Atlantica - 01.04.2006, Page 92

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SPECIAL PROMOTION
Reykjavík 871 +/- 2: The Settlement Exhibition
On May 12, the opening day of the Reykjavík
Arts Festival, the Reykjavík City Museum
will open its new exhibition, Reykjavík 871 +/- 2.
In 2001, a Viking-age longhouse, dated from
around 930 AD, was found in archeological excava-
tions in the center of Reykjavík. The ruins of the
longhouse, which are part of a man-made struc-
ture, have been preserved and are now on display
on-site. These are the oldest archeological findings
in Reykjavík. Also on display are objects/artifacts
from the Viking age found in central Reykjavík and
on the island of Videy.
The title “Reykavík 871+/- 2” comes from
the dating of the settlement layer of tephra, or
volcanic ash, formed in an eruption in 871 +/- 2
years. Through the multimedia exhibition, guests
can find out about the life of the people who lived
there and see a model of the longhouse. Questions
posed are: Where did Reykjavík’s first settlers
come from? What did the environment – nature
– look like at the time of settlement? How did they
live? Who lived in the longhouse?
Reykjavík 871 +/- 2 is part of the Reykjavík
City Museum. The exhibition will be open daily
from 13 May, 10am to 5pm, and is in the basement
of the Hotel Reykjavík Centrum, at the corner
of Adalstræti and Sudurgata, Adalstræti 16, 101
Reykjavík. www.Reykjavik871.is.
Seatours Brings You
the Best of the Bay
Svanborg Siggeirsdóttir, marketing manager
of Seatours, one of Iceland’s main operators
in the area of recreational tourism outside the
capital, answers questions about what to do when
in the Stykkishólmur area.
What is Seatours’s focus in tourism?
We mainly focus on cruises. We have a small
fleet of ships, including two catamaran cruisers
that can take up to 150 passengers each. We now
have a new car ferry for crossing Breidafjördur
and one smaller boat for 12 passengers. With 20
years of experience, the company has equipment
of all the best quality and all safety requirements
in perfect order.
What kinds of cruises do you offer?
The car ferry Baldur crosses Breidafjördur from
Stykkishólmur on the Snæfellsnes peninsula to
Brjánslækur in the north via the island Flatey,
twice per day during summertime. This year we
have a new ferry with even better facilities than
the old one. People often choose to stop between
tours on the charming island of Flatey where time
literally stands still. Most of Flatey’s buildings are
from the 19th century and give the impression of
traveling back in time. In the summer, you’ll find
a charming restaurant in the Samkomuhús and
accommodation in the newly-renovated Pakkhús.
Our most popular tour is the Unique Adventure
Tour from Stykkishólmur, a nature and bird-
watching tour that takes 2 hours and 15 minutes.
You enter a world where the wildlife thrives in its
own natural environment, with the wonders of
strangely-shaped cliffs and amazing birdlife. The
high point of the trip is when a net-plough is cast
overboard and the seabed trawled for shellfish and
sea urchin to taste and look at. Sometimes we offer
dinner gourmet cruises from Stykkishólmur.
From Ólafsvík on the Snæfellsnes peninsula
we have been operating whale watching tours for
the last nine years. The area is one of the hottest
areas in the world for whale watching. Possible
sightings are dolphins (90 to 95 percent chance),
minke whale (60 percent), orca/ killer whale (50
to 60 percent), humpback whale (30 percent), blue
whale (30 to 40 percent during the right season),
sperm whale (10 to 25 percent) and other whale
species (10 percent).
Do you offer more activities?
Seatours can help you arrange kayak tours for
up to 30 people with an experienced guide, as well
as aerial sightseeing over the Bay and Snaefellsnes
glacier, horse trekking, and snowmobile tours. We
also sell green fees and rent golf equipment, bike
gear, fishing gear and life jackets. To learn about
the history of the area, we offer guided history
and culture walking tours of Stykkishólmur, and
last but not least, we’ll take you to Bjarnarhöfn
farm, where you can experience firsthand the
famous Icelandic tradition of eating rotten shark.
Seatours Ltd. Smidjustigur 3, 340 Stykkishólmur,
Snæfellsnes. +354 438 1450. www.seatours.is
The new car ferry Baldur.
A doll from
the Viking age,
on exhibit.
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