Thursday, July 29
And drove and drove and drove…
It was a long day in the car as we drove most of Iceland’s eastern reaches. And it wasn’t Sue’s favorite day, as we had to traverse three high mountain passes with narrow lanes and sheer drops. At least the Icelandic government had saved money on guard rails.
We had gleaned a good bit of advice from the son of the proprietor at Skallafell Farm. And we cashed the first bit of that soon after leaving Höfn. A long tunnel marks the end of the regions below the Vatna Glacier. You emerge on the other side into a land of long, sweeping bays. Just before entering the tunnel, a gravel road leads to the settlement of Stokksnes right at the end of a point that juts far out into the Atlantic. This is the Vesterhorn that marks the end of Southeast Iceland.
The views back onto the Vatna Glacier, its outlets, and the mountains was splendid.
The peak on the left is Hvannadalshnjúkur, at 6921 feet the highest point in Iceland. Stokknes is also home to a fully reconstructed Viking village, built as a film set…for a film that was never made. Perhaps we’ll have a look on our next trip.
Sue shot some of the local residents as we drove back along the road.
After passing through the tunnel, the long bays between the glaciers and the fjords were beautiful; think Big Sur with no trees (but with landslides and with some typically Icelandic volcanic landforms.
Historical note: remember way back at Thingvellir when you saw a picture of the Law Rock from which the Lawgiver would proclaim the law of all the Icelandic tribes? Well, the very first lawgiver, Úlfljótr, was born and lived right here on this bay. He was sent to Norway to learn about communal law and returned with ideas that shaped Iceland down to the present day. This is his monument.
After the long bays we arrived at the little port of Djupivogur; we treated ourselves to a piece of cake and coffee.
We were now at the beginning of the fjords. The ring road traces the outlines of the first two before turning straight north toward the regional capital, Egilsta∂ir. Here, too, the scenery is stunning. We were in country where the glaciers had receded long ago, carving spectacular cirques into the mountains.
The land along the water was beautiful as well; most of the fjords are home to large fish farms.
As we reached the turnoff for the last of the East Fjords, and our lodging for the night, we decided to follow one last tip from our friend at Skallafell; rather than turning east immediately, we drove north toward the hamlet of Borgarfjör∂ur Eystri in the far northeast corner of Iceland.
The roads here are littered with oddities. As we drove north into a remote region, we passed a little green structure that we later discovered was a solar and wind powered vending machine. Just in case you just can’d do without that coke.
Most of the road north is oiled dirt, and in pretty good shape. We were able to drive it at 45 mph. Until, that is, the road rose precipitously over a high mountain pass with precipitous drops, heavy fog, and no guardrails. Sue was not a happy passenger.
On the other side, the road became a corniche road, riding directly over the waves of the North Atlantic. Mind blowingly beautiful, but not for everyone. The town itself has one of the most spectacular settings we’ve seen in Iceland: high black, ominous mountains on one side, and brightly colored rhyolite mountains on the other, all set right on a sparkling blue bay (they call it a fjord, but it is a rather stunted one). Unfortunately, the mountains were most hidden in mist, so no pics!
Five kilometers north is a remarkable place: a bird sanctuary that has one of the largest puffin colonies in the country. We were able to get quite close to the strange little creatures!
After driving back over the mountain, we retraced our steps and, on reaching spot at which we had turned north, we turned east and were soon driving over yet another mountain pass, this one guarding the land entry to the little town of Sey∂isfjör∂ur. The town is rather charming, with some abandoned industrial spaces that have been turned into studios and art galleries. The setting is remarkable, with sheer mountain walls on both sides.
The very steepness of the slopes, though, has given the town a certain history, and Sue had unfortunately informed herself rather amply about that history. In 1996 an avalanche wiped out a major fish factory; luckily no one was injured, but the locals extracted the mangled girders from the structure, painted them white, and put up a memorial to the event.
And in December 2020 a mudslide came down and destroyed a dozen houses and damaged thirty more.
The entire town was evacuated until it could be established that the slopes were sufficiently stable. Since you’re reading this blog post, you know that we survived.
The ferry from Denmark docks here…as the wonderful Icelandic cop show “Trapped” made famous. Relatively little of the show’s two seasons are actually shot here, though: 90% of the show was filmed in Siglufjör∂ur…for which see far below.
Here are some shots from Sey∂isfjör∂ur, including the ferry terminal, the lovely “blue church,” and some of the colorfully painted houses.
Our hotel, the Aldan, occupies three different historic buildings. The main building houses two restaurants and the reception. The Nordic restaurant on the top floor is reputed to have some of the best sushi in Iceland…but they were booked. We had a very nice meal in the “regular” restaurant instead.