Michael Powell's Blog, page 108

The Southern Coast of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula

They day after our soul-crushing 20-mile trek out of Hellissandur, we hopped on a bus run by Snæfellsnes Excursions which brought us around the southern coast of the peninsula. Sitting in a bus all day, and basking in the awe-inspiring scenery of the Snæfellsnes without any walking involved? That sounded lovely.

Our first stop was at a black-stone beach called Djúpalónssandur. Huge, craggy rock formations surround the small inlet, which until recently had been an important fishing port. You ca...

Hiking around the Western Snæfellsness, Part 2

Our excursion into the Snæfellsjökull National Park was the first big hike we’d embarked on in Iceland, and turned out to be an incredible introduction to the country’s beautiful nature. By the early afternoon, we had already seen an old Irish well, an amazing crater, a lava-field… and met an unfriendly group of archaeologists. But the second part of our day would prove to be even more action-packed.

Snæfellsjökull, always in the distance, led us on

A long walk from the Saxhóll Crater brought u...

Hiking around the Western Snæfellsness, Part 1

We set out early from Hellissandur for a big day of hiking around the western end of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. This was our first long hike in Iceland, and we had planned a promising route through lava fields, to the rims of craters, past waterfalls and across glacial rivers. Well, “crossing glacial rivers” wasn’t actually something we mapped out; it was more a delightful surprise at the day’s end.

Saxhóll Crater

We had stayed the night at the comfortable Hotel Hellissandur, and gorged ourselv...

Sushi, Viking Style

Everyone we talked to about our upcoming trip to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula had the same recommendation: a boat tour of the islands around Stykkishólmur. And when you get the same suggestion from a bunch of different locals, it’s smart to listen. So we bought tickets and boarded an early afternoon tour leaving Stykkishólmur’s harbor. The locals were right: this was one of the most entertaining excursions we’d yet had in Iceland.

Sea Urchin Roe in a Scallop Shell

A company called SeaTours runs a...

Stykkishólmur and its Museums

With its quaint multi-colored houses and outstanding location on a spit of land sticking into the Breiðafjörður Bay, Stykkishólmur was our favorite town during our three-day trip to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Though its population is only around 1000, there’s plenty to occupy visitors… including three excellent museums.

After setting up our tent near the golf course on the outskirts of town, we set off into the mean streets of Stykkishólmur. This is not a place which requires a lot of time to...

The Icelandic Phallological Museum (NSFW?)

It was my birthday, and Jürgen had thought of the perfect present: a trip to the Penis Museum! After all, what on the surface of this wonderful earth could delight a birthday boy more than a building full of animal dongs?

One of Iceland’s most bizarre attractions is the Phallological Museum in downtown Reykjavík, near the Hlemmur bus station. For reasons of his own which I’d rather not dwell on, Sigurdur Hjartarson of Húsavík decided to start collecting animal penises in 1974, eventually turni...

Icelandic: Prepare for a Headache

Being a tiny country cast off into the farthest reaches of Northern Europe, it should be unsurprising that Icelanders are fiercely proud of their language. Despite the relatively low number of native speakers, Icelandic is in no danger of disappearing.

As far as most visitors are concerned, there are two important points to know: (a) Icelandic is one of the world’s most difficult languages to master, and (b) almost everyone in Iceland speaks superb English. So unless you’re here for the long h...

Snorkeling at the Silfra Fissure

Floating on your stomach in near-freezing water is normally a thing you only experience after being murdered by the mafia. But in the right circumstances, it can be enjoyable. When you’re alive, for instance, and looking through crystal clear glacial water at the Silfra Fissure.

As the North American and European tectonic plates drift away from each other, Iceland is being stretched apart. The island is growing at two to three centimeters a year, and the rift valley near Þingvellir provides an...

The 871±2 Settlement Exhibition

Iceland welcomed its first permanents resident in the 9th century, when Ingólfur Arnarson landed on the shores of Reykjavík. Today, most physical traces of early Viking culture have vanished, so it was a big deal when a longhouse was discovered in central Reykjavík, in 2001. After careful excavation, it’s been opened to visitors as the the 871±2 Settlement Exhibition.

The strange name of the exhibition refers to the year the discovered settlement has been dated to, plus or minus the two-year r...

Puffin Spotting

With their bright orange beaks and white-feathered faces, puffins are far and away Iceland’s favorite bird. Ten million of the little guys make their home here, and though they generally colonize cliffs or off-shore islands, there are opportunities to spot them even in Reykjavík. It was to this end that we hopped on a boat departing the city harbor.

Special Tours’ Puffin Express delivered on its name. Within no time, we had reached Akurey Island, a favorite breeding spot near the capital. Ther...