N O R T H / A K U R E Y R I

Akureyri, with 14,000 people, is a gem of a city, sitting at the mouth of Eyjafjörður. Despite its small size, it has the busiest shipyard in the country (bigger than those in 150,000-person Reykjavík!), as well as the biggest fishing company. It is also one of the few areas in Iceland where one can see trees -- nearly the entire country was deforested by early settlers. Akureyri's climate, however, supports a wide number of plants and trees, and the city takes pride in the color that lines the streets in a beautiful town.