Reykjavík Grapevine - sept 2019, Qupperneq 49

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Kirkjubæjarklaustur
Vík í Mýrdal
Höfn í Hornafirði
Stöðvarörður
Djúpivogur
Reyðarörður
Eskiörður
Neskaupsstaður
Seyðisörður
Vopnaörður
Bakkagerði
Fáskrúðsörður
Selfoss
Hella
Hvolsvöllur
EyrarbakkiÞorlákshöfn
Stokkseyri
Grindavík
Hafnarörður
Reykjavík
Borgarnes
Akranes
Kjalarnes
Húsavík
Grenivík
Hrísey
Svalbarðseyri
Hjalteyri
Kópasker
Raufarhöfn
Þórshöfn
Ólafsörður
Dalvík
Akureyri
Grundar-
örður
Ólafsvík
Arnarstapi
Hellnar
Hellissandur
Rif
Kópavogur
Keflavík
Sandgerði
Garður
Hvammstangi
Borðeyri
Laugarbakki
Djúpavík
Sauðárkrókur
Varmahlíð
Hofsós
Sigluörður
Blönduós
Suðureyri
Æðey
Súðavík
TálknaörðurPatreksörður
Búðardalur
Bíldudalur Hólmavík
Bolungarvík
Flateyri
Þingeyri
Hnífsdalur
Ísaörður
Laugavatn
Hveragerði
Mosfellsbær
Sólheimar
Laugarás Flúðir
Reykholt
Stykkishólmur
Flatey
Skagaströnd
Grímsey
Egilsstaðir
Bakkaörður
Breiðdalsvík
Laugar
Brjánslækur
Reykholt
Reykhólar
Jökulsá á Fjöllum
Jökulsá á Fjöllum
Lagarfljót
Öskjuvatn
Þjórsá
Ölfusá
Hvítá
Mývatn
Langisjór
Veiðivötn
Þórisvatn
Þingvallavatn
Skaftá
Kleifarvatn
Hvítárvatn
Skjálfandafljót
G U L L F O S S
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D E T T I F O S S
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K A L D I D A L U R
S T Ö N G
L A N D M A N N A L A U G A R
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BR
E I
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P A P E Y
H A L L O R M S S T A Ð U R
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A S K J A
V Í T I
L Ó N S Ö R Æ F I
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G R Í M S S T A Ð I R
J Ö K U L S Á R G L J Ú F U RG J Á S T Y K K I
S A U R B Æ R
TJ Ö R N E S
M E L R A K K A S L É T T A
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Á S B Y R G I
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D J Ú P A L Ó N S S .
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H V A L N E S
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S U R T S H E L L I R
J Ö K U L H E I M A R
N Ý I D A L U R
V O N A R S K A R Ð
B A K K A H Ö F N
G U N N U -
H V E R
H Ó L A R Í H J A LT A D A L
S V A R F A Ð A R D A L U R
L A U G A F E L L
S K Á L H O LT
G A LT A L Æ K U R
Ú T H L Í Ð
F L J Ó T S H L Í Ð
H N J Ó T U R
B R E I Ð A V Í K F L Ó K A L U N D U R
H E S T E Y R I
S N Æ F E L L S S T R Ö N D
H R A F N S E Y R I
K V E R K FJ Ö L L
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Mountain Pass:
Öxi
Mountain road, Lagarfljót to Berufjörður
It’s closed for much of the winter,
so check road.is before going, but
this high mountain dirt road offers
some absolutely stunning views of
those old, scored, scraped east-
coast mountains slanting down
into the sea. Grip the wheel tight,
take it slow and stop for a break
at every viewpoint. Only go if
you’re in a decent car and up for
some white-knuckle driving. Map
square: G10-H11
Forest:
Hallormstaðurskógar
Hallormsstaður
The east of Iceland is famous for
its forests. While they might not
contain any giant redwoods aor an-
cient oaks, there’s a spruce, piney
selection of woods for you wander
through. Un fact, there are woods
of various types surrounding the
beautiful lake of Lagerfljót, with
many hiking trails, picnic spots,
cabin villages and campsites to
visit. Go get a lungful of oxygen
and celebrate our quiet arboreal
friends. G10
Bar:
Sirkus
Seyðisfjörður
The legendary Sirkus was Rey-
kjavík’s most renowned party bar,
and left a gulf in the city’s nightlife
upon its closure in 2007. Howev-
er, now it has come back to life in
the far eastern outpost of Seyðis-
fjörður. With the original owner
and an energetic crew of new help-
ers, we’re yet to drop by, but we
certainly will next time we’re out
east. For now, be sure to visit if
you’re in the area. I8
Museum: Petra’s
Stone Collection
Stöðvarfjörður
Steinasafn Petru is a museum
dedicated to the life’s work of a
late great local of Stöðvarfjörður
whose hobby of collecting precious
and pretty minerals from the area
spawned this vast rock collection.
Still run by Petra’s descendants,
take your time to feel those crys-
tal vibez. On a summer’s day, it’s a
blissful place to hang out. There’s a
café, a nice garden, and a chance to
pick up a stone or two for yourself.
H10-11
Brewpub: Beljandi
Brewery
Breiðdalsvík
info: facebook.com/beljandibrugghus
The countryside isn’t famous for
its bars, but the fairly recent arriv-
al of Beljandi Brewery is looking
to change that. This Breiðsdalsvík
brew pub more than deserves a vis-
it. The atmosphere is wonderful,
the views are amazing and, like the
waterfall it’s named after, Beljandi
keeps the good stuff flowing. If you
can’t make it out East, visit them
at Mathöll Höfða in Reykjavík. I11
Road Trip:
Reyðarfjörður
Route 92 from Reyðarfjörður to
Eskifjörður and Neskaupsstaður.
This long fjord holds the small
towns of Reyðarfjörður—which has
a few surprising apartment blocks
for smelter workers—and the more
picturesque Eskifjörður. The end
of the road is Neskaupstaður which
boasts a great pool, the Hildibrand
Hotel, an excellent town museum
with a taxidermy diorama and
crystal collection, and boat trips
out into Norðfjörður. If you end up
spending some serious time there,
you can take a multi-day hike out
into the “abandoned fjords” of the
area to truly get away from it all.
H10-I9
USEFUL INFO
Grapevine on the East:
gpv.is/east
Our articles, info and
guides for East Iceland
Tourist Information:
East Iceland Regional Infor-
mation Centre
700 Egilsstaðir, Iceland
www.east.is
info@east.is
Tel: +354 471 2320

Emergency services
Tel: 112 (national helpline)
Weather report
en.vedur.is
Recorded info: +354 902 0600
HOW TO GET THERE
By domestic airline:
Egilsstaðir (EGS)
Flights from Reykjavík.
Sunnudalsvegur, Egilsstaðir
Main airline operator:
www.airiceland.is
Tel: +354 424 4020
Smaller airports
Þórshöfn, from Akureyri with Norlan-
dair (norlandair.is)
Hornafjörður, from Reykjavík with
Eagle Air (eagleair.is)
Vopnafjörður, from Akureyri with
Norlandair (norlandair.is)
By ferry
The Smyril Line Ferry travels between
Seyðisfjörður and the Faroe Islands &
Denmark once a week
Schedule & Info:
www.smyrilline.com
By car:
Road conditions
www.road.is
Tel: 1777
(Summer hours: 08:00-16:00 /
Winter: 06:30-22:00)
By bus:
National Bus Network
www.bus.is
Tel: + 354 540 2700
SAFETY NOTE
The summer “high season” in Iceland
ends on September 1st. Please check
vedur.is/en for weather forecasts
and road.is for driving conditions in
the late summer. Some roads close
completely when weather is poor.
Additional travel alerts can be found at
safetravel.is.
OPENING HOURS
Opening hours may vary outside
of the summer season, so be
sure to check ahead.
Book our recommended tours with ease at