So it begins

Credit card sorcery

Published Date : June 16, 2013

Well, it’s official.  I definitely have a cold.  Sigh.  On a happy note, I’m not as sore as I was expecting to be after my exertions yesterday.  I am feeling a bit stiff in the back and abs, but my arms are okay.

I had a simple breakfast of orange juice and peanut butter on toast.  Then it was into the car and time to say farewell to the Westfjords.  This is a part of the world that I could definitely see myself revisiting.

One of my stops along the way was the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery & Witchcraft in Holmavik.  This was a place that I was very curious to see.  I didn’t have any real expectations for the place, but it had definitely piqued my interest when I was researching my trip.  Admission to the small museum was 800 ISK.  I learned after arriving that they recently opened a secondary site in Klúka as well, which I had unknowingly passed on my way south to Holmavik.  The exhibits were all in Icelandic, but the curator provided a small binder with English translations.

Interestingly, sorcery and witchcraft were primarily the domain of men in Iceland.  Also of interest, was the fact that occult practices, while found throughout the country, were very noticeably concentrated in the Westfjords.  It’s not a really a surprise that superstition would be so strong in a place so far from civilization – especially in the winter months of almost total darkness.

The exhibits showed examples of some of the spells and wards that were commonly used.   They also detailed some of the genealogy of the area.  In one family in particular, all the many sons were sheriffs in the area and would have been responsible for prosecuting charges of sorcery.  There are many stories of the burning of sorcerers in Iceland, but only 21 have been confirmed as fact.  Of those only 1 was a woman.  7 of the poor souls, including the woman, were burned over a span of several years all because the wife of one of the sheriffs was sickly.  Every time she took a serious illness, they would accuse someone in the town of sorcery and burn them ��

With stories of sorcery swirling in my head, I continued my drive to Dalvík, a small town in Iceland’s far north.  The landscape slowly changed from imposing fjords to lush rolling farmlands and deep glacial valleys.  Dalvík was cradled between towering peaks (popular ski areas in the winter) and the open sea.

Bjarni was there to welcome me to the hostel, which I was stunned to find I had entirely to myself!  So much for booking early on this trip…

My reason for coming to this town was to catch the ferry north to Grímsey, a tiny island 40km off the coast of Iceland.  The island is a fantastic place to view nesting puffins and gulls.  It’s also the only part of the country that is north of the Arctic Circle.  I discussed my plans with Bjarni and found out that tomorrow is actually a national holiday in Iceland.  He wasn’t entirely sure that the ferry would be running and assured me he would look into it for me.

While Bjarni did that, I visited the local supermarket and bought some groceries then went in search of an ATM.  After my credit card had been rejected at numerous gas stations over the last couple of days, I was a bit concerned that it may not be working at all. (Could there be some sorcery afoot? Hmm….) If my card didn’t work, I wouldn’t have enough cash on me to pay for my room for the next two nights.  I needed to top of up my cash reserves anyway, but that added a bit of urgency to the situation.

The one bank in town wouldn’t accept my debit card giving me another “now what?” moment.  Turning to my trusty GPS, I found out that the next town had an ATM from a different bank.  Making the most of the perpetual daylight, I made the 20km drive to Ólafsfjörður.  It turned out to be a stunning drive with another crazy tunnel through a mountain.  The tiny little fishing village was nestled at the end of a fjord.  I quickly found the ATM and successfully topped up my cash.  I paused then to enjoy the scenery and take some photos before returning to Dalvík.

Back at the hostel, Bjarni was waiting for me with good news.  The ferry to Grímsey is running tomorrow.  Excellent.

Northward Bound

Published Date : June 17, 2013

It felt very strange having the entire hostel to myself last night.  I was glad not to have to worry about disturbing roommates with my cold though.  I went to bed early after making a simple supper of scrambled eggs and slept for almost 10 hours.  I felt slightly more human when I woke this morning.

I had toast and juice for breakfast again and packed some hard-cooked eggs and an apple for later in the day.  The ferry terminal was directly across the street from the hostel, so I waited until I saw people starting to arrive at the ticket office before making my way over.  A return ticket cost me 8,800 ISK.

Waiting on the dock, I began to contemplate my clothing for the day.  It was beautiful and sunny again (I’m seriously lucking out with the weather on this trip!) but the wind had a definite chill to it.  I still had half an hour until the ferry left, so I decided to duck back over to the hostel and throw on my thermal under layer.   I’m very glad that I did!

Once we were out on the water, the wind took on a pronounced arctic chill.  I spent about half of the three hour journey below decks watching the entertainment – after a brief safety video conducted entirely in Icelandic they played The Hobbit.  The rest of the time though, I was outside watching the spectacular scenery as we left the towering snow-covered mountains behind and headed for a tiny speck of land in the Greenland Sea.

We arrived at Sandvik, the only community on Grímsey, at noon.  The tiny island is just over 5 square-kilometres and has a permanent population of only 86.  Apart from tourism, its main industry is fishing.

With four hours until the ferry made the return trip to Dalvík, I set off to make the most of my time there.  I headed towards the airport and immediately found myself looking at thousands of nesting puffins.  The unique birds flock to the area every summer and lay their eggs in their cliff burrows.  I also found myself set upon by arctic terns defending their territory.  The birds will swoop and occasionally peck at anyone or anything that they feel is a threat to their nests.

Out of range of the terns, I continued north-west to the tip of the island – officially north of the Arctic Circle.  Check another one off the bucket list.  Climbing the highest point in the area proved a struggle.  The fresh sea air had cleared out my foggy head, but my body didn’t want to co-operate.  I had absolutely zero energy, but I was determined and forced myself to keep climbing.  At the top, I found myself just inches away from thousands more nesting puffins and fulmars.  Deciding it was a great place to stop for lunch, I claimed a patch of grass in the sunshine and snacked while a couple of curious puffins looked on.  Before me there was nothing but open sea.  Although I couldn’t see it, I knew that Greenland wasn’t far off – a future destination I think!

Energy somewhat improved after my brief rest, I continued on the trail around the island.  The jagged cliffs gave way to grassy plateaus filled with grazing sheep and paddocks of Icelandic horses.  Originally, I had planned on only covering half of the island, but I missed my turnoff back into town.  Rather than going back, I opted to push on and do the entire circle.  Away from the bird cliffs, there were few people on this side of the island.  It was just me and the sheep.

Towards the end, I was really struggling to keep going, but I knew I didn’t have much choice.  If I didn’t make it back to the ferry, nobody was going to come looking for me.   Seeing the road at last, I descended through a horse paddock.  I paused to visit with a particularly friendly beast that showered me with affection after I gave her my apple core.

I slowed my pace for the rest of the trip, partly because I knew I was going to make it back to the dock with time to spare.  Mostly though, it was because I just didn’t have the gas to go any faster.  Back in town, I headed for the Viking Pub/Restaurant.  Glad to be out of the frigid wind and sitting down, I savoured a bowl of hot soup, fresh bread and a huge mug of tea.

When the ferry sounded it’s warning, I made my way down to the dock and boarded.  The wind had quite suddenly died down, so I bundled myself up and found a spot to stretch out in the sunshine on the bow of the ship.  Even once the boat was in motion there was very little wind on the crossing this time.  I dozed off and on, content in my patch of warmth.

I climbed back to my feet as we began the final stretch back into Dalvík.  The light on the mountains was magnificent as we drew closer.  The icing on the cake was spotting a pair of minke whales just before we entered the harbour.

I arrived back at the hostel to find it had filled up while I had been away.  I had two roommates in my dorm tonight, plus there were several people staying in other rooms.   I savoured a hot shower, made myself another quick dinner of scrambled eggs then headed straight for bed.