The White Falcon - 02.07.1999, Qupperneq 6

Making Tracks: The churches of Akureyri
Story and photo by Karin W. Tranim
Where: Akureyri churches
Getting There: Begin at the main church in Akureyri
What to Bring: camera
Akureyri offers many special sights, one of the more beautiful and
interesting being a drive up the Eyjafjarbara river valley. The scene
is intensely bucolic, pastures full of livestock, waterfalls, scattered
turf farms, and country churches nestled between the snow-capped
mountains that edge the valley.
Since the theme of this drive is churches, it makes sense to first
have a look at the church in Akureyri proper. Located on the hill
behind the main intersection, this concrete church is a prominent part
of the downtown area. Built in 1940, Akureyri church was designed
to reflect the rocky and mountainous landscape found in the
Eyjafjorbur district. The stained glass windows are one of the high-
lights, each depicting an event from the life of Christ. Eight addi-
tional windows in the nave represent events in Icelandic church his-
tory.
After leaving the Akureyri church, follow Highway 1 toward the
bridge. Instead of turning left to cross the bridge, continue straight
on Road 821. Drive 11.5 miles and look on the left for your first stop
at Grund. There has been a church on this site since the 12th centu-
ry, the present building being constructed in 1905 by farmer Magnus
Sigurdsson. Its grand design, spires, and onion dome are unique in
all of Iceland. This church is placed on a north-south axis, as
opposed to east-west, breaking a tradition that was centuries old.
From Grund, continue on 821 for 5.7 miles to your next stop at
Saurbaer. Turn right and drive up the hill to the old turf church. This
site, like Grund, has also housed a church for many centuries and a
monastery stood on the site in the early 1200’s. The present church
was constructed in 1858 and was used until 1932.
Back on 821, continue through this picturesque valley until 821
intersects 826 on the left. Take Road 826 around Holavatn, a fishing
lake and Christian youth camp, and look for the farm Holar on the
left. This site formally had a church, but now has an interesting old
turf farmhouse, possibly from the 17th century. Unfortunately, it has
not been maintained, but is interesting to look at and good for picture
taking.
Soon 826 bears left, crosses the river and joins 821 again. You will
retrace your drive for a short distance, passing Saurbaer going the
opposite direction. Take 829 , crossing the river again, and look for
the church Mobruvellir on the right. The farm located on this site
dates back to saga times. The old wooden church is not as ancient,
but the bell gate out in front dates from 1781.
Continuing on 829 towards Akureyri, drive 7.5 miles and look on
This turf covered church dates back to 1858 and is just one of
many historic churches in the Akureyri area.
the left for Munkapvera. A quaint red-roofed church can be found
here on the site that was once home to a Benedictine monastery from
1155-1550. After the reformation it was a residence for sheriffs and
magistrates. On the grounds of Munkapvera is a monument to Jon
Arason, the last Catholic bishop, who studied at the monastery. A
nearby farm, Gryta, is believed to be birthplace of Arason, and has a
memorial garden in his honor.
The final church in the EyjafjarSara river valley is at Kaupangur.
Drive for 7 miles and look for the lovely wooden church on the right.
Behind the church is the dramatic BildsarskarS mountain pass and a
waterfall from the Bildsa river.
To return to Akureyri, follow Road 829 out to Highway 1 and turn
left. Drive over the bridge to finish your tour. The complete loop is
about 45 miles and will take 2 or 3 hours to complete. Spend a quiet
morning or afternoon taking in the gentle beauty of this truly mag-
nificent area.
British squadron
deploys to Iceland
for Northern Viking
By Army Spc. Raymond A. Hinnant
One of the units that deployed to Iceland
for Exercise Northern Viking ‘99 was the
41 [F] Squadron out of Great Britain.
The squadron, which flies the Jaguar GR3
jet fighter, took advantage of the terrain in
Iceland to practice a type of flying they
aren’t used to in the United Kingdom.
The pilots were able to use the flat lands to
do some operational low flying training,
working down to just 100 feet off the ground,
Page 6
simulating close air support for the Army.
Though flying low over flat lands may
sound like something that can be done easily
by experienced pilots, the Jaguar pilots say
that the Icelandic terrain was not so accom-
modating.
“The training here is in many ways very
challenging,” said Lt. Jeremy Milne, the
Squadron Weapons Instructor.
“Over the glaciers, the terrain is com-
pletely featureless. Imagine flying over a
surface which is so smooth that you literally
can't make out any details. Without a regu-
lar altimeter, you can't tell how high you are.
It feels very uncomfortable and dangerous.
You get the same sensation flying over a
dead smooth sea.”
Even with the degree of danger the pilots
endured during their training, Milne found
the experience breathtaking.
“Having seen the center of the island dur-
ing the low flying missions, its unbelievable.
It is a beautiful place,” said Milne. "The vol-
canic features are amazing. We’ll fly over
bubbling marshland with sulfur clouds sit-
ting on it one moment and within two min-
utes of that you are 6000 feet above sea level,
above an enormous, featureless glacier. The
contrast is incredible.”
Milne added that Exercise Northern
Viking ’99 provided good training for the
squadron and for the forces who were train-
ing with them.
“For us, a lot of the stuff we have done
here is not something we routinely do at
home,” added Milne.
“Outside of using the terrain to be able to
fly at 100 feet, we have given a certain
amount of training to the people that wanted
to employ us as targets.”
The White Falcon
July 2, 1999