Reykjavík Grapevine - 17.07.2009, Side 41

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The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 10 — 2009
Fun Times in and Around Egilsstaðir
West is best, but East is… pretty great too!
Travel | Activities
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A Very Special
Scandinavian
Welcome
16. August
Susan Landale
France
19. July
Andreas Sieling
Germany
26. July
Douglas
Cleveland
USA
2. August
Eyþór Ingi
Jónsson
Iceland
9. August
Roger Sayer
UK
June 28 - August 16 · Sundays at 5 PM
2 0 0 9
the InternAtIonAl
orgAn SuMMer
hAllgrÍMSkIrkJA
Alþjóðlegt orgelsumAr / InternAtIonAl orgAn summer Hallgrímskirkja, reykjavík, tel. 510 1000 www.listvinafelag.is
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CMYKPantone 287
Lækjarbrekka is the restaurant of the International
Organ Summer 2009 U.S. Embassy in Iceland Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
Sponsors:
tónlistarsjóður
menntamálaráðuneytisins
LunChtImE ConCERtS on thuRSDAyS In
Reykjavík CathedRal
At 12:15 noon
LunChtImE ConCERtS on
WEDnESDAyS In
hallgRímskiRkja At 12 noon
schola Cantorum Chamber Choir
july: 15, 22, 29 august: 5, 12, 19, 26
july: 16, 23, 30 august: 6
Welcome to Egilsstaðir, the sunny
town in the east of Iceland that
just happened to be cloudy and
rainy when my colleague and
I touched down for five fun-
filled days of WWOOFing and
exploration. Lonely Planet pegs
the place as “a grey service
town and the main regional
transport hub.” Despite the
dreary first impression the
written description of the town
makes to all tour-book totting
globetrotters, Egilsstaðir and the
surrounding area has some pretty
cool things to offer.
ThE NiGhTLiFE
My travel companion
and I should have known
better than to hit the sole
club in town relatively
early at night. When
we pulled up outside of
Valaskjálf in our rented
powder blue Toyota
shortly after midnight the
scene looked promising
enough. Pockets of young
locals were cavorting in the car park and on the front steps of the unassuming
beige building, ready to get their drink on. But the place was dead.
We opted for a glass of wine at the Icelandair Hotel Hérað where the
hospitable night guard/bartender/waiter, Högni, convinced us to give Valaskálf
another shot after 2:30 AM. We did. It was packed with highly inebriated folks
who were seriously enjoying the live tunes courtesy of Dísel. If you feel like
boozing and cover bands, this is your kind of place.
ROAd TRiPPiNG
Lagarfljót: Driving along
the southeast bank of the
river toward Hengifoss
is like being transported
out of Iceland. There
are so many trees! The
undulating terrain and
winding road skirting the
waterside is a gorgeous
half-hour drive and the
waterfall at the end is
beautiful. Drive back to town on the gravel road on the northwest side of
the river for strikingly different scenery and for picturesque stops at a rocky
monument to Jóhann Magnús Bjarnason and a house covered in sod.
Seyðisfjörður: Driving
across Seyðisfjarðavegur
is a treat in itself, offering
magnificent sweeping
views over Egilsstaðir
and the surrounding area
and bringing you face to
face with some seriously
impressive waterfalls –
Gljúfurfoss is the most
epic, but Gufufoss and
all the other shoestring thin mountainside fossar are stunningly beautiful. So
beautiful, in fact, that the thirty-minute drive was stretched out to nearly two-
hours on account of all of the photo shoots. In Seyðisfjörður pay a visit to the
Skaftfell Gallery and Bistro for some scrumptious pizza (they have other things
on the menu, but the pizza was delectable) and some art.
kárahnjúkar dam
Project: The infamous
hydroelectric project
is a mere hour from
Egilsstaðir so do yourself
a favour and check it
out. The drive over the
highlands, marked every
so often with rows of
electrical towers that
go on for infinity and
disappear at the horizon, is stunning and sad all at once. The dam that we saw,
one of three comprising the project, was shocking – lush green valley to one
side and depressing grey dirty flooded death to the other.
So yeah, go to the East and have a good time! - CAThARiNE FULTON
Car provided
by hertz
www.hertz.is
Flight provided
by Air iceland.
Book flight at
www.airiceland.is