Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.04.2017, Qupperneq 53

Island Life
Weird & Wonderful News From Around Iceland
Words: Paul Fontaine
Things To Do Outside Reykjavík
Bjarni Jónsson, an
alternate MP for the
Left-Green Party rep-
resenting northwest
Iceland, has won
the distinction of
being “the question
king” in Parliament.
Despite having only
sat in Parliament for
a short period of
time, he managed to
ask a total of sixteen
questions directed at
Iceland’s ministers,
fourteen in a single
month. As such, he
is the single-most
question-askingest
parliamentarian in
Iceland right now.
Congratulations
Bjarni!
The normally sleepy little village of Buðardal will be getting a
splash of new life, as a horse rental service will be opening
soon. Friends Valdís Gunnarsdóttir and Carolin Baare Schmidt
told reporters that they got the idea last autumn, and the
more they talked about it, the more excited they got. They
hope to get horse rentals off the ground this summer.
News of Icelanders in other
countries always makes for
hot copy in the local press. South
Iceland news service Sunnlenska
reports that Ingólfur Þórarinsson and Rakel Hjaltadót-
tir, vacationing in Australia, found themselves trapped indoors by Hurri-
cane Debbie. They have had to endure such hardships as being without
electricity for 40 hours and having little mobile coverage. Our thoughts
and prayers are with Ingólfur and Rakel.
53The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 05 — 2017
Road Trip:
Hvalfjörður
A question we often get is: “I’ve a hire
car, and a free day—where should I
go?” Obvious answers are Snæfell-
snes and the south coast. But a less-
travelled road is Hvalfjörður. This
picturesque fjörd is near Reykjavík,
and packed with interesting spots
and mysteries. There’s a creepy
roped-off whaling station, an aban-
doned mine, the Glýmur waterfall
hike, the remains of a British WWII
base, and loads more to discover.
Museum:
Petra's Stone
Collection
Located in the tiny post-industrial
town of Stöðvarfjörður, Petra’s Stone
Collection is one of Iceland’s hidden
gems. Quite literally, in this case—it’s
a sprawling collection of huge gem-
stones, crystals and colourful min-
erals, collected from the local area by
the late and celebrated Ljósbjörg Pe-
tra María Sveinsdóttir. You can buy
small gems to take away, and see Pe-
tra’s living quarters along with glit-
tering quartzes and bright jaspers.
Café:
Gott
For more intrepid travellers, or those
with more than a whistle-stop week-
end in Iceland on their hands, the
Westman Islands are a dreamy loca-
tion to visit. You have to take a ferry
(or fly) to the only populated island
of Heimaey, where you’ll find the
Eldfell Volcano Museum, a volcano
hike, some beautiful cliffs, and this
café. Gott offers hearty and afford-
able fare, and is a nice place to relax
between bouts of exploration. JR
Photo: Café GottPhoto: John RogersPhoto: Art Bicnick
I C E L A N D I C R E S T A U R A N T & B A R
Tasty tapas and dr inks by the o ld harbour
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