Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.11.2010, Page 22

Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.11.2010, Page 22
22 The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 17 — 2010 Travel | The North Flight and daytour provided by Air Iceland in collaboration with Nonna Travel. Book daytour: +354 570 3030 or www.airiceland.is ”A million miles from the internationalisation and hubbub of Reykjavík, and among the snowy, sheep pens of Eyjafjörður, I had found my very own authentic slice of life, Icelandic style. Words Eimear Fitzgerald photography Joseph Henry Von Ritter On arriving in Iceland, it generally follows that tour- ists are bombarded with advertisements to expe- rience either of two things. Firstly to spend time and money immersed in the cultural, culinary and creative honey-pot that is Reykjavík or secondly, to get away from everything and disappear into the country’s solitary landscapes and raw wilderness in a jeep. It strikes me that there’s not so much em- phasis placed on promoting what lies between the two. But on a recent trip to Akureyri and its sur- rounding countryside, I found a quiet, humbling and extremely sincere part of Iceland that lies somewhere between the rush and clamour of the capital and the intense postcard landscapes of gla- cial peaks and dramatic waterfalls. NO SECURITy FOR THIS GLORIFIEd TIN CAN Arriving at Reykjavík Airport, the first thing that struck me was that there were no security checks to pass through. In fact Iceland is one of the few countries where security checks aren’t mandatory on domestic flights. The reason, I discovered from some friendly check-in staff, is that the planes are so small they probably wouldn’t make it far even if someone did ever try to hijack one. Well that’s comforting to know (I think?). After a turbulent flight, which made me all too aware of the fact that I was hurtling though space in a glorified tin can, my companion and I landed in Akureyri Airport. Pulling into this tiny airport in the snow was charming enough, until the pilot got out and had a chat with us while he fiddled with something on the propeller. It took the meaning of personal service to a whole new level. vISIONS OF EyjAFjöRðUR Bearing a big sign and a bigger smile Ana Korbar, our tour guide from Nonni Travel, greeted us in ar- rivals and gathered us up into her cosy 4x4. The plan for our half-day trip was to head north around the sixty kilometres long valley that is Eyjafjörður, the longest fjord in central northern Iceland. We would be stopping for a visit at a local farm, before moving on towards Grenivík, an isolated village in the north of Eyjafjörður. From there we would track back along the valley, to finish up in Akureyri later that evening. With the snow having seriously set in visibility was low, but the clouds hung just high enough to make out the mountain peaks that lined the valley. As we drove out through the white countryside, a few hardy wild rabbits scurried across the fro- zen fields, and some solitary looking birds of prey swooped along the banks of the river Eyjafjarðará, hoping to catch a glimpse of dinner among the cracks in the forming ice. Full of curiosity and questions we chatted about local geography, history, economics, philosophy, cooking… pretty much everything actually with our Slovakian guide Ana, who has lived in the region for over twenty years. There wasn’t really much that she couldn’t answer, or didn’t venture information on for that matter. The valley is a surprisingly fertile part of the country, with dairy farming being the primary type of agriculture in the area. Fishing is also another major industry and a high sector of employment for those who choose not to work in Akureyri. True North Eyjafjörður and Akureyri deliver an authentic slice of Icelandic life Always best price online. Various online-offers to all Air Iceland's destinations. www.airiceland.is websales@airiceland.is / tel. +354 570 3030 Contact Air Iceland or travel agent for reservation. ÍS L E N S K A S IA .I S F L U 5 13 93 0 9/ 20 10 KEFLAVÍK BORGARNES STYKKISHÓLMUR SNÆFELLSJÖKULL DRANGAJÖKULL FLATEY NESKAUPSTAÐUR BLÖNDUÓS SIGLUFJÖRÐUR BOLUNGARVÍK HRÍSEY NARSARSSUAQ Greenland FAROE ISLANDS REYKJAVÍK AKUREYRI EGILSSTAÐIR ÍSAFJÖRÐUR VOPNAFJÖRÐUR ÞÓRSHÖFN HÚSAVÍK GRÍMSEY KULUSUK Greenland Blue Lagoon AKRANES Geysir Gullfoss Jökullónið Kárahnjúkar Kraa Hallormstaður NUUK Greenland ILULISSAT Greenland www.airiceland.is CONSTABLE POINT Greenland

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