Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.03.2018, Page 46

Reykjavík is not Iceland. It more close-
ly resembles a tiny overpriced Europe
without the vast architecture or con-
venience. It takes about a day to see
Reykjavik, or half a day if you've had
several artisan coffees. Though it is
quaint and lovely, it's not nearly the
most beautiful or nourishing thing
about this remarkable country. I high-
ly recommend getting out of town
shortly after you ar-
rive. I try to as often
as I can.
Living here, af-
ter stints in New
York City and Lon-
d o n , i t a m a z e s
me that even i n
this relatively tiny
town, there can be
too much “áreiti,”
w h i c h m e a n s —
like most Icelandic
words–about five
things in English:
chores, distraction, stimuli… noise.
As an antidote, I like to fill my eyes
with the open road and landscape, and
my ears with the sounds of nature.
On this particular travel day I saun-
tered down to pack the car only to find
it had a flat battery. This is one of the
worst feelings when you want to just
get going. So after I bought some ca-
bles and found a jumpstart, I drove all
the way to Staðarskáli without stop-
ping. The battery was recharged, and
I was on my way to being so, too.
Stoically breathtaking
The northeast corner of Iceland is one
of the most striking and underrated
parts of the country. You can get there
by bus, airplane, or car. Driving is my
favourite method, but it requires time
and awareness of road conditions
(available at road.is). Travel times de-
pend on the weather and one’s level
of comfort driving on frozen winter
roads. For the first time ever, I was not
the one driving at 60 km/h.
I want to emphasize that driving
in Iceland is time well spent. The
surrounding land-
scapes are so stoi-
cally breathtaking
and inspiring, they
will fi l l you with
v ision s of aban-
doning your office
job, and hunkering
down to till the soil
and raise animals.
That's great as a
fantasy—but in re-
ality, it’s probably
best left to the pro-
fessionals. Luckily,
there’s a family living near the town
of Þórshöfn in the far northeast of
Iceland who live that life for real and
happen to have boutique-style accom-
modation for guests.
Two of the farmers, Hildur and
Siggi, have built a pair of guest cot-
tages on their property and are on
their way to completing a third larger
guesthouse. You can visit Grásteinn
Guesthouses to relax and even help
out in the fjárhús (“sheep house,” in
English), if you want. You are welcome
to but not required.
The outback
From Staðarskáli, the road took me
along Route One North, up through
Akureyri. Along the way, some moun-
tainous landscapes demanded that I
stop and stare, with both feet root-
ed to the ground. The winding black
roads contrasting with the winter
white mountain facades presented
themselves as a theatre of the out-
back. I was never bored. Where else
does tarmac resemble Oreo cookie ice
cream?
Route One eventually met Route 85
at Ljósvatn (“Lightwater,” in English)
which winds north towards the beau-
tiful Langanes peninsula. About ten
minutes before the town of Þórshöfn
is Route 868—there is a small dirt
road with a sign which reads Laxárda-
lur (“Salmon-river-valley”). The first
time I came here I completely missed
that sign. This time, I caught it and
trundled up towards the farm, finally
reaching Grásteinn Guesthouses.
All mod cons
Upon arrival, I was greeted by two
sheepdogs. Gosi (Pinocchio) quickly
claimed my car as his; Ringo is older
and tends to hang back until it's time
for him to work the sheep. Shortly af-
ter my canine introduction came the
humans. Siggi was back in Reykjavík
and Hildur was out but two of their
three children were home and sweetly
took it upon themselves to split the
farm work so that one could always
keep me company. Once Hildur ar-
rived, we caught up, had dinner and I
settled into my cottage.
The cottages are dark wood with
white trim. They’re beautiful to look
at, and warm and cosy inside. The
comfortable double beds are made up
with fresh linen and towels adorned
with chocolates. There’s a single
bunk tucked up a short flight of steps.
The kitchen is equipped with coffee,
homemade muesli, a bar-style coun-
ter to eat at, and a breathtaking view.
Guests also enjoy home-style break-
fasts, served each day to your cottage,
which includes food from the farm.
If you insist on working or stay-
ing connected to the rest of the world,
there’s Wi-Fi. But when I come here,
I try to turn everything off and com-
pletely enjoy what is right in front of
me. I am failing at that right now so
I can write this, but I promise myself
when I finish, I am hiding my laptop.
My phone is already off.
End of the road
Like a souvenir from the landscape of
the journey here, a spectacular view
lies right outside the living room win-
dow. Both guesthouses have a porch
with chairs, and on warmer nights it’s
fantastic to sit outside and enjoy the
view with a drink.
If relaxing in one place isn't your
thing, you could base yourself here,
load up on a hearty breakfast, and
head out to explore the surrounding
area. There’s plenty to see and do in
this part of the world. However, the
drive to Grásteinn left my wanderlust
satiated, for a few days at least. I opt-
ed to relax during the day and fill my
mornings and evenings helping out
with the sheep and horses—a kind of
work that is intense on the body, and
deeply relaxing for the mind.
“The Icelandic
landscape is so
stoically breath-
taking—it’ll fill
you with visions
of abandoning
your office job.”
Travel
Distance
from Reykjavík:
618 km

Museum trips
provided by:
facebook.com/gra
steinnguesthouse
How to get there:
Route One North,
turn onto Route 85,
look for a sign on
the right ten mins
before Þorshöfn
46The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 04 — 2018
It's all done by hand
gpv.is/travel
All our travels
Home On
The Range
A blissful farm getaway in the far Northeast
Words & Photos: Gabrielle Motola