Iceland Adventures – Hólmavík & A Retreat By
the Greenland Sea – 8/27/15
By now Iceland’s chilling rain may sound offputting, and I
will admit that today it prevented us from exploring as thoroughly as we might
have. This was a long day on the road eastbound
from Ísafjörður to the Greenland Sea following the outline of seven minor
fjords along the main Ísafjarðardjúp (“ice fjord deep”). At a few overlooks we got out of the car to marvel
at the never-boring scenery, but I admit we took more photos out the
window. The road surface alternated
between pavement and gravel. The wind was howling.
A welcome reprieve for Paul as the driver and the rest of us
with cramped car legs came as we checked out Hotel Reykjanes at the tip of tiny
Reykjarfjörður. Once the district
school, this is a large complex in the middle of nowhere
(which is almost anywhere in Iceland), but it did not feel like a welcoming
plush hotel, a bit austere. Perhaps the
dreary weather influenced the atmosphere.
In its defense, I imagine it would be fantastic in winter for viewing the northern lights. The hotel boasts a geothermal pool and hot spring, but we didn’t see them. However,
the rejuvenating coffee and hot tea were well-timed and there may or may not
have been a little sweet something to eat.
Back on the road!
Within a predictable amount of time after our coffee/tea
break, it was time to pee. We were now on
Route 61 cutting inland across a moonscape of rocks and little else,
low-growing flowers and nothing taller than my ankles. It wasn’t pretty, but some of us – no names
here – had to pee behind the car in the windy, sideways pelting rain. Fortunately, this was the low point of the
trip and we got that over with. Just
want you to know the underside of glamour adventure travel.
The big entertainment of the day was Hólmavík, a small
fishing village where one can restock on groceries and fuel and, most importantly,
visit the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery & Witchcraft. Which we did.
How to describe this? Spells,
rituals, potions, history, artifacts and “necropants.” In the 1600’s purported practitioners of the
dark arts were mostly males (poor) who were accused, condemned and hunted (by
the wealthy) and about 20 were burned at the stake. If someone was accused of causing bad crops,
and then the crops were still bad after the “witch” was dead, well, a shrug of
the shoulders and on to accuse the next-door neighbor. The museum presents the
viewpoint of condemning the false accusers and hunters. Iceland eventually got a grip on this mania,
but the museum leaves a lot to the imagination of present-day beliefs. Guess you’ll just have to go and see the
necropants for yourself.
Stomach-turning exhibits didn’t prevent us from enjoying lunch at their fine Restaurant Galdur. (Mike skipped the museum so he could be first in line.)
Stomach-turning exhibits didn’t prevent us from enjoying lunch at their fine Restaurant Galdur. (Mike skipped the museum so he could be first in line.)
From Hólmavík we headed south on Route 68, now following the
coast of the Greenland Sea. Our
accommodations for tonight were quite different. Since there was no town at the “right” overnight
location on our meandering route between Ísafjörður and Reykjavik, through
Airbnb I booked an isolated house on the coast. With fingers crossed, following
rough directions and knowing that there was no Plan B, we kept our eyes peeled
through the windshield wipers for a sign for “Borgir”. Cathy is the only one who spotted it as we
drove past, yelling out, “Hey, I think that’s it!” Per the owner’s instructions, I called his
neighbor, who came right over to meet us with the keys to our home for the
night. Don’t let the humble exterior
fool you.
The basement door opens onto the little driveway and just a couple of stone steps down to the Greenland Sea
Inside on the main floor, three simple bedrooms, a full
bath, mud room and laundry room (with Icelandic wool sweaters for sale!)
Living room
A cozy kitchen with a front row view of the ocean
Still midafternoon, Cathy and I were determined to go for a
coastal hike. I had left my rain pants in storage in Reykjavik, so Mike loaned
me his.
Rocky beach piled with seaweed
I’m glad I’m not an Icelandic sheep in this weather
The wind was
so fierce, walking was difficult and the rain pelted like needles. The neighbor lady told us that about a mile
up the coast there is a favorite rock hangout for seals, but we didn’t make it
that far.
But don’t feel sorry for us just yet – this unassuming but
awesome house had a trick up its sleeve, or rather down in the basement. In addition to a TV/reading room lined floor
to ceiling with bookshelves and VCR tapes (yes, VCR tapes) and a room filled
with all sorts of gear for kayaking and cross-country skiing, there was a wet
sauna!
After peeling off our soaking cold layers, Cathy and I
cranked up the heat, ladled on the water, and Kim joined us for a good hot
steam bath. When we couldn’t stand it
any longer, we slipped on our Keens, ran out the front door and gingerly
stepped into the Greenland Sea – yikes! Back
into the steam room! Can you imagine the surreal feeling? This is an iconic memory among memories.
The tide was in and happy hour was upon us. With provisions we had purchased back in Ísafjörður,
we prepared a feast of pasta with sauce and sauted vegetables, salad, good
bread and wine. A little sad to have
just one night at this little retreat by the sea. One more item for the “return” trip list!
“When you realize how perfect everything is,
you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.” ~Buddha
1 comment:
Hi,
Nice write up.
Do any of the huts along the route have mains electricity available for recharging battery packs /phones etc via USB charger?
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