Reykjavík Grapevine - 23.09.2016, Qupperneq 56

When I told the waitress that I
was looking for something inter-
esting to do in Þorlákshöfn, she
expressed condolences. It’s not
exactly the reaction one hopes
for when writing a piece about a
town. She asked the other wait-
ress and went in the back to con-
sult with the chefs, one of whom
was from Þorlákshöfn. Nothing.
“My son plays Pókemon Go, and
I remember reading something
interesting about Þorlákshöfn on
the Facebook group that I joined
for him—let me see if I can find
it,” she said, scrolling through her
phone. I started to worry that the
reality of this place might actually
be so featureless that the story
would focus on a virtual reality—
and Pókemon Go at that, not even
a cool Björkian virtual reality.
“Oh, here it is,” she continued.
“‘In Þorlákshöfn there are no wa-
ter Pókemon, which is ridiculous
because it is a sea town,’” she
read. Great. Even its virtual real-
ity news is more focused on what
it lacks than what it has.
What was is what is
As we pull into the town, the day
is misty and constantly verging
on rain, like a teenage boy trying
not to cry. We head toward the sea
and drive along the harbour front,
straight out onto a quiet quay
with old merchant ships tethered
to each side. Instantly, my doubts
are silenced. When we step out of
the car, the quietness turns into
an emotional reverence.
I walk up one side of the
pier and down the other,
intensely attracted to the
bold primary colors of the
boats’ chipped paint. I pass
SVA N U R, F R IÐR I K SIG -
URÐSSON,
JÓHANNA,
the names
r e n d e r e d
in blue, yellow, and teal. A
man emerges from the gut
of the Jóhanna, climbs her
rusty steps to the dock, and
begins a slow stroll back to
the shore where Þolákshöfn
waits for him, ever so pa-
tiently.
LED the way
The only
o t h e r
big buzz
I’d unearthed about Þorlákshöfn
was about a great café nestled
somewhere in its innards. The
café is called Hendur í Hönd, and
it has its own street sign as you
enter the city. We arrive in the
early evening, and the “Opið” sign
has long been switched off.
After cruising the residential
streets we pull up to a small church
with a smaller graveyard and
a large LED-lit cross. Behind
the church a long path winds
out to the lighthouse. Even at
some distance from the shore-
line, we can see the crash-
ing waves shooting up like
geysers as
they break
against the
rocks.
Non-locals only
Where the path meets the
jetty we have our second en-
counter with human life. A
fire, two surfboards, three
cars, and a group of five men
and one woman stand in
f lannels and hoodies. The
scene looks like
one I would
have en-
countered
on any given day back in Califor-
nia. But I was not in California, I
was in Þorlákshöfn.
The group is serendipitous.
Two of the surfers are from Swit-
zerland, one from Canada, one
from New York and two from Cal-
ifornia. Some know each other
from before this gathering at the
edge of the jetty, and others have
just met. We talk about the surf
and chance encounters, and how
I shouldn’t disclose this favourite
spot.
Pókemon No
The town is drenched in a certain
kind of serenity—just the kind of
quietness that many people trav-
elling the South Coast of Iceland
might be searching for, in one
way or another. One arrives with-
out expecting much, and leaves
refreshed, calm, and a little bit
soggy. Þorlakshöfn is a town of
the sea—being there amongst the
boats and sea spray is almost like
taking a dip in the ocean itself. It
truly is unbelievable that there
are no water Pókemon here.
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DRIVE-THROUGH TOWN
Nostalgia For The
Non-Existent
Not everywhere
has to be somewhere
Canadian pop man-
child Justin Bieber
has been called out
once again for the
treatment of Ice-
landic nature in his
music videos. In his latest offer-
ing, “Cold Water” (a collaboration
with Major Lazer and MØ), danc-
ers prance over the delicate moss
of the Eldhraun lava field. Snorri
Baldursson of the Icelandic Envi-
ronmental Association said: “This
is probably the worst treatment
you can imagine for the moss,
to jump on it. This type of moss
that we have in the Eldhraun lava
field is probably one of the coun-
try’s most sensitive ecosystems.
It hardly tolerates any trampling.
The footstep of one person re-
mains in it for a whole summer.
Once the moss has been jumped
on, the top layer is ruined.” First
the lacklustre shows, and now
this? Why u hate us, Justin?
If you enjoyed our recent light-
house-themed issue, you may be
interested to know that the light-
house at the famous Dyrhólaey
peninsula has been converted into
boutique accommodation by Ice-
landair Hotels. The building now
contains beds for six people along
with a dining room, kitchen, TV
room, and a balcony that looks
north to the twin glaciers of Ey-
jafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull.
Prepare for the catch, though: a
single night costs 165,000 ISK (ap-
prox $1,300 USD or €1,200), mak-
ing it Iceland’s most expensive ac-
commodation.
Over 30 traffic accidents have been
reported this year on a picturesque
but treacherous stretch of road
at Skógarströnd, between Styk-
kishólmur and Búðardalur. The
most recent saw a car take a roll,
with the driver transferred to hos-
pital from the site of the accident.
This track is famously windy, and
has a loose dirt surface. In light
of the accidents, the authorities
have reduced the speed limit from
90kmph to 50kmph until the road
can be improved. Be careful out
there, y’all!
TRAVEL
NEWS
IN BRIEF
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 15 — 2016
56
Words PARKER YAMASAKI
Photos ART BICNICK