Iceland review - 2013, Page 110

108 ICELAND REVIEW
travel
The Vestmannaeyjar (‘Westman Islands’) archipelago consists
of 15 islands. Home to 4,200 people, Heimaey is the only one
which is inhabited. In 1973 the Eldfell volcanic eruption buried
400 houses in lava and ash and threatened to bring life on the
island to an end but most inhabitants returned to rebuild their
community.
The effects of the eruption are still present. Signposts with
names of vanished streets have been placed in the new lava, the
tables at the cozy café Vinaminni are dedicated to lost neighbor-
hoods and the people who lived there, pillars around town indi-
cate how high the ash level was at the end of the eruption and
the volcano Eldfell blocks the view that islanders used to have of
Iceland’s southern coast and Eyjafjallajökull glacier. Eldfell makes
an easy and recommendable hike. It’s fascinating to stand in the
crater which 40 years ago wreaked so much havoc and observe
steam still coming out of its lukewarm rim. The local Heritage
Museum runs an exhibition about the eruption and next year,
Eldheimar, a new museum dedicated to the event, is set to open.
Built around the remains of a house dug out of pumice, the
museum will also include a multimedia exhibition about the Eldfell
eruption and an information center about Surtsey. This UNESCO
World Heritage Site is the archipelago’s youngest and southern-
most island, created in an underwater eruption 1963-1967. It has
since been preserved as a living laboratory.
Vestmannaeyjar are also famous for their birdlife, particular-
ly the puffin, which has become somewhat of a mascot for the
islanders. The world’s largest puffin colony is in Vestmannaeyjar,
numbering millions of birds. Bird watching tours are inevitably
popular among visitors to Heimaey, as are sightseeing tours by
sea and air, walks, horseback riding and sea angling. Golfers favor
the island’s unusual 18-hole golf course with the annual Icelandair
Volcano Open, a two-day international golf tournament in early
July, attracting amateur players. The town also has a number of
restaurants and cafés, hotels, guesthouses, a campsite and swim-
ming pool.
Boasting the second-largest fishing station in the country, fish-
eries remain the main industry on Heimaey. This reality of Vest-
mannaeyjar proved an inspiration for Hulda Hákon, one of Ice-
land’s most accomplished artists, who chose to base her studio on
Heimaey. Her exhibition Birds, Sea, House, People, Ship, Sunshine
and Fish, which runs through August 11 at the local Freemasons’
building, includes wall reliefs of mackerel and trawler Sigurður VE.
The ocean that surrounds the islands and the creatures inhabiting
it are also the theme of Sæheimar, the only aquarium in Iceland.
At a distance of 8 km (5 miles) from the mainland, Heimaey can
be reached by ferry in only 30 minutes from Landeyjahöfn. Flights
are also offered by Eagle Air from Reykjavík. The unique islands
are just waiting to be explored, so what are you waiting for?

IslAnds extrAordInAIre
There’s more to Vestmannaeyjar than volcanoes and puffins.
The friendly island community of Heimaey welcomes visitors,
offering a range of tourism services and diverse tours for those
eager to explore the archipelago’s spectacular nature.
www.vikingtours.is | +354 4884884
Boat tours
Bus tours
Sightseeing
10.000.000 seabirds can’t be wrong!
Come and join us
for a day to remember
+354-661-1810
Tour Operator
Authorised by
Icelandic Tourist Board
info@ribsafari.is Hulda Hákon’s art exhibition opening.
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vestmannaeyjar.is/en/visit