Reykjavík Grapevine - 27.07.2007, Qupperneq 25

3_REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE 11_007_TRAVEL/THE WESTMAN ISLANDS RVK_GV_11_007_TRAVEL_33
No sooner had I started to settle into my seat
than the pilot announced he was commencing
the descent. The twenty-five minute flight south
from Reykjavík to Heimaey, the largest of the
Westman Islands, doesn’t allow much time to
enjoy the view of Iceland’s coastline and the fif-
teen islands that make up the Westman Islands
archipelago. But, that’s just enough time to get
a sense of the natural beauty that the islands
have to offer. Their relative remoteness means
that the options for getting there are limited,
but we were assured that we had opted for the
most convenient.
By the time we arrived on Heimaey, the
cold, cloudy weather experienced in Reykjavík
had cleared up. We were met at the airport
by Alfreð “Alli” Alfreðsson, the driver of the
local tour company who we would spend the
day travelling with, and taken to the town, a
mere two minutes away. There we were met by
Sigurmundur Einarsson, the owner of the tour
company and a local restaurant. He somewhat
apologetically explained that he was recover-
ing from the annual celebration of the end of
the volcanic eruption on Heimaey, held at the
restaurant the previous night.
A Fiery History
The Westman Islands were formed by submarine
volcanic eruptions between 10,000 to 20,000
years ago. The islands take their name from the
Irish slaves (“West Men”) who fled to the island
from the mainland during the 11th century.
At 13.4 km², Heimaey is the largest of the 15
islands. While it is the only island in the group
populated by humans, the other islands, spread
over an area of 1,000 kms², serve as a nesting
place for numerous birds including the puffin
and seagull.
In 1973, a massive volcanic eruption prompt-
ed the evacuation of the 5,000-strong popula-
tion to the mainland and caught the attention
of the international media. During the eruption,
1,000°C lava was shot up hundreds of metres
into the air causing a wall of fire and 1.5 mil-
lion tons of ash to fall on the town, eventually
covering one third of its houses. Remarkably, no
one lost their life during the eruption but one
man later died from smoke inhalation. During
the 5 months that the eruption lasted, there
was uncertainty whether the island would be fit
for resettlement. Eventually, around two thirds
of the original population returned to rebuild
the town. Judging from the conversations we
had with the locals, the events of 1973 are
still firmly etched into the minds of those who
experienced them.
The Locals
After 20 years in the banking business, Einars-
son decided to move into tourism, the island’s
second largest industry after fishing. His sun
and wind burnt face is testimony to the many
years spent outdoors – something that comes
with running your own tour company. Not that
he’s complaining: “It’s the best thing about the
job,” he beams.
Einarsson tells us that, like most island
communities, Heimaey is tight-knit. The “just-
give-us-a-call-if-you-need-something” mentality
along with the “healthy and laid-back lifestyle”
are just two reasons why he’d never leave the
place. As the captain and boat tour guide, he
spends most of his time “in the nature”, so
don’t even get him started talking about the
island’s natural beauty.
“You can find places like this elsewhere but
not all in the one place,” he explains of the
island’s diverse landscape. “Everything is in a 5
to 15 minute distance.” While he is also alluding
to the size of the island (it’s small enough to
explore by foot), I wonder what the mainlanders
think about this place. If the mainland is affec-
tionately referred to as “the rock” (admittedly,
mostly by foreigners) then, what can be said
of Heimaey?
Sitting on the picnic bench outside the front
of his café, he tells us that, like other small
towns in Iceland, children move to Reykjavík to
attend university, get used to the faster-paced
life, and generally don’t return. As for the rest
of the population, he estimates that they make
around 8 to 10 trips to the capital each year,
mainly to do some shopping, visit the tax office
and so forth.
Talking to Einarsson, you get a sense of
the tension between Westman Islanders and
the mainlanders. It’s a case of being foremost
a Westman Islander, then an Icelander, he ex-
plains. And his sentiment is shared.
“Icelanders [from the mainland] come here
and act like they’re millionaires. You just can’t
do that here – people would know,” he says.
And it seems some Icelanders have an equally
contentious opinion of the inhabitants of the
small island. Either way, you certainly can’t
complain about a lack of friendliness among
the locals here.
Heimaey’s Lifeblood
We wander the harbour before embarking on
a boat tour of the island. Small colourful fish-
ing boats line the pontoons where the stench
of fresh fish immediately infiltrates one’s nose.
Steep black volcanic rock cliffs that rise abruptly
from the calm blue-green ocean act as a back-
drop to the small harbour. A hut used by puffin
hunters and egg collectors during the summer
can be seen on the cliff tops in the distance.
The ropes that hang down off of the cliffs are
a reminder of the community’s tradition of
collecting puffin eggs.
Heimaey has been one of Iceland’s main
fishing centres since the country was settled in
874. Although the Westman Islands still pro-
vide about 15% of the export value of fish in
Iceland, the industry is not what it used to be.
The two fish processing factories that line the
harbour area haven’t been used in 20 years.
Today, because the ships are larger and more
advanced, processing takes place on the ships
themselves. “The fishing industry is in trouble
but at least here they try to buy more quota
and new boats with the money they make,”
Einarsson says.
The Westman Islands: Puffins Abound
Text by Zoë Robert Photos by Gulli
Puffin-mania
The puffin is undoubtedly Heimaey’s most famous inhabit-
ant and, for some, the island’s main attraction. It seems
most of the businesses on the island – from the local bar
to the guesthouse – have tuned into the popularity of its
little feathered friend and use the puffin on their logo. The
bird is even featured on the town’s street signs.
There are around 40 million puffins in the North At-
lantic and apparently around 30 % of them live on the
Westman Islands during the summer months, making it
the largest puffin colony in the world.
Because the birds aren’t exactly in short supply, some
of the island’s residents supplement their summer-income
by hunting puffins. At the harbour we met a man dressed
in a one-piece waterproof suit and armed with a long
net. He told us that he was off to catch some lundi or
puffins – and he was in a hurry. The hunting season only
lasts for a couple of months, but he claims during that
time he will catch around 5,000 birds. With not a second
to lose, he jumps in his rubber ducky and heads off. His
fresh catch will probably be served, roasted or smoked,
at one of the local restaurants this evening.
The Tour
We boarded the small boat along with 15 others and
headed off on what would be a detailed tour of the
island’s coastline. We passed the bay where Keiko the
killer whale was released after starring in the 1998 movie
Free Willy.
The tall rocky cliffs that rise up into the mist are home
to hundreds of nesting seagulls. Why they choose such a
seemingly inconvenient place to lay their eggs is anyone’s
guess. Einarsson, who guides the tour and captains the
boat, tells us that on a warm, sunny day, the cliffs can reach
up to 40ºC – not so great for the eggs, apparently.
We sail past “the windiest place in Europe”, accord-
ing to our guide. “The starting point of a hurricane is 75
knots, but the wind here can reach up to 110,” he says.
And in 1991, the waves rose to 22 metres, leaving fish
stranded on the cliffs, one local recollects.
Thankfully, during our trip, the notoriously strong
wind was non-existent and the ocean, calm. Yet that
didn’t prevent some of us from feeling a little queasy out
on the water. At that point, I remembered that we were
actually on a 90 minute tour of the entire circumference
of the island.
Before returning to the harbour, we sailed into a small
cave known as “Cliff Cave” hollowed out by the waves.
Apparently, the place is known for its great acoustics and
Einarsson, keen to demonstrate another of his talents,
gets out his saxophone to play a few tunes.
Later, we take another tour of the island – this time
by land. Our guide “Alli” takes us to Eldfell or “Fire
Mountain”, a 225 metre high hill created by the 1973
eruption. The still steaming lava under the rich brown soil
is still warm enough to bake bread. It’s also here where
the best view of the lava field (where houses, now covered
by the lava, once stood), the harbour and town below, is
to be found – the perfect way to wrap up a visit to this
scenically impressive island.
Flight provided by Air Iceland.
Tel: 570-3030, www.airiceland.is
Tours and lunch provided by Viking Tours.
Tel: 488-4884, www.vikingtours.is
“Icelanders [ from the main-
land] come here and act like
they’re millionaires. You just
can’t do that here – people
would know.”
www.bluelagoon.com
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