Eiriksstadir, Búðardalur, Iceland - 08/21/17

We are already in our 12th stop in Iceland yet we keep discovering interesting things about it.
It seems our surprises are far from over, and we underestimated what the country had to offer.

At the hands of destiny, our will has taken us to Eiriksstadir, a city of great historical value, named after a generation of explorers; Erik Thorvaldsson (Erik the Red), and his son Laif Eriksson.

By popular culture (but disputed by the Icelandic Sagas), Erik the Red was the first to discover the land in Vinland (Wineland) which today includes Greenland, in 982, during a 3 year exile from his homestead Eiriksstadir for avenging the death of his slaves.

 Upon returning from his exile, Erik spread stories of a "Greenland", (a name more appealing than 'Iceland')luring potential settlers to the area. His salesmanship proved successful and in 985 he headed back to Greenland with a huge number of colonists, out of 25 ships 14 survived the trip.
 Later, his son Leif Eriksson dicovered Vinland and part of North America before Colombus, after being blown off course on his way to Greenland in 999.

Interesting fact:

• This saga is recognized in North America and the day 9 of October was made Leif Eriksson's day.

• In the center of the village is a recreation of Erik's house, which serves as a heritage museum.

Strokkur Geyser(video) - (aerial)

On our way here we went by Haukadalur, following along Haukadalsvegur route, capturing many memorable sights.

Haukadalur is a prominent geothermal site, and place to ancient geyser 'Geysir' and Strokkur Geyser, which erupts reliably every 10-15 minutes. As well as other smaller geysers, mineral springs and mud pots.
Geysir hasn't been erupting recently, but it's eruption in 2000, of over 400ft/122m holds the record for the highest geyser blast in known history.

The westernmost settlement in Europe, and setting for the novel "Journey to the center of the Earth" by Jules Verne.

Isafjordur, Isafjardabaer, Iceland - 08/11/2017

Isafjardabaer COA

After our small stop at Hvammstangi, we reached another pinnacle in our adventure in Iceland, Isafjördur, the largest town in Vestfirdir(Westfjords) with over 2.600 inhabitants and the capital of Isafjardabaer.

The town gets it's name from the fjörd Ísafjarðardjúp, which translates to "Ice fjord deep", but is located in Skutulsfjordur, a fjord which meets the waters of Isafjardardjup.
The Westfjords is the coolest area in Iceland, the highest temperature of the, actual, summer season is 9.9 °C, considering that the climate has warmed significantly in the last 100 years. In addition to the cold, the town experiences high winds and high precipitation.
Isafjordur has an airport with regular flights to Reykjavik, as well as ferries to nearby settlements (and also offers cruise ships), specially to Hornstrandir Peninsula, which has an uninhabited wilderness area, currently a nature reserve.





Important personalities:

• Reykjavik! - Band
• Ólafur Ragnar Grimsson - President of Iceland
• Agnes M. Sigurdardottir - Bishop of Iceland
• Mugison - Musician

Events taking place in the city:

• Sky Week, Aldrei for ég suder (I Never Went South), Fossavtn, Ski Marathon, Vid Djupid music festival, European Swampsoccer championship, Act Alone; a theatre festival dedicated to the art of acting alone.

Despite it's small population and historical isolation from the rest of the country, the town has an urban atmosphere; having a school of music, a hospital, a university center and many cultural centers. The town has also become known as a center for alternative music, hosting several music festivals, such as:

Aldrei for ég suder: A yearly festival begun in 2002 as an initiative from Örn Elias Gudmundsson (Mugison) and his father to support the growing music community in Isafjordur.

The name means "I never went south", and is taken from a Bubbi Morthens song. It may refer to a movement to establish cultural events outside the capital, Reykjavik, and draw attention back to the roots and away from the center.

The festival's subtitle is "Rokkhátíð alþýðunnar" - "Rock festival for the people"

Vid Djupid: Offers master classes and concerts with nationwide and worldwide known artists.


Our only cultural visit in the town was Westfjords Heritage Museum. It is based on maritime heritage, giving insight of the local fisheries and fishing industry, as well as the life of the fishermen and the coastal culture.

Interesting Facts:

• The museum was opened on the 5th of June, a day dedicated to seamen; Sjómannadagurinn(Seamen's day) in 1988. The house keeping the museum was built in 1784.

• The museum also has a policy concerning preservation of boats, making sure to maintain the knowledge of ship repair and maintenance alive within the community.

Among the fishing objects of all sorts, we found a collection of 190 accordions, a collection of valuable old boats, and most interestingly, a collection of different things recovered by divers around the fjörds.
We were lucky to arrive here at this time, as there is a play by a local group about the daily life in Iceland in the beginning of the 19th century. In the play we saw them sing and dance and prepare fish, putting what seemed like codfish (called 'bacalau') to dry.

Land of viking explorers, Eriksstadir