Iceland review - 2014, Síða 74

72 ICELAND REVIEW
For the next ten years, djúpavík was a booming town,
bringing thousands of tons of the ‘silver of the sea,’ as her-
ring was called in iceland, to the factory, improving the
financial status and living standards of the whole Strandir
region.
However, in 1948 and 1949, there were hardly any catches,
and despite attempts to keep the enterprise running, the fac-
tory closed for good in 1954, 60 years ago.
after that, the village was abandoned again, until Hótel
djúpavík was established in the old women’s quarters of the
laborers’ housing facilities and conservation of the factory
began.
Reaching djúpavík could not be simpler. the village lies
at a distance of only 280 km (173 miles) from Ísafjörður and
340 km from Reykjavík on the dead-end road number 643,
which is in rugged condition with huge potholes and cling-
ing to steep slopes: iceland’s rawness up close.
along the way, you will see on one side the beautiful coast-
line dotted with vast expanses of Siberian driftwood, and
on the other side, you will see high mountains, numerous
brooks and massive rocks.
When entering djúpavík, the first thing you will notice
is the rusty hull of the 100-year-old former passenger and
cargo ship Suðurland (‘South iceland’), waiting to be photo-
graphed before it disappears into the frequently-incoming
fog, creating an anomalous atmosphere that no other place
in iceland can match. *
deStiNAtioN
on the right is the herring factory
built 80 years ago, in 1934.