Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.05.2012, Page 38

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The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 5 — 2012
Travel | South
As the ferry Herjólfur enters the narrow
opening into the harbour of Heimaey at night,
the sight of ystiklettur and Heimaklettur cliffs
leave you awe-struck. They were formed by
volcanic eruptions during the last ice age,
around ten to twelve thousand years ago. The
moment you step out of the small ferry house,
the island greets you with an intense smell of
fish. Luckily, it only pervades the harbour.
Vestmannaeyjar (“Westman Islands”) were born
out of subaquatic volcanic eruptions along a 30
km long fissure. They were named after the Irish
slaves that were brought to Iceland by the first set-
tlers who believed Ireland to be the westernmost
island before discovering Iceland. The slaves fled
mainland Iceland to Vestmannaeyjar, about seven
kilometres off the south shore of Iceland, after kill-
ing their owner, Hjörleifur Hróðmarsson, brother-
in-law of Iceland’s first settler Ingólfur Arnarson.
Heimaey, which is seven by four kilometres, is the
largest island of Vestmannaeyjar. Home to about
4.200 people, it’s also the only one of the Westman
Islands that is inhabited.
WARMING UP ON AN ACTIVE VOLCANO
Our guide suggests a hike up Eldfell, a volcano
that erupted in January 1973 and forced the en-
tire population of Heimaey to evacuate the island.
During the five-month eruption, Heimaey grew by
2,2 square kilometres and buried large parts of the
town under four metres of lava and ash. To save
the harbour, tonnes and tonnes of seawater were
pumped on the moving hot lava.
Now, the east part of the island is covered in
black lava. Signs point out which street lies 16 me-
tres beneath you and whose house is buried there.
Currently, some houses are being excavated; this
archaeological site is referred to as ‘the Pompeii of
the North.’ As we walk across the lava field, I keep
thinking that I am walking on buried houses and
streets that were once full of life.
The hike up Eldfell is not too steep and all the
way up we stop for the amazing view; it’s a clear
day and even the Reynisdrangar sea stacks off the
coast of Vík are visible. At the top, beautiful lava
rock formations amaze us all over. And again, the
geological forces underneath us are just incon-
ceivable. We dig into the lava stones, and just a
few centimetres underground we are already able
to warm up our fingers. One metre beneath us, the
volcano still has a temperature of 470°C.
During the summer, Ruth Zohlen, who runs the
lovely Hreiðrið Guesthouse, likes to bake bread in
the volcano; it only takes 20 minutes she tells us.
She even prepared bread for Hillary Clinton once,
and you can read her thank you letter in her kitch-
en. A visit to Ruth and her lovely pet puffin will be
worth your while.
WINDS AT 29 M/S WILL BRING yOU DOWN
The next recommended stop is a lava cave south
of Eldfell. During our lunch break, the sky dark-
ened and a strong wind picked up to 29 m/s. We
have a hard time finding the place, and as soon as
we step on some ice patches, the wind knocks us
to the ground. All in all it is a pretty adventurous
hike that leads us around the crater of the sleeping
Helgafell volcano.
We try going to the cave again the next day
when the snow has melted and the sun is out. It’s
a dark grey lava tube one can walk through with a
very thin rooftop that has a hole in it. The porous
lava doesn’t look too stable, but what is life with-
out taking risks?
BEFORE ELDFELL AND AFTER ELDFELL
While most of Iceland seems to label recent years
as “Before Crash” and “After Crash,” the people on
Heimaey still mostly speak about “Before Eldfell”
and “After Eldfell.” The eruption has changed the
lives of many islanders, as 1700 inhabitants never
returned after the horrifying events of the night of
January 23.
If you enter the gates to the cemetery, you
can find a 2,5 metre tall statuette of a white angel
standing atop the grave of Theódóra Þ. Jónsdót-
tir. Imagine this beautiful sculpture being buried in
ash up to its hands, and you will realise how much
the islanders had to work to make their home
homely again.
Exploring A Small Volcanic Island Off The Coast
Of A Slightly Larger Volcanic Island
Two windy days on Vestmannaeyjar
LyNN KLEIN
LyNN KLEIN
You can take the ferry from Landeyjahöfn to the Westman Islands.
It takes around 30 minutes.
More info at www.herjolfur.is or call +354-4812800
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