Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.01.2012, Síða 27

27
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 1 — 2012
Just a hop, skip and a jump away from the
Ring Road is the tiny fishing village of Seyðis-
fjörður. This haven for artists is an easy drive
from the Egilsstaðir airport and a gold mine
of discoveries. One snowy winter morning
Grapevine photographer, Hvalreki, and I took
a 55 minute flight to the east and spent the
day exploring Seyðisfjörður.
The drive to the fjord is windy and steep. We
admired the scenic panorama from the snowy
mountain pass and stopped to snap photos of a
frozen lake. The landscape was quiet except for
the sound of sheep shuffling through the snow
toward a waterfall, and the slow, deep moans of
shifting ice. Far below us, the houses of Seyðis-
fjörður enshrouded the fjord in a patchwork of
colour; the recent snow fall cast a pale blue glow
on the afternoon.
Seyðisfjörður is charming piled on top of
charming. We drove to the head of the fjord where
yellow, blue and red fishing boats anchored in the
harbour appeared miniscule in comparison to the
massive mountains surrounding the town. As if
it couldn’t get anymore quaint, Seyðisfjörður has
waterfalls sprinkled all over town and art murals
cover the sides of buildings.
The Technological Museum, a tinkerer’s
dreamland, is full of discoveries. Old printing
presses, machines, and mechanical intricacies are
on display for the imagination to behold. The at-
tached blacksmith’s shop had a fire going and the
smell of smoke permeated the grounds with the
haze of a trade ages old. Knobs! Wheels! Grease!
It is inspiring to be surrounded by so much inven-
tion and reminded me of a Pablo Neruda poem: “I
want everything to have a handle/I want every-
thing to be a cup or a tool.”
I had one of the best cappuccinos in my life at
the artsy Skaftfell Bistro where the aroma of hand
tossed pizza fills the air. The art of late Icelandic
artist, Dieter Roth (of Swiss German origin), cov-
ers the walls, and a large crafts table anchors the
corner of the room with boxes of paper and draw-
ing pencils. Hvalreki ran the bistro back in the day
and said not much in the town had changed – he
meant it in a good way.
Walking around town, we ran into some of Hv-
alreki’s artist friends who talked about the lack
of direct sunlight during the winter months (it is
hidden behind the mountains) and how locals
welcome the snowfall because it actually helps re-
flect the light. I looked around and everything was
aglow in a blue colour, they smiled and exclaimed:
“See, it’s so bright outside!”
As clouds of dry snow spin in the air around
mountain peaks, as the dark ocean pulls and
pushes the tide in and out of the fjord, Christ-
mas lights quietly light up the town with colour.
Seyðisfjörður is so adorable I just want to pinch its
cheeks and feed it cookies.
perfect Isolation
Seyðisfjörður’s winter glow
Air Iceland operates flights to Egilsstaðir and then there is 30 minute drive to Seyðisfjörður.
Book at www.airiceland.is or phone +354-5703000
Interesting facts about Egilsstaðir
• Population: 2,265 people; 1 sea monster; 1
Olympic silver medallist
• Lagarfljót is the third largest lake in Iceland
and home to the aforementioned sea monster,
which has allegedly been around for hundreds
of years. Don’t worry, though, the monster
hasn’t been spotted since 1987.
• Olympians live here! Local resident, Vilhjálmur
Einarsson, won the silver medal for the triple
jump at the 1956 Olympic games.
• It is an 8–9 hour drive from Reykjavík to Egill-
staðir, but just 55 minutes to fly.
• The recently constructed, much-disputed
Kárahnjúkar Dam is located west of town and
stands 193 metres tall, 730 metres in length
and the largest dam of its kind in Europe.
• Local forest, Hallormsstaðaskógur, is the big-
gest in Iceland
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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