The curious parking techniques and fashion-forward outfits are just a few ways Iceland is sure to leave an impression on an outsider.
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A series of meetings about the Icesave dispute ended in The Hague in the Netherlands on Friday. The representatives of Iceland, the Netherlands and the UK discussed the matter on Thursday and Friday but came to no decisive conclusion.
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Click on the picture to watch an audio slideshow of a hike to Hraunsvatn lake in Öxnadalur valley in north Iceland, which lies at a height of 490 meters, interlocked between two steep mountains and a small glacier with a view of the majestic Hraundrangar peaks.
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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 will drop to 15 kilometers from up to 234 kilometers with the opening of a new tunnel in 2009.
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 second issue of the print edition of Iceland Review 2010 has just been published. Entitled “Under the Volcano” the magazine dedicates 20 pages, words and pictures, to the volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull glacier which made headlines all over the word. New subscribers will receive the book 2010 Eruptions as a gift and all subscribers are part of a draw to win a trip to Iceland. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
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Future of Hope is an aptly named documentary directed by Henry Bateman about what some people are doing to shape the future of Iceland, hoping that above all, the crisis will ultimately strengthen the country.
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There can’t be many novels that are heralded as being “a purification for body and soul” recommended to “those who enjoy experimental cookery” (review of November Rain in DV newspaper) and “as beautiful as a painting from the golden age” (review of The Offspring by Danish newspaper Politiken). However, Reykjavík based writer, Audur Ava Ólafsdóttir, has attracted such attention not to mention literary prizes.
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Have a laugh this week by visiting Hafnarborg, the Hafnarfjördur Centre of Culture and Fine Art, where the exhibition “Humor in Icelandic Art” is currently running. The exhibition consists of works by contemporary Icelandic artists from different generations which deal with humor and irony.
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