Iceland review - 2002, Qupperneq 76

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ICELAND
Reykjavík
Siglufjördur
WhereHistorySprings toLife
M U S E U M O F T H E H E R R I N G E R A I N S I G L U F J Ö R D U R
r ist r ri s t if
AS A THRIVING CAPITAL OF ICELAND’S HERRING industry
during the first half of this century, Siglufjördur was a magnet for
sailors and fish workers. The town developed its own lively cul-
ture based on the herring fisheries, where the salting lots turned
into dance floors at night.
Recapture the romance of by-gone days by visiting the Museum
of the Herring Era. During the summer the “silver of the sea” is
salted the old-fashioned way on weekends, followed by spirited
dancing to traditional accordion music. The museum is open
daily in the summer and by appointment at other times. Guided
tours are available for groups, and a slide show that chronicles the
town’s history and distinctive way of life.
For further information, contact the Museum,
P.O. Box 191, IS-580 Siglufjördur, Iceland,
tel (354) 467 1604, fax (354) 460 5601, www.siglo.is/herring
Alternatively, contact the Town Offices, tel (354) 460 5600,
fax (354) 467 1589, e-mail siglo@siglo.is, www.siglo.is
Stokkalækur Travel Service, 851 Hella, Rang,
tel: (+354) 487-8780, e-mail:
stokkalaekur@stokkalaekur.is,
www.stokkalaekur.is
A Highland Retreat
The family-run Stokkalækur Travel Service offers
a wide range of activities all year round
Stokkalækur is a year-round travel service located on the border of the Icelandic
Highlands (south Iceland), run by the couple Gústav Stolsenwald and Thorbjörg
Atladóttir. There you will find a campsite, a small barn-turned-country hotel with a restau-
rant and bar, surrounded by grazing sheep and wandering Icelandic horses, and a sum-
mer house which rests in a quaint hideaway by the babbling brook which lends the farm
its name. The old 200 m2 hay barn on the farm has been transformed into an indoor gar-
den with a hot pot for warming the bones and softening the muscles after a hike or sight-
seeing trip.
Stokkalækur offers guests the opportunity to explore the surrounding area, with three- or
four-day hikes or jeep trips to the often ill-tempered volcano Mt. Hekla, and the reserves
of Landmannalaugar and Thórsmörk. The organised trips also include a day of relaxation
at Stokkalækur farm, in the company of the farmer himself. During the day, guests have
a look around the farm, greet the animals, collect plants, visit the oldest house in the
country, and enjoy the surroundings. As the day draws to a close, the bonfire is lit and
the barbecue is tendered, whilst traditional dances from Iceland, the Faroe Islands and
Greenland are shown.
Guests can also enjoy day trips to the ‘pearls of the south’, Gullfoss and Geysir, or ask
Stokkalækur to organise group jeep excursions, ski adventures, mountain tours or other
activities. The farm even offers the opportunity to travel around the land and over its high-
est mountain in a record-breaking 80 minutes – the land of Stokkalækur of course, not
Iceland, but never the less a worthy challenge and an experience to remember.
74 IR 302 Stokkalækur/Siglufj 2.9.2002 19:10 Page 74