Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.01.2006, Side 43
crossroads just before the Straumsvík aluminium smelter. Take
the first left, and you’re at Kapelluhraun, where you can visit
the ruins of a medieval prayer chapel where a statuette of St.
Barbara was discovered in 1950. While the original is in the
National Museum of Reykjavík, a replica is still there.
If you head further south and then make another left, you
will come to Helgafell (“Holy Mountain”). The surrounding
lava fields and relatively easy path up the mountain make for
a scenic nature walk, and (like many places in Iceland) the
mountain also has magical significance. Legend has it that the
Norse god Óðinn will grant three wishes to anyone climbing to
the peak of Helgafell for the first time, provided they make the
climb in silence and descend the eastern face without looking
back. The eastern face is a bit steep, which adds an element of
danger to a silent descent, if hiking with others - not being able
to speak, you can’t warn those ahead of you of rocks you might
have accidentally kicked down their way and, not being able
to look back, you can’t turn to see if there are any coming your
way.
The real pearl of the outer Hafnarfjörður area, however, is
Krísuvík. Located by taking the same left from Straumsvík but
heading right (instead of left to Helgafell), this geothermally
active area is one of the more overlooked parts of Iceland.
After passing through lava fields and a few mountains, you
come to Kleifarvatn, a lake that actually dropped a few metres
into the earth in 2000 when an earthquake opened a fissure in
the lakebed. Nearby is a geothermal hot springs area similar
to the area around Geysir, only without the geysers. Water
heated by lava bubbles up to the surface of a small stream
and some patches of quicksand, making for some great photo
opportunities.
If you continue heading south, you will eventually reach
Krísuvíkurkirkja, a small chapel that is almost always left
open for visitors. This church, barely the size of a small living
room and with a ceiling that brushes the top of your head,
is the last remaining structure of the village Krísuvík, which
was abandoned in the 1950s as residents headed to nearby
Grindavík and beyond. Today, it provides a warm and dry
shelter, should you get caught out in bad weather, as well as a
feeling of almost total isolation from the outside world.
In the Land of Cranes, Change Comes Quickly
On my recent visit, I hiked all the trails in the course of a day.
Before getting a bus home, I visited what I remembered as the
sparse restaurant and bar in the upper level. Now called Café
Aroma, the restaurant, which overlooks the harbour area is
spacious and reasonably priced, with soups, sandwiches, and
meat and fish entrees for about 1,500 ISK. Also available are
“Skyr boozt,” smoothies made with skyr. After buying a Special
K (made from vanilla skyr, apples and bananas), I caught a
seat by a window and struck up a conversation with Halli, a
Hafnarfjörður native - or “gaflari” (“one who uses a fork”) as
they’re called in the vernacular - now retired from a career in
construction. When asked about the notorious “Hafnarfjörður”
jokes, Halli brushed it off with the wave of his hand.
“These jokes come from jealousy,” he said dismissively.
“What are people from Reykjavík jealous of in
Hafnarfjörður?” I asked.
Halli answered like he expected the question, “It’s quiet
here, but you’re not in the middle of nowhere, either.”
When asked if the town has changed much since he was a
kid, he laughed, “Changed since I was a kid? It’s changed since
last week. They’re constantly building new neighbourhoods,
adding more and more to the town. I think some people have
this idea of Hafnarfjörður being a big city one day. I don’t know
if that’ll happen. I hope not.” When I asked why, he replied,
“I used to work in Reykjavík and at the end of the day, it was
always nice to come home to some peace and quiet. Plus, it’s
safer for the kids than downtown.”
My bus arrived, so I said my goodbyes and left. Halli’s
observation that Hafnarfjörður is growing is especially
noticeable on the way out, where you can see the cranes looming
over new developments in the making. Optimist that I am, I’d
like to believe that Hafnarfjörður will always maintain its sleepy,
subtle charm despite the expansion.
If travelling by bus, take the S1 from Hlemmur and get off at
downtown Hafnarfjörður’s shopping mall, Fjörður. The drive takes
about 20 minutes, and is as good a place to start from as any, as it
houses a 10-11 grocery store, a bakery, the ÁTVR alcohol store, a
pharmacy, and a restaurant and bar upstairs, along with the usual
mall standards of clothing, books and toys.
By Paul F. Nikolov Photos by Gúndi
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