Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.07.2008, Qupperneq 33

REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE | ISSUE 09—2008 | 33
DESTINATION
For much of Iceland’s history, Hvalfjörður has pos-
sessed some degree of utility. First, it was a prime
location for whaling. During World War II, it housed
a submarine. Prior to the construction of the Hvalf-
jarðargöng, it was an hour-long detour on the way to
Borgarnes. Recently however, Hvalfjörður hasn’t been
really needed for much of anything and has quickly
become a peaceful getaway for Reykjavíkians seek-
ing solace from city life. The journey to Hvalfjörður is
just a quick spin north on the ring road, and looking
at a map, I realised I could see the mouth of it from
my bedroom window. But this is just yet another testa-
ment to the fact that no matter where you are in Ice-
land you are only a few steps away from breathtaking
views of nature at her most sublime.
We started out from a small jetty into the fjord,
slung between the majestic cliff face and a small hill.
To our left rolled waves and waves of mountains, curl-
ing into each other like sleeping beasts. In front of
us, the fjord crawled in and amongst the hills. Terns
swooped from their nests and scratched in the sand,
filling the air with a polyphonic whistling. It was a
sunny, clear day with not too much wind, but with the
closest hills beginning to get hazy. We felt very small
and vulnerable in our little boats, even if we were
equipped to the teeth in wetsuits and windbreakers.
We circled an island, and paddled across the
fjord onto a small beach for a snack. The wind had
picked up and we would have to paddle back with
the wind facing us. Our guide advised us to “keep on
top of the waves” if we didn’t want to get flipped into
the icy water. We didn’t think too much of it at the
time, but once back in the water it was clear it would
take a lot more work to get back to shore. At the same
time, we were met with some of the best views of the
excursion; the cliffs on our left towered nobly over us,
like faces of dour old men gazing sternly across the
fjord. In the scramble to get a quick snapshot of these
sights, the stiff wind seized the opportunity to blow
us helter-skelter, overwhelming our momentum com-
pletely to send us backwards and sideways. We were
out in it, sandwiched between a clear sky above and
clear water below, weaving around castle-like forma-
tions of black rock and august mountains, apprecia-
tive of the opportunity just to physically exist among
such spectacular feats of natural architecture.
Trip provided by Arctic Rafting
Laugavegur 11
Tel.: 562 7000
www.adventures.is
Fjord Explorers
By natHaniel Flagg — pHoto By viktor Svan
Fly and discover
/ tel. 570 3030
Air Iceland
destinations
Get your action-packed day tour brochure
at hotels, airports or any travel agent.
ÍS
L
E
N
S
K
A
S
IA
.I
S
F
L
U
4
28
09
0
6.
20
08
www.airiceland.is
FAROE ISLANDS
REYKJAVÍK
AKUREYRI
EGILSSTAÐIR
WESTMAN ISLANDS
ÍSAFJÖRÐUR
VOPNAFJÖRÐUR
ÞÓRSHÖFN
GRÍMSEY
CONSTABLE POINT
Greenland
KULUSUK
Greenland
NUUK
Greenland
NARSARSSUAQ
Greenland
kayaking in HvalFJörÐur FJord iS yet anotHer Fine Way to diScover
tHe proFound Beauty oF iceland’S landScape.
DAYTRIP
Guaranteed departures on Mondays
at 9:00 from June 10 to September 1.
No previous kayak experience required.
PRICE
7.990 ISK per person.