Iceland review - 2016, Page 93

ICELAND REVIEW 91
EAST ICELANDSPECIAL PROMOTION
From left: Eskifjörður;
On the set of British TV series Fortitude in Reyðarfjörður;
Nóntindar mountain in Fjarðardalur.
Fjarðabyggð is characterized by its picturesque fishing vil-
lages. All are surrounded by the region’s signature steep
mountains and shimmering rich sea, but each also offers
something truly unique to the visitor and has its own individual
charm.
The Great Outdoors must surely be the municipality’s biggest
draw, with its guided village walks, its ample ocean and fresh water
fishing, and its excellent hiking trails (including in the Hólmanes
nature reserve), to name just a few.
A little more refined, but still outdoors, Fjarðabyggð has three
great golf courses and three of Iceland’s most memorable out-
door swimming pools, where you can survey the landscape and
sea from the luxury of a hot pot—or try out one of Iceland’s best
water slides at the Neskaupstaður pool.
Fjarðabyggð boasts not only activities and scenery, but also
an impressive array of festivals and cultural events; including
metal music festival Eistnaflug—one of Iceland’s most famous
festivals with international appeal and fans around the globe.
Then there’s Neistaflug, a weekend-long festival early each Au-
gust which is more family-friendly but no less vibrant.
Other notable events in the Fjarðabyggð social calendar in-
clude: Hiking Week, the French Days and Occupation Day.
Some of these festivals are a clear nod to Fjarðabyggð’s col-
orful history; having been the historical home-from-home of
groups of French and Norwegian fishermen and whalers, and
later being at the heart of Iceland’s surprising Second World
War story.
You can chart the municipality’s unusually fascinating story
at its many museums and exhibitions, including: the East Ice-
land Maritime Museum, the Museum House—three-museums-
in-one—in Neskaupstaður, the Icelandic Wartime Museum in
Reyðarfjörður, or the Museum of French Fishermen in Iceland
in the still-heavily-French-influenced village of Fáskrúðsfjörður.
Fjarðabyggð offers several top-class hotels and restaurants,
serving food as good, or better, than you’ll find anywhere in the
capital. And that’s just as well, because Fjarðabyggð is a place
where you can forget time: a place which runs to a different tem-
po and where comfortable surroundings and good food make
all the difference.
Don’t worry, though, in Fjarðabyggð you don’t need to stay
in a hotel to have comfortable surroundings. You can achieve
peace and total relaxation from inside a tent, especially at
Mjóifjörður—the country’s smallest (and cutest) village, harbor
and campsite. If neither appeals, then there are also welcoming
farmhouses and quaint guesthouses on offer.
Wherever you stay, be sure to try some of that excellent food.
The local dried fish and fermented shark must be bought direct
from the producer and are an acquired taste. The lamb, dairy
and seafood, however, always hit the spot!
fjardabyggd.is
The East Iceland municipality of Fjarðabyggð is more than just
a town—it’s actually six towns and villages in some of
the country’s most stunning scenery.
FJORDS AND FREEDOM