Snow is snow is snow. One way of coping with it is to try to ignore it, but I think we should play with it more.
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More than eight percent of Icelandic boys take medicine for neurological and psychological ailments on a daily basis. This is revealed in a new report by Welfare Watch, an initiative of the Ministry of Welfare.
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Click on the picture to watch an audio slideshow of Þorrablót, an Icelandic mid-winter feast. In the past there was no fresh food available at this time of year so people ate dried fish, smoked lamb, putrefied shark and soured blood and liver pudding along with other soured meat products—ram testicles included.
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Fjallabyggd (“Mountain Settlement”) is a skier’s dream. Its slopes are perfect for slaloming and there are also tracks for telemark skiing. Winter sport enthusiasts can also go ice skating, rent snowmobiles and try ice fishing.
Fjallabyggd (pop. 2,200) is a municipality in northeast Iceland uniting the towns Ólafsfjördur and Siglufjördur. The distance between the towns dropped to 15 kilometers from up to 234 kilometers with the opening of a new tunnel in 2010.
In summer, Fjallabyggd turns into a paradise for hikers. There are a variety of hiking paths in the majestic landscape. Tourists are also drawn to the black-sand beaches and the peaceful Ólafsfjardarvatn Lake.
Hobby fishers can choose from a range of locations. Apart from rod fishing in the lake, they can fish in the rivers Ólafsfjardará and Hólsá, try their luck with sea angling on Hédinsfjördur fjord or simply toss their baited hook off the pier.
Midnight cruises, some of which cross the Arctic Circle, are available and they can be combined with hiking trips. Fjallabyggd has activities for everyone; it also has two nine-hole golf courses and two thermal swimming pools.
Siglufjördur prides itself of its award-winning museum Síldarminjasafnid, which documents the “silver of the sea” era, herring fishing and processing in Iceland. The natural history museum in Ólafsfjördur displays different species of stuffed birds.
Accommodation and tourist services:
- Brimnes Hotel and Cabins (Bylgjubyggd 2, 625 Ólafsfjördur, Tel: +354 466-2400, hotel@brimnes.is, www.brimnes.is).
- Siglufjördur Tourist Service (Tel: +345 467-2293, siguro@simnet.is, www.siglo-travel.is).
- Hvanneyri Guesthouse (Adalgata 10, 580 Siglufjördur, Tel: +354 467-1506 and +354 864-1850, order@hvanneyri.com, www.hvanneyri.com).
- Raudka Guesthouse, Siglufjördur (opens in spring or summer).
- Burstabrekka Guesthouse, Ólafsfjördur (opens in spring or summer).
Shops/restaurants:
- Gas Station Sölvar (Tjarnargata, 580 Siglufjördur, Tel: +354 467-1415).
- Bío Café - Restaurant (Aðalgata 30, 580 Siglufjördur, Tel: +354 467-1111).
- Höllin ehf (Hafnargata 16, 625 Ólafsfjördur, Tel: +354 466- 4000).
- Olísskálinn gas station and fast food outlet (Bylgjubyggd 2, 625 Ólafsfjördur, Tel: +354 466-2272).
- Pizza 67 (Adalgata 32, 580 Siglufjördur, Tel: +354 467-2323).
Attractions/places of interest:
- Garún Art Gallery (Adalgata 7, 625 Ólafsfjördur).
- Hófý Ceramic Gallery (Túngata 15, 625 Ólafsfjördur).
- Frida.is Art Gallery (Túngata 40a, 580 Siglufjörður, Tel +354 467-1173, frida@frida.is, www.frida.is).
- Sigló Art Gallery (Sudurgata 6, 580 Siglufjördur).
- The Bergthór Mortens Art Gallery (The Tynes House, 580 Siglufjördur).
Events/exhibitions:
- Síldarminjasafnid – The Icelandic Herring Era Museum (Snorragata 15, 580 Siglufjördur, Tel: +354 467-1604, safn@sild.is, www.herring.siglo.is).
- Þjódlagasetur Sr. Bjarna Thorsteinssonar – The Rev. Bjarni Thorsteinsson Folk Music Centre (Nordurgata 1, 580 Siglufjördur, Tel: +354 467-2300, setur@siglo.is, www.siglo.is/setur).
- Museum of Natural History (Adalgata 14, 625 Ólafsfjördur, Tel: +354 466-2651).
- Folk Music Festival in Siglufjördur, July 2 to 6.
- Culture festival “Berry Days” in Ólafsfjördur, August 15 to 17.
For further information visit www.fjallabyggd.is or call +354 464-9200 (Ólafsfjördur) and +354 464-9100 (Siglufjördur).
Click on the picture for a larger map.
Quotes about Siglufjördur from the recently released Bradt Iceland Guide by Andrew Evans:
“This is the kind of town where nobody locks their doors, where everyone knows each other, but where outsiders are as welcome as the sun.”
“A most remarkable trek crosses the eastern mountains at the Hestskard Pass and down into the untouched Hédinsfjördur or “heathen’s fjord”. Free of roads, traffic, people and towns, this may very well be the most pristine fjord in the whole country.”
The current issue of the quarterly magazine Iceland Review includes for example an interview with world-renowned fashion designer Steinunn Sigurðardóttir as well as features on the successful biotech company ORF Genetics and the hot debate regarding the EU. If you subscribe now, you will receive a photo book by IR editor, photographer Páll Stefánsson of the eruptions in Eyjafjallajökull as a gift. Click here to subscribe to the magazine and here to buy a gift subscription.
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The second series of The Press continues to follow the life of journalist, mother and wife Lára and her investigation of Iceland’s underground world.
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Harvesting human-like protein from genetically modified barley, Icelandic company ORF Genetics is revolutionizing the world of green biotechnology. With Iceland’s First Lady Dorrit Moussaieff and Hollywood stars among its loyal fans, the company’s phenomenal skincare range has, quite literally, changed the face of the cosmetics industry.
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The international recognition that the architecture firm Snøhetta has received is quite unique in a Norwegian context.
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