Iceland review - 2016, Blaðsíða 58

56 ICELAND REVIEW
COMMUNITY
business—he produced shark oil, which
was used for street lighting in foreign
cities—and a village formed on the land
of Syðstibær. His house is now a museum
dedicated to local history.
Now, as before, islanders create their
own opportunities. When the island’s
only store was closed, they decided to
take matters into their own hands and
opened Hríseyjarbúðin last year—a
co-op in which 53 islanders own shares.
The island was long known for its special
breed of Galloway cattle and local res-
taurant Brekka was famous for its steaks.
Now, Brekka has been closed and the cat-
tle are gone. However, when it’s available,
Galloway meat from the Hrísey breed—
now kept at a farm in North Iceland—is
used in the hamburgers served at new
restaurant Verbúðin 66, run by Linda
María Ásgeirsdóttir, who is also on the
board of the local tourism association.
She helps organize culinary tours to the
island, which include a feast of cod steaks
and fish stew, spiced with angelica seeds,
and stock fish from Hvammsfiskur, in
Hákarla-Jörundur’s old house.
Also this summer, Birgir Snorrason, a
baker from Akureyri, and his wife, Kristín
Petra Guðmundsdóttir, opened Eyjakaffi
café in the living room of their house,
with a view of the fjord. “We’re going to
try it out this summer and see whether
it pays off,” says Birgir. Hrísey remains
popular among part-time residents like
themselves, whereas the number of all-
year residents is declining and the pop-
ulation is ageing. Last winter there were
only 19 students in the local pre and
elementary school. After the age of 16,
students have to go to the mainland for
schooling. “The situation is improving,”
says Linda, optimistic about the future
of her island. Some local businesses
have received grants from the Icelandic
Regional Development Institute, aimed
at reinforcing communities with few
inhabitants. “A family with three kids just
moved here,” she reveals—a welcome
addition to the school and the enthusias-
tic island community. u
Looking north
to the mouth of
Eyjafjörður fjord;
Hrísey basking in
the midnight sun.
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