ICELANDIC TIMES - Land og saga

Snaefellsnesbær County
Industrious People under the Glacier
The Snæfellsnes peninsula is a
place of many wonders – both
geological and cultural. The
majestic Snæfellsjökull Glacier
towers above magnificent lava
fields, beautiful coastlines lined
with tremendous basalt columns,
dazzling waterfalls and the diverse
birdlife. Nestled underneath
the awe inspiring glacier is the
peaceful county of Snæfellsbær
from where you can explore the
peninsula‘s many wonders.
Snæfellsbær is on the outermost part
of the peninsula and has around 1700
inhabitants, the largest populations
being Ólafsvík, Rif and Hellissandur.
The center of the county is of course
Snæfellsjökull Glacier National
Park. Snæfellsjökull has been the
inspiration for many poets and
authors throughout history and was
recently chosen by the Guardian as
one of the 10 „best“ volcanoes in
the world when it comes to literary
inspiration and coverage. The
most famous author to write about
Snæfellsjökull is of course Jules
Verne, who once claimed that it
contained the entrance to the center
of the earth. While it is unlikely that
you‘ll ever find said entrance it is
highly recommended to explore
the glacier and its surroundings by
whichever means most suits you –
by car, snowmobile or foot.
Snæfellsnes, Snæfellsbær and
The birdlife around Snæfellsbær is especially vivid.
Snæfellsjökull were named by
the settler Bárdur Snæfellsás who
relocated from Norway to Iceland at
the end of the 9th century. Apparently
Bárður was the decendant of trolls
and skilled in the arts of magic as well.
Rumour has it that while building
his settlement farm he stayed at
Sönghellir cave at the base of the
glacier. Sönghellir (Cave of echoes)
can be easily reached by road so you
can try your singing voice.
Diverse Landscapes
What characterizes Snæfellsbær
County is the incredible diversity of
attractions found within. You can find
hot and cold mineral water sources
with supposed healing powers,
gigantic fields of lava in different
shapes and sizes and massive craters
and mysterious caves. The wildlife
around Snæfellsbær includes various
bird species, seals swimming along the
shore and various types of fish waiting
to be caught and cooked.
Industrious People
The people of Snæfellsbær are
industrious people and constantly
exploring new possibilities in their
small community. A part of that is the
founding of „Átthagastofa,“ a program
which offers the whole community a
common platform to forward ideas
which promote what the land and
the people have to offer. One of the
ideas sprung from said program is
coast-angling – as opposed to the
more common sea angling. Coastangling
employs completely different
techniques and equipment and is of
course a much cheaper activity. You‘ll
get to spend more time with the sea
and the fish and enjoy the company of
the people around in a tranquil setting.
Get Hooked
The people of Snæfellsbær and
surrounding communities are
specialists when it comes to preparing
seafood dishes – which comes as no
surprise given the rich fishing history
The people of
Snæfellsbær and
surrounding
communities are
specialists when it
comes to preparing
seafood dishes –
which comes as no
surprise given the
rich fishing history of
the area.
of the area. They invite you to „Get
Hooked“ on the best seafood on the
peninsula on the Snæfellsnes Seafood
Trail, where you‘ll move beteen six
restaurants and coffee shops trying
the various types of dishes they have
on offer. All the food in the seafood
trail is certified as being made with
local produce. The seafood trail is part
of the project Life by the coastline
– Destination Snæfellsnes, where
all those working with services or
products connected to the ocean in
anyway join hands and create a trail
of exciting sea-related destinations
around the peninsula.
Mysterious Rock Formations
A visit to the small town of Arnarstapi
is highly recommended with its
exciting walking trails and splendid
rock formations. Take a stroll to the
town pier and from there along the
shoreline where you‘ll see how the
barrage of the ocean has carved out
some pretty interesting shapes in
the rocks – including a cliff with a
mysterious hole through its middle.
Other attractions include Bárðarlaug
pool where Bárður Snæfellsás is
rumored to have bathed when he
arrived as soon as he reached the
shores of Iceland, and a memorial to
Guðríður Þorbjarnardóttir, a unique
woman who traveled the world
around the year 1000.
Notice the elaborate rock formations along the coastline.
Feats of Strength
At Malarrif you can see the
impressive Lóndrangar towering
above the waves and the beach. At
Djúpalónssandur you‘ll see four
rocks which the itinerant workers
in Dritvík would compete with
each other by lifting and as you‘ll
see their measurement of manhood
is quite high. The lightest rock is 23
kg and is called Amlóði or weakling,
the second one is 54 kg and called
Hálfdrættingur or half-a-man, the
third heaviest one is 100 kg and
called Hálfsterkur or half-strong, the
heaviest rock is a full 154 kg and is
called Fullsterkur or fully strong. So
it is now easy for you to see if you‘re
a fully strong person by Icelandic
standards.
For further information visit www.
snb.is or send an e-mail to info@
snb.is
38 39