Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.11.2010, Síða 23

23
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 17 — 2010
Polar Hester runs horse trekking tours and farm holidays all summer from April to the
end of October. See www.polarhestar.is for more details.
Nonni Travel runs a wide range of daytours and activity tours year-round.
For more info see www.nonnitravel.is
“THE LOCALS dON’T LAUGH AT US ANy-
MORE”
Our first pit stop was to call in on Juliane and Stéfan
at their farm at Grýtubakki. Pulling off our boots, we
were treated to hot coffee, home baked skúffukaka,
kleinur and biscuits in the company of three Finnish
riders and a handful of contented looking cats.
The couple have been running their sheep farm,
which incidentally has the oldest sheep pens in the
area, for twenty-five years. They also run a horse
riding business, Polar Hestar, offering accom-
modation and trekking to people who come from
all over the world every year to experience a little
slice of this couples incredibly warm hospitality.
After starting up in the mid eighties doing horse
treks for one or two people, to much local snick-
ering according to Stéfan, the pair have built their
business to a stock of one hundred and twenty-five
horses and are fully booked each summer. “The
locals don’t laugh at us anymore,” Juliane proudly
remarked.
Many of their guests are return customers (with
one group having returned up to eighteen times)
and the incredible artwork that they leave in the
farms guestbook is a testament to the special mark
that this place and this couple leave on all who
meet them.
It was a chore to drag ourselves away from the
cosy living room; the scrumptious home baked
goods and the enlightening chats about life and
love in the rural north. But there were some rams
and chickens and goodness knows what else
which were eager to meet us, so we didn’t want to
disappoint.
Checking out the couple’s menagerie of sheep,
cats, rabbits and chickens bought our visit to a very
funny end, the horny old rams were particularly cu-
rious about the new female company and one the
Icelandic horses was so cuddly looking he even en-
ticed me enough to jump up on its back, which was
pretty special considering I’m terrified of horses.
GRENIvíK, HRíSEy ANd SNOW CHICKENS
Travelling on, we came to the village of Grenivík.
What I find so special about rural villages in Ice-
land is their relative self-sufficiency and the level
of local services provided in comparison to many
rural villages back home in Ireland. The fact that
such a tiny settlement has a wonderful swimming
pool, church, school, grocery store, a campsite and
a café was really surprising. The fish processing
plant provides employment for many of the locals,
and our guide Ana mentioned that people often get
their eggs, vegetables and meat from local produc-
ers too. Despite the dimming November light, the
brewing storm and frozen fields, the place held a
charm all of its own.
En route back along Eyjafjörður to Akureyri, the
island of Hrísey, Iceland’s second largest island,
lay just off shore but unfortunately wasn’t visible
due to the fog. Hrísey has a population of around
three hundred and is actually the only place where
rjúpa (Ptarmigans, or Snow Chickens as Ana called
them) are protected from game hunters.
SLICES OF LIFE
With only a short time to spend in Akureyri, we
checked into the Nonni Travel offices for a quick
warming coffee with owner Helena Dejak who
has run the business for twenty years. We chat-
ted about the differences in atmosphere between
Reykjavík and Akureyri. The slower pace of life is
instantly palpable in this, Iceland’s second city. It
has all the functionality of an urban centre, with
two cinemas, a vibrant local art scene, local and
international cuisine, but without the same rush
that one often experiences in the capital, where so
many people seem to be in a constant hurry to get
ahead and experience everything so intensely.
As we made our way to the airport I looked out
over the quiet snowy harbour to where the mouth
of the River Eyjafjarðará meets the ocean and I
found myself in another world. 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, Ice-
landic style.
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.
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