Life is like a river

By Gunnlaug

Warm summers in Akureyri

A lot of my childhood memories are from numerous summers in Akureyri.

I was born and raised in Vestmannaeyjar but my grandparents (on my father's side) always lived in Akureyri (where I also live now with my family) and in the same house for half a century.

Every summer we would go, usually driving but sometimes by plane, to visit my grandparents and spend the summer vacation here in the north of Iceland.
Just to name a few things, I remember:
* lots of trees and different types of flowers (not many of those in Vestmannaeyjar when I was growing up)
* going swimming outdoors (the swimming pool in Vestmannaeyjar was indoors, so this was special for me)
* the duck pond
* sunbathing
* footbathing or taking a shower under a waterfall (no waterfalls or rivers nor streams in Vestmannaeyjar)
* long drives on dusty, bumpy roads
* sleeping/shivering in a tent and cooking outdoors
* peeing outside when camping or traveling
* going to the library with my grandmother and only being allowed to take 2 books home at a time
* visiting a lot of distant relatives and friends of the family
* seeing kiwi for the first time, in a fruit stall in the town square
* eating Cocoa Puffs for breakfast (usually only allowed on Christmas morning)
* the sound of clogs on the pavement when walking to the grocery shop
* cruise ships anchored on the fjord and tourists speaking weird languages
... and so much more. I loved the summers in Akureyri :o)

The picture I'm holding is most likely taken in 1980. We are saying good-bye to grandma and grandpa, just before leaving Akureyri, and I'm probably eating the last of the hundred popsicles I devoured during every summer.

(This entry is part of a 30 day challenge a lot of blippers were doing in January. This is project #10, Childhood memory).

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