Tractors, Ptarmigans and Dried Cod at Hrísey Island

Inclement weather and an irregular winter ferry schedule conspired to ruin our trip to the northern island of Grímsey, the only place in Iceland which crosses the Arctic Circle. But we’ve been in this country long enough to have learned: always have a Plan B. And so we hopped on a different ferry bound for Hrísey, Iceland’s second-biggest island.

We weren’t too excited about Hrísey, and even a bit antagonistic toward it. The island sits right in the middle of the Eyjafjörður bay, not far off t...