Adventures with Julia

July 25, 2017

The weather continues to be clear, warm, sunny and windless. Great luck for us as well as the locals who are especially enjoying their short summer.

Yesterday morning we enjoyed sitting outdoors on the patio of our hotel overlooking downtown Akureyri, whose population is about 18,000 people, when not swollen by tourist ships.

Such a treat. Clean, clear air that felt, as well as smelled, good. The evening before, the patio was crowded with people soaking up the balmy air, while we had a delicious dinner including a seared raindeer starter and a mixed seafood platter at Rub 23 across the street from the hotel. We recommend reindeer meat. This was cut very thinly and was succulent and tasty.

Mid morning, the 24th, we decided to drive back to Christian’s farm to see if we could find him and his Uni-wrap machine.

He was driving it through a field beside the road making covered bales as he went, so we stopped and took some photos. He stopped and chatted with us awhile. His family has had 600 hectares

since the early 1900’s and they have done very well because this particular land has deep, rich soil that produces quality grass. They grow hay on 80 hectares to feed the 100 dairy cows the family owns. The money is in the high grade milk the cows provide from eating the good hay. They can afford to own a 180K tractor and the 250K Uni-wrap machine. No wonder he and his brother keep both machines spotless. The rest of their is rocky hillside that the government is threatening to take away from them if they don’t do something with it.  The government takes this position because they pay no taxes on this land.  So they are considering putting sheep on the hillside to add value and pay some tax for it.  This is the same area  where his mother planted trees.

After Christian went back to work, we drove to the airport and visited the Aviation Museum. It gave a history of aviation in Iceland, which got started in 1928 with a mail delivery service. The only unusual plane we had not seen before was one called a “Junker’. There was an interesting display of stewardess uniforms going back to the 70’s. I really felt old realizing there were no uniforms going back to my era, the mid 60’s.

At 12:30 we boarded a Twin Otter for Grimsey Island, and flew right over Christians fields on our way to the island.

 

 

We landed at precisely 1:05 and were met by a local guide who drove us around the island in search of Puffin and Arctic Tern, but insisted on taking our photo at the Arctic Circle first.  Did not have to look far for birds. They were everywhere.

The prize, however, was on the bluffs. Puffins sitting still and nesting. We took many photos and here is the best of our catch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All too soon, we had to catch the 3:05 flight back to Akureyri. As soon as we landed, we jumped into the car and began the long drive Southwest to our next stop, Blonduos, and the Brimslod Atelier Guesthouse. Had we not gone to Grimsey Island, we would have had plenty of time to stop along the way and take in a few hikes and sights. As it was, Mark drove 280 kilometers in 4 hours and 36 minutes of driving time. We went through 4 tunnels one after another — 4 km, 7km, 4km and 1km. The two 4km tunnels were single lane and a bit nerve wracking as we had to pull into a turn out every time we saw head lights. There were lots of turn outs, fortunately, and they were all on our side of the road, so it was clear who had the right of way. By going through the tunnels we avoided driving around several small fjords.

I had hoped to get to the Emigration Museum in Hofsos to learn about the thousands of Icelanders who left the country between 1870 and 1910 due to years of famine, extremely bad weather and natural disasters. We arrived at 5:50 and they let me stay until about 6:30. I did not have time to read much information, but I saw walls of formal family photographs and learned that 37 Icelanders managed to get free passage to Brazil, while 450+ others waited in vain for the Brazil government to send a ship for them. Another 20,000 people, mostly poor and suffering from famine were provided passage to Manitoba, Canada by the British Government. Today, Manitoba, has the second largest population of Icelanders outside Iceland. Another contingent went to North Dakota, but I do not know how or what happened to them. Given that the population of Iceland was around 80,000, the departure of 20,000+ people made a significant change for the people who remained in the country. Conditions improved and there was less reason to leave. The young staff person I talked to was Canadian of Icelandic descent. He is here for the summer to learn more about his roots and to develop more connection to Iceland. He told me emigrant descendants arrive at the museum frequently wanting to learn more about their family roots. Most all of them get connected with someone who is actually a relative.

Finally, I was lead out the door. I found Mark with a beer in hand at a local pub. We drove another hour to the guesthouse and were glad to stop. Inga, the owner of the place, knew we would be late and met us at the door with a big smile.

Dinner was ready almost as soon as we dropped our bags. We learned she is a super chef and has written a few cook books. Both dinner and breakfast were excellent, if a little too filling.
We have now realized that “guesthouses” are not our cup of tea. The rooms are small with little if any storage space. We are asked to remove our shoes at the door and sit with the other guests for meals. “Forced conviviality” as Mark likes to say. Our table mates were two women from Shanghai and the 5-year old son of one of them. They spoke fluent English and we did have a nice conversation.

This is our first accommodation in Iceland where we had to walk down the hall to the bathroom. Fortunately, we did not have to share it. There was large claw-foot bathtub with a hand held shower head, but no curtains. Mark had to do sit in the tub and sprinkle himself with the shower head. Not, shall I say, his favorite method of getting clean.

We went to bed as soon as dinner was over, almost 11pm. Rather normal for Icelanders in summertime. We are adjusting to the constant daylight.

After breakfast on the 25th, we waved good bye to Inga and continued southwest toward the Snaefellsnes peninsula and National Park. We continued to enjoy warm, sunny, clear weather with little to no breeze. We passed over a dozen waterfalls during the day, but stopped to photograph only one, Kolugjufur Falls in the canyon with the same name.

We stopped at the town of Stykkishholmur to buy gas, clean the windshield and buy shoelaces to replace the shredded ones on my hiking shoes. The car collects so many bugs that we have to stop every 100 or so kilometers to get a clear view.

There was a pretty old church and a grand new one as well. The view from the new one was pretty good and we were hungry, so we picnicked on the hillside next to the building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After leaving the town, we entered the peninsula and park and noticed a change in the scenery. Somehow it was prettier, more interesting and grander. Soon we realized we were driving around the Snaefellsnes Glacier, which had created the peninsula, and the massive amount of fallout from it.

The mountains nearby were beautiful, the beaches were large and black, the lava fields were huge and moss covered and the cliffs along the ocean were full of squawking and nesting birds.

We stopped at Kirkjufell Mountain standing tall and barren directly out of the beach. Further along the road, we stopped to walk to a large black sand beach and later, at Arnarstapi camp ground, to walk along stunning, bird filled cliffs.

The sun was just right to get some nice close ups of mothers and their chicks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark was exhausted from the nine hours of being in the car, including our few stops.

 

 

 

The Hotel Burdir came none too soon. Still in the Park, it is set on a bluff and has a commanding view of the area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lovely spot for our last night on the road. We had delicious green salads, lamb for me and cod for Mark.

Not much variety in the menus of most places. Good though. Although not late, Mark crashed early and I am about to stop writing.

 

 

 

We have one more day in Iceland. We changed our tour called “Inside the Glacier” from noon to 10am so we can get to Reykjavik in time to see a few sights that we lost by missing our first day. It means getting up early tomorrow. So, good night.