Reykjavík Grapevine - 25.09.2015, Page 27

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Reyðarfjörður, and their camp was close
to the town centre. As occupations go,
this was all in all a fairly friendly affair. The
Americans built a huge barracks complex
which housed a modern hospital and
were happy to take the locals in. Some of
them assumed the structure must have
been intended for casualties of a planned
invasion of Norway. The US still hasn’t in-
vaded Norway (although with all the oil
over there, who knows what could hap-
pen?), but their barracks can still be seen
around town. There is also an excellent
occupation museum, which displays many
a curiosity from those years.
Parlez vous íslenska?
Another interesting history museum is to
be found in Fáskrúðsfjörður, a mere half
an hour’s drive away (and you get to go
through a tunnel!). The French connec-
tion is celebrated on the last weekend
of July, but can also be seen year round
on the street signs which are adorned
with both world languages, French and
Icelandic. The French built a consider-
able hospital here, which now houses a
hotel and a museum that takes you un-
derground to the doctor’s house on the
other side of the street. In the best Gal-
lic tradition, most of the information is
only in French, with a
smattering of Icelandic
and English thrown in
here and there for good
measure.
The fjords form a
common municipality
called Fjarðabyggð, and a ticket to any of
the museums gives you 20% off all the
others. We head to Eskifjörður, where the
museum is more general than the other
two mentioned, largely focused on the
history of the area’s fisheries. There are
some engaging exhibits on the second
floor, including a 100-year-old dentist’s
chair and a candy-making machine. Sadly,
those were not owned and operated by
the same person.
To the Moon and beyond...
Driving back from the eastern fjords to
Akureyri, you pass through some of the
most spectacular scenery in Iceland. Or
even the universe, if you believe the mov-
ies. Due to a 20% tax discount (among
other things), Iceland has proven a cheap-
er place to film outer space than outer
space itself. Also, slightly to the south lies
Ódáðahraun, where actual astronauts
practiced getting into actual space be-
fore the moon landing (of course, they
may have filmed that here
too, but it remains unclear
whether they got a tax re-
bate for that one).
Iceland has dou-
bled as alien planet/
post-apocalyptic Earth
in films like ‘Oblivion’, ‘Interstellar’, and
‘Thor: The Dark World’. Furthermore, Rid-
ley Scott filmed the opening sequence
to ‘Prometheus’ at Dettifoss, the most
powerful waterfall in Europe. Even more
otherworldly are the hot springs at Krafla,
where steaming-hot black liquid bubbles
out of a Martian landscape. The next Star
Wars movie could probably save a fortune
on special effects if they shot it up here.
What’s that, you say, they already did?
After jaunting around outer space,
there’s nothing better to bring you back
down to earth than a nice cold beer.
And, there is no better place to have one
around here than at the Mývatn Nature
Baths. Something of a Blue Lagoon North,
it is actually close to what the Blue Lagoon
used to be, with less crowds and a some-
what more humble pricing structure. But
best of all, you can still order a beer here.
At the entrance, you can buy an armband
that entitles you to up to three beers, and
all you have to do it flag down someone in
a yellow west to bring you one. If only all
lifeguards did this.
Sensory overload in Akureyri
Moving on, one finally returns to The Big
City. Yes, Akureyri sure feel like one after a
week spent in the far north and east. They
have everything here: cinemas, bars, even
more than one restaurant. All the qualities
of life, their city webpage says, and they
even put cocktail sauce on the hotdogs.
It feels nice to get lost in a crowd of
17,000 after days of being the last person
on Earth. And, as in Reykjavík, tourism has
come to Akureyri. The main street, Haf-
narstræti, is dotted with puffin shops and
hotels. The cheapest place to stay is prob-
ably the Backpackers Hostel, and they
throw in a free beer, which is a nice touch.
The hostel’s restaurant isn’t half bad
when it comes to burgers, but the portions
leave the American in our party deeply
unimpressed. However, there are plenty
of other options at hand in the big city,
and we adjourn to Kaffi Ilmur, a nice old-
style café up on a hill where the American
can have his second dinner. I myself am
no slouch when it comes to second din-
ners, but when the group orders a hefty
dessert, I admit to being beaten and retire
to the patio with a beer. Akureyri is where
most of Iceland’s beer is made, and it really
does taste better up here.
We next venture to the bar Bláa Kan-
nan (“The Blue Pitcher”), followed by
Götubarinn (“The Street Bar”), which are
both decorated in the style of Old Akurey-
ri. The city was granted its town charter
before Reykjavík, back in 1778, but the
King of Denmark had its licence revoked
when the local populace stubbornly re-
fused to grow above the then-population
of twelve. Akureyri’s rights were restored
in 1862, and the town has been growing
ever since, one of the few areas outside
the capital area to have done so.
Much as in Reykjavík, the locals don’t
really come out until midnight, so if you
want to party you should be prepared for
a long night. I step out for a smoke and
run into a man who tells me that his cur-
rent job is making candleholders, and that
people actually buy his stuff. This seems
to be a source of great amusement to
him, and I can’t help but laugh along at his
mirth.
Blackouts are the same wherever you
go, so I decide to go to bed early rather
than sample the Akureyri variety. The city
has plenty of sights and one could easily
spend a day or two just visiting the muse-
ums. I, however, have an early bus to the
capital, so I make do with what I can see
in an evening. This includes the famous
church steps, which sometimes prompt
high schoolers to shout out “Adrian” once
they reach the top (at least, they did in the
80s), and the house of Matthías Jochum-
son, author of the lyrics to that national
anthem no one can sing.
He also wrote a poem called “Vesæla
land,” which loosely translated amounts to
“Filthy Country.” It includes the words:
Raven-found country
Aren’t you best suited to the crow?
From here our ships must go
Raven-found country!
Now, if we could only get Sigur Rós to
write the music, we really would have an
anthem worth singing along to.
Distance to Egilsstaðir
645 km
27The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 15 — 2015 TRAVEL
The next Star Wars
movie could prob-
ably save a fortune
on special effects if
they shot it up here.
What’s that, you say,
they already did?
Baths prodvided by Mývatn Nature Baths.
Book at www.myvatnnaturebaths.is or call
+354-4644411
Bus trip Akureyri-Kjölur-Reykjavík provided
by SBA-Norðurleið.Book at www.sba.is
or call +354-5500700