showcase. Again there were coach parties here. They were being marched through at a rapid pace, one coachload at a time!
The road to Siglufjordur runs through a couple of tunnels, one being one-way with refuges to allow cars to pass in the opposite direction. The fjords in the north are beautiful, lined with snow-capped mountains.
There are few places to stop safely and one patch of open ground was very uneven such that one or two cars had difficulty getting back onto the road!
We arrived in Siglufjordur just after mid-day but our room at the Siglo Hotel was ready so we could get straight in. It was a lovely room with a long window and a window seat looking out over the fjord.
We had forgotten it was Icelandic National Day, commemorating independence from Denmark, and there was a town gathering on the harbourside with many young families and two or three women in traditional dress. There were speeches and musical performances on a small stage - of course we didn't understand a word but it all seemed very well-received.
We had excellent seafood soup then a beer sitting outside watching the people, then walked around to see the other activities.
We walked to the inlet on the north side of the town then back to the hotel for tea. It's a really nice spot, very peaceful and sheltered, and didn't feel at all cold, even though it was around 11°C, no wind at all.
Siglufjordur is the northernmost town in Iceland and is named after the fjord on which it is located. The first road tunnel was built in 1967, until then the town was cut off from the rest of the country in winter because of the heavy snow the area receives.
Many of the buildings are brightly coloured, perhaps because it can often be cloudy and dark here, especially in the winter months when on the shortest days the sun barely appears at all. We were here very close to midsummer, so it never got fully dark.
We are big fans of the Icelandic TV series "Trapped" which is set mostly in Siglufjordur.
That evening we enjoyed a very good meal at the hotel, then settled down to a downloaded episode and enjoyed spotting various buildings that we'd seen in our stroll around town.