Michael Powell's Blog, page 101
October 17, 2013
Akureyri – Iceland’s Second City
When we pulled into Akureyri, I thought Iceland must be playing an elaborate joke on us. This cute little village was supposed to be the second-biggest city in the country? Come on, Iceland, stop kidding. Where’s the real Akureyri? Where is this “Capital of the North” we’ve read so much about? Where are you hiding it?
After days in the tiny hamlets which dot Iceland’s northern coast, we had been eager to visit a big city, so the first couple hours in Akureyri left us completely disillusioned....
October 16, 2013
Tractors, Ptarmigans and Dried Cod at Hrísey Island
Inclement weather and an irregular winter ferry schedule conspired to ruin our trip to the northern island of Grímsey, the only place in Iceland which crosses the Arctic Circle. But we’ve been in this country long enough to have learned: always have a Plan B. And so we hopped on a different ferry bound for Hrísey, Iceland’s second-biggest island.
We weren’t too excited about Hrísey, and even a bit antagonistic toward it. The island sits right in the middle of the Eyjafjörður bay, not far off t...
Ólafsfjörður
A village of just 800 inhabitants built around a natural bay of the same name, Ólafsfjörður was our base for three days of exploring the eastern half of the Tröllaskagi Peninsula. The town itself doesn’t have a lot to distract tourists, but the surrounding landscape picks up the slack.
In Northern Iceland, September is “winter” and a lot of touristy sights close up shop. So we weren’t surprised to find Ólafsfjörður’s lone attraction, the Natural History Museum (Nátúrrugripsafniđ), closed. And...
October 15, 2013
Siglufjörður’s Herring Era Museum
Until being usurped by tourism, fishing had always been Iceland’s most important industry, and its biggest factory was found in the tiny northern town of Sigluförður. Today the former plant houses a fascinating museum dedicated to the bygone days when herring was king.
The herring boom which gripped Iceland at the dawn of the 20th century was something like a gold rush. Thousands of people and hundreds of ships flocked to Siglufjörður to stake their claim on the “silver of the sea”. Decades pa...
A Drive Around Tröllaskagi
Although the great majority of it is completely inaccessible to anyone but the most adventurous hiker, the peninsula of Tröllaskagi is one of Iceland’s more heavily-populated regions. It’s book-ended by Sauðárkrókúr to the west and Akureyri to the east, with the towns of Hofsós, Sigluförður, Dalvík and Ólafsfjörður strung out along the coast. We drove along the coastal road just after the year’s first snowfall.
We’re starting to become more Icelandic. On the morning we were leaving Sauðárkrókú...
October 14, 2013
Hey There, Pretty Horse: Prepare For Your Close-Up
The first time I saw an Icelandic Horse, it was laying on the ground, on its side. “Horses don’t lay down”, I thought. “It must be dead!” And then it rolled onto its back, all the way over onto its other side, and stood up in one semi-fluid movement. “It must be insane!”
Laying down and rolling aren’t the only tricks the Icelandic Horse has up its sleeve. It has also mastered the art of looking fabulous. With their vast array of colors, incredible manes, and sassy attitudes, Iceland’s horses w...
The Annual Horse Roundup at Sauðárkrókúr
Most of Iceland’s horses spend their time wild and free in the highlands, instead of on farms. Like sheep, they roam at their own whim, with neither supervision nor control, able to graze wherever they choose. But once a year, toward the end of summer, they’re brought down from the mountains.
We happened to be in Sauðárkrókúr during this year’s roundup, which sees a group of farmers recruit their friends, neighbors, and even some courageous tourists to hop into the saddle and gallop off into t...
October 13, 2013
Me and Mósa, My Icelandic Horse
Our time together was short, but Mósa didn’t need long to work her way into my heart. I loved soft coat, her short stature, her rich color, and how she farted with every other step. I loved her mane, and her mild countenance when I accidentally pulled some of it out. I loved how determined she was to speed past others when it came time to gallop. Her stubbornness. And most of all, I loved that she didn’t buck me off, when it would have been so easy.
We were invited on a morning ride with Hesta...
October 11, 2013
Ósar and Borgarvirki
The eastern coast of the Vatnsnes Peninsula has a couple worthwhile places to stop. At Ósar, there’s a seal colony which lives on a sandbank just across a narrow stretch of water. And the incredible Viking-era fort at Borgarvirki offers interesting history and a fantastic view of the region.
Borgarvirki
It was an extremely windy afternoon, and we feared that the seal colony which lives at Ósar wouldn’t be home. At first, these fears were borne out — we hiked about fifteen minutes down to the sh...
October 10, 2013
Hveravellir: Halfway through the Highlands
At the midway point of our journey along the Klöjur road, we stayed overnight at Hveravellir. After hours of desolate lava fields and no signs of life apart from the occasional shrub, we greeted this lonesome outpost like Bedouins stumbling upon an oasis in the desert.
Hveravellir is a lodge with just the most basic of services: some food, a room to relax, beds, and most importantly, people to talk to. The Klöjur Road gets lonely! So, although I felt bad for the two girls working in the lodge,...
