Do You Feel Like

---

4

CONTENTS    Do you Feel Like …

Do You Feel Like … … Iceland just the way you want it? Maybe these suggestions will help; they will make you run hot or cold.

Do you Feel Like …    CONTENTS ICE • Vatnajökull Vatnajökull is the giant among Europe’s glaciers. Its ice is up to 1000m/3300ft thick. page 276

▶

WHaleS

FIRE

• Húsavík The best stop for whale watching is the picturesque little harbour Húsavik. page 179

• Reykjavík Red Rock Cinema shows films of Iceland’s most spectacular volcano eruptions. page 243 • Heimaey “ Ever since a volcanic eruption in 1973 this island has been called the Pompey of the north. page 283 • Þorvaldseyri The visitor’s centre of Þorvaldseyri Farm at the foot of Eyjafjallajökull shows the spectacular events of spring 2011. page 321

VikingS Settlement centre, Vikingaheimar Each a must: the settlement centre in Borgarnes as well as the Vikingaheimar Museum pages 144, 213 • Eiríksstaðir The replicated Viking long house of the outdoor museum gives a good impression of how Vikings used to live. page 273

WATER • Geysir and Strokkur Water from below: the geysers Geysir and Strokkur with their waterspouts page 162 ◀◀ Blue Lagoon Right in the middle: the famous Blue Lagoon south-west of Reykjavík page 216 • Gullfoss Water from above: the two cascades of Iceland’s most famous waterfall page 161

MusiC • Akureyri Top quality rock, pop and jazz festivals all year round. The cultural festival of Akureyri is also famous. page 126 • Reykjavík ▶ Symphonies, operas and much more can be heard in the new concert hall Harpa. pagen 226

5

Facts and Figures INSIGHT

25

©

114

TOURS    Tour 2


Highlights of Tour 2 ▶▶ Snæfellsjökull

Picture book glacier on the western end of Snæfellsnes Peninsula

▶▶ Látrabjarg

Millions of sea birds brood on a cliff up to 440m/1450ft high. A special experience of natural.

Tour 2    TOURS This circular tour also takes the capital of eM M Reykjavík as its starting point. Leaving Reykjavík in a northerly direction follow the ring road to the town of rBorgarnes, which is closely linked to the Egillssaga. Immediately after Borgarnes, the [54] road branches off from the ring road and, just before turning west towards the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, leads through the lava field of Eldborgarhraun, from which the red »fire castle« (Eldborg) rises up. From here the road runs along the sparsely populated southern coast of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula totArnarstapi. This small village is one of the best bases from which to explore the glaciated volcanic cone of Snæfellsjökull, credited by some with magical powers. Due to its beautiful location on the steep coastal cliffs fringed by bird rocks, Arnarstapi itself is well worth a visit. Rounding the tip of the peninsula provides many opportunities for both short and longer walks, before the old trading centre of uÓlafsvík is reached. Driving along the northern coast brings visitors to the fishing town of i ­ Stykkishólmur. From here, a ferry crosses the Breiðafjörður to o Brjánslækur, significantly shortening the drive to the Western fjords. Heading west from Brjánslækur, serpentine roads wind past lonely, sandy beaches against the backdrop of mighty fjords, leading to Iceland's most impressive bird cliff, the pM M Látrabjarg, which shelters millions of breeding sea birds in the summer.

Sorcery and magic

From here, continue along partially-gravelled roads snaking their way through a grandiose, extremely sparsely populated landscape of

fjords to aPatreksfjörður, which was already a trading post at the time of the Hanseatic League (an alliance that monopolized trade along the coast of Northern Europe from the 13th to 17th centuries, it took control of trade with Iceland in the 16th century). On the way to sÍsafjörður, the largest town in the Western fjords, visitors really should make a stop at the Dynjandi waterfall. Ísafjörður, worth seeing for its blend of historic and modern houses, presents a nearurban bustle. The maritime museum reminds visitors of the hard life of fishermen. The reward for a lengthy drive along many deeplycarved, lonely fjords is dHólmavík, with its biggest attraction, the In summer the glacier cap of Snæfellsjökull melts almost completely

115