Reykjavík Grapevine - 29.07.2011, Síða 66

ICELANDIS
OUTSIDE
Suðurnes
This is the first region of the country most people see when they ar-
rive in Iceland. The landscape is comprised of relatively young lava,
giving the area a distinct lunar surface look. About 50 kilometres
from Reykjavík, it's easily accessible by car.
Some interesting sights: Krýsuvík, The Blue Lagoon, Garður...
West Iceland and Snæfellsnes
Often overlooked, due to it not being on Route 1, this peninsula is
renowned not just for the natural beauty of its shorelines, but also
for the famed glacier-capped mountain Snæfellsjökull, reputed to
be one of the planet's major “power centres”. Even if you don't be-
lieve in that sort of thing, Snæfellsnes is still a gorgeous region of
the country and, at about 150 km from the capital, can be explored
by car in a single day trip (but you'll want to spend more time than
that). Make sure you have at least a quarter tank of gas before
heading out, which should run you about 3.000 ISK for a small car.
Some interesting sights: Arnarstapi, Snæfellsjökull, Ölkelda...
Westfjords
Wild, mountainous and stunning, the Westfjords are
probably best known, geographically speaking, for the
very tall and steep mountains that form numerous nar-
row and, in some cases, sparsely populated fjords and
shorelines. You can of course drive there, and even if
some of the roads in the region are unpaved, small cars
can navigate them fine (there are also plenty of paved
roads. The region’s largest municipality, Ísafjörður, is
just over 400 km from Reykjavík (thanks to a fancy new
road that was opened a couple years ago), and driving
there takes 5–6 hours, so you might want to fly instead.
If you do drive, don't forget to fill up the tank (about
10.000 ISK for a small car)—you don't want to wind up
out of gas on a mountain road.
Some interesting sights: Bolafjall, Reykjanes, The Mon-
ster Museum in Bíldudalur...
Northern Iceland
A region known primarily for its largest town,
Akureyri, there's quite a lot to see in this part of
the country (including famous sites like Mývatn,
Dimmuborgir and the ‘whale-watching town’ of
Húsavík). It's actually a very rich area—from the
plains in the west, to mountains in the centre,
to Arctic desert in the east, and of course some
beautiful coastline all along the top. Akureyri it-
self is about 300 km from Reykjavík, and is also
accessible by plane. There are gas stations along
the way on Route 1, but you should fill up before
heading out anyway.
Some interesting sights: Ásbyrgi, Dimmuborgir,
Kjarnaskógur
A Viking-Style Dallas
(And The Vikings’ Boring Descendants)
A visit to The Icelandic Saga Centre in Hvolsvöllur
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Distance from Reykjavík: ca. 110 km
The dignified and scenic 40 km long
stratovolcano Hekla is one of Iceland’s
most famous landmarks, towering
above the Þjórsárdalur valley. Hekla
is among the world’s most active vol-
canoes. The volcano has erupted five
times in the 20th century, most re-
cently in February 2000. Early settlers
in Iceland understandably feared this
frightening fire-spouting mountain and
believed Hekla to be the gateway to
Hell. In 2007, a new geo-historical mu-
seum, the Hekla Centre, opened at the
farm Leirubakki, situated at the foot of
the mountain. The Hekla Center houses
a contemporary, multimedia exhibition
on Mount Hekla, its history, and its influ-
ence on human life in Iceland from the
time of the island’s settlement until now.
The exhibition emphasizes the influence
of the volcano on the inhabited areas
close to it, that is, the districts of Lands-
veit, Holt, and Rangárvellir. The history
of these districts is traced and the story
of people’s struggles with sandstorms
and eruptions told.
Mt. Hekla 7
The South of Iceland is very right-
fully one of the country’s more
popular tourism destinations. The
severely geothermally active re-
gion contains some of Iceland’s
most stunning landscapes as well
as multiple sites of interest and
natural wonders like glaciers, gey-
sers and waterfalls. It is also con-
veniently close to Reykjavík and its
international airport, enabling even
those who are only in Iceland for a
short jaunt to partake in some of its
wonder.
While one could be forgiven for focus-
ing strictly on the nature at hand, ac-
quainting oneself with the local culture
and history is also a worthwhile pur-
suit, especially when it has stories as
fascinating and graphic as the South of
Iceland does.
The Icelandic Saga Centre in Hvols-
völlur is an excellent option for those
wishing to learn about Iceland’s early
settlers and some of its Sagas in a short
amount of time. The centre’s main ex-
hibit revolves around the most famous
of Iceland’s Sagas, ‘Brennu-Njáls Saga’
(“Burnt Njal’s Saga”), which is an epic
tale of lust, vengeance, murder, manip-
ulation and blood feud, all set in the era
when Iceland was first being settled by
tax-evading Norwegians.
Send your friends swimming
The exhibit is a fairly standard histori-
cal exhibit, with the traditional set-up.
It is an ambitiously crafted one, and has
a lot of information pertaining not only
to the famous Saga and all its murders,
but also to Iceland’s early settlers’ way
of life and worldview (as imagined by
modern scholars). It is divided into five
parts, and starts off by setting the stage
with a display devoted to the ‘environ-
ment and zeitgeist’ of Njála times, with
maps of the Viking worldview, scale
models of the types of buildings early
settlers constructed and inhabited as
well as samples of their weaponry and
clothing.
While one looks upon models of
the broadswords, cloaks and helmets
purportedly donned by Njáll and his
friends, unseen speakers blare sound-
scapes of battle, of the ocean and other
noises that one might have heard in
early Iceland at that time (the aural
backdrop changes as you move through
the exhibit, too). The items and illustra-
tions are accompanied by text in Icelan-
dic, German and English (there are also
audio tours available in those languag-
es) that gives several details and infor-
mation and is quite well crafted (here is
some advice: if you are the type of per-
son that likes to read such details and
immerse yourself in such exhibitions,
send your impatient friends swimming
or something).
A Viking Dallas
After setting the stage, the display
moves into Njála territory and details
the epic saga and its characters, chap-
ter through chapter. If you have never
heard of Njála, you should definitely
read up on the Saga, as it is a good one
(if not the best one). With its betrayal,
lust, murder and vengeance, it might
even be called a Viking-age version of
popular 1980s TV series Dallas.
After treading through all the plot-
lines and learning about the characters
of Njála, we found we had gleamed
much knowledge and were nicely sat-
isfied with the visit. While the exhibit
cannot replace reading the book itself
(an English translation is widely avail-
able for free online), it gives a nice in-
sight into the Iceland of yore and defi-
nitely brings to life the fascinating tale
of Njáll and the trouble that surround-
ed him.
An exhibit you won’t understand
After wandering through the exhibit,
we went on to observe a miniature
replica of a parliamentary session at
Þingvellir around Iceland’s time of set-
tlement. We then were disappointed to
learn no one was operating a restaurant
in the building’s Viking style dining
room, but that disappointment quickly
faded as we found yet another exhibit to
view and wander through.
Although it has yet to be translated
to English, Kaupfélagssýningin (“The
Co-Op Exhibit,” which is also housed
in the centre), is a fun place to walk
through and it has lots of interesting
artefacts to examine (and if you have
an Icelander with you, you can ask
them to read you the signs. The Co-Ops
were farmer founded and run coopera-
tive companies that they used to trade
their goods and where they purchased
needful things and groceries (often the
farmers would never see any money,
they would deposit their wool or pro-
duce and credit any purchase to their
account). Even though the Co-Op sys-
tem is viewed less than positively in to-
day’s retrospect, it is an important part
of Iceland’s 20th century history.
The exhibit places focus on com-
merce and trade in the South of Iceland
over the last hundred years, which of
course involves the Co-Ops a lot. It’s
key attraction for non-Icelandic speak-
ers (there are apparently plans under-
way to translate) is that it has all sorts of
fascinating old machines: computers,
mimeographs, typewriters, weighing
machines and everything else needed
to run a Co-Op (there is even a replica
of an old Co-Op office). And since you
already paid to get in to the museum,
you might as well use the opportunity,
see some cool stuff and learn what the
Njáls Saga characters’ boring descen-
dants got up to over the last century.
The Icelandic Saga Centre is open every day
from 09:00–18:00
Admittance is 750 ISK (free for under-16s)
www.njala.is
Burning Njáll Festival at The Icelandic Saga Centre
If you are all crazy about Njáls Saga, you would do well by visiting the Saga Centre
this weekend, as they are hosting a Burning Njáll festival (Njálsbrennuhátíð) on
site for two days. Scheduled events include staged Viking battle, Viking sports
competitions, concerts, theatre, games for kids and adults of all ages and the epic
climax: the re-enactment of Njáll’s murder by fire, in a specially made hut that
will be used as bonfire kindling throughout the night.
The programme starts Friday July 29 at 20:30 with a concert by folk music
group KORKA and continues through the weekend. Full programme available at
www.njala.is
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