Atlantica - 01.06.2004, Qupperneq 30

To find the Snæfellsnes peninsula, take
the Ring Road from Reykjavík and fol-
low the signs to Akureyri. When you get
to Borgarnes, turn left on Route 54 and
the rugged peninsula is yours to
explore.
What you’ll notice straight away is
the peninsula’s diversity, with grass-
lands, lava fields, some of Iceland’s
most precious beaches, all centred
around the pull of Snæfellsjökull glaci-
er, which marks the entry point into the
centre of the earth, according to Jules
Verne.
Mystics claim that a magnetic pole
shoots out the top of the glacier, provid-
ing all you crystal-huggers and pan-flute
musicians with healing magic. And if
you’re tracking aliens, there’s no better
place than Snæfellsnes, or so say UFO-
ologists.
Histrionics aside, snowmobile up the
glacier and at 1446 m above sea level
you’ll be treated to stunning views that
just might make a believer out of you.
THE BIG BLUE
Route 54 takes you to Búdir, where a
small church sits at the edge of a lava
field — the lava flow is said to have
stopped right at the church’s doorstep
thanks to what might be called divine
intervention.
Past Búdir, follow Route 54 up and
over the mountain pass. Surrounded by
mountains, you’ll feel so small –
regardless of the size of your rental car
– that you’ll understand what it’s like to
be swallowed by a whale. Stay the
course, and you’ll wind up in the town
of Ólafsvík. Here you can indeed hop on
a boat and sail after the world’s largest
POWER PENINSULA
Jules Verne wrote about it in Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
Alien hunters have gathered around it, waiting for a close encounter
with space travellers. Mystics claim it has an energy field that heals.
Isn’t it time you visited Iceland’s Snæfellsnes peninsula,
asks Edward Weinman.
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