{"id":3314,"date":"2014-06-30T21:32:17","date_gmt":"2014-06-30T21:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/?p=3314"},"modified":"2014-07-22T22:26:09","modified_gmt":"2014-07-22T22:26:09","slug":"hiding-in-plain-sight-snaefellsnes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/2014\/06\/30\/hiding-in-plain-sight-snaefellsnes\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiding in plain sight: Sn\u00e6fellsnes."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"snpanorama2\"<\/a>On a clear day you can see Sn\u00e6fellsnes\u00a0all the way to\u00a0Reykjav\u00edk. This is not because the clean Icelandic air or the brightness of the midnight sun allowing you to see forever, it’s just really close to the capital city!<\/p>\n

I’m not even joking here, one day is all you need to drive to Sn\u00e6fellsnes, go\u00a0all around the peninsula, visit all the possible sights you can find and return to Reykjav\u00edk in the evening. Granted you should probably leave early in the morning because there’s so much to see, and if you’re not in a hurry you might consider staying a night just to\u00a0be sure you haven’t missed anything on the way. We took the latter option and made our stay there a weekend long.<\/p>\n

\"sn038\"<\/a>The peninsula is not that hard to find either. You’ll be greeted by Sn\u00e6fellsj\u00f6kull<\/em> (= snow mountain glacier) well in advance and especially on sunny days it’s clear why it’s called the most beautiful glacier of all Iceland. It really is a breathtaking sight! It’s possible to go up the side of the mountain to the glacier itself, but preferably be on a jeep because the road’s condition can vary (it’s a dirt road).<\/p>\n

Driving directions from Reykjav\u00edk to Sn\u00e6fellsnes: take road 1 north and turn left to road 54 right after Borgarnes. Drive on until there!<\/p>\n

\"sn033\"<\/a>One of the first sights you’ll come across is the \u00d6lkelda<\/em> (= beer spring). Despite the promising name you won’t actually get beer from it, rather sparkling water. That’s right, a natural carbonated water spring! The water has some notable health benefits if you don’t mind the iron taste… there’s a reason why the ground all around it is stained a dramatic\u00a0shade of rust red.<\/p>\n

\"sn049\"<\/a>Rau\u00f0feldsgj\u00e1<\/em>\u00a0(= the gorge of Rau\u00f0feldur) is a must-see. It’s possible to climb up the mountain through this huge crack in it. I’ve never made it all the way to the top but I’ve gone a little way inside where a small stream flows through the bottom of the gorge.<\/p>\n

\"sn056\"<\/a>The view from the top. It’s a small trek uphill before you get to the place, don’t forget to set a\u00a0rock\u00a0on\u00a0a var\u00f0a<\/em> on the\u00a0way<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Rau\u00f0feldsgj\u00e1 takes its name from a local legend of a part-troll, part-giant, mostly-human B\u00e1rdur Sn\u00e6fells\u00e1s<\/em> (= B\u00e1r\u00f0ur snow mountain’s god) who’s said to inhabit the area. He’s described as a tall man wearing all gray with a rope around his waist, helpful to humans who are lost, and the protector of Sn\u00e6fellsnes.<\/p>\n

Alas, he’s also temperamental. Rau\u00f0feldur was the son of B\u00e1r\u00f0ur’s brother: one day Rau\u00f0feldur\u00a0and his brother were playing with Helga, B\u00e1r\u00f0ur’s daughter, and playfully pushed her on an iceberg that floated away. B\u00e1r\u00f0ur became so enraged he killed both of his brothers sons, throwing Rau\u00f0feldur down this gorge – and that’s where the name comes from.<\/p>\n

\"sn063\"<\/a>Here’s a statue depicting B\u00e1r\u00f0ur. According to the legend he easily bested\u00a0\u00de\u00f3r himself when his friend was in danger of being killed by him. On the other hand B\u00e1r\u00f0ur had his dark side all his life, his saga ends with him poking his own son’s eyes out as a punishment for converting to Christianity and then disappearing to the glacier where he’s said to live in a cave to this very day.<\/p>\n

\"sn067\"<\/a>You’ll find both the statue and this view in Arnarstapi. If you decide to stay the night this is one good option: lots of local legends, a whole library of Sn\u00e6fellsnes -related stories, the beach at Hraunlandahrif (there are several walking routes) and what my hot dog loving friend describes as “the best hot dogs in the world, gold star”.<\/p>\n

\"sn080\"<\/a>A\u00a0little bit further you’ll arrive at Akrar and a small\u00a0but massively popular cafe called Fj\u00f6ruh\u00fasi\u00f0<\/em> (= tide house). On sunny days it will be so full it’s hard to find a seat but personally I’d be prepared to sit on their staircase just to get to eat their homebaked bread.<\/p>\n

\"sn089\"<\/a>Next stop: more trolls! L\u00f3ndrangar formations are a stone’s throw away from the cafe.\u00a0A famous site for trolls<\/a> and a poet who bested the devil<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"sn110\"<\/a>Prepare your heart in advance, Sn\u00e6fellsnes is so full of beauty it’s hard to decide where to stop and where not.<\/p>\n

\"sn122\"<\/a>A lazy cloud entering a valley.<\/em><\/p>\n

After this\u00a0we ended our sightseeing for the day and drove around the peninsula to Stykkish\u00f3lmur. Even there you’ll find plenty of things to see, for example the volcanic museum, and definitely don’t miss the restaurants. It’s\u00a0a fishing town so the food tends to be the freshest catch of the day and the portions are huge.<\/p>\n

I recommend the camping site as well. It’s well equipped and within walking distance to Stykkish\u00f3lmur\u00a0with the only minus being that the ground is really hard and pitching a tent takes some time, foul language and ape-rage.<\/p>\n

\"sn124\"<\/a>The next day we retreated our steps backwards. This is the view at B\u00falandsh\u00f6f\u00f0i<\/em>\u00a0(= farmland’s head) with Sn\u00e6fellsj\u00f6kull peeking over the morning clouds.<\/p>\n

\"sn126\"<\/a>I could literally have climbed into a cloud myself here!<\/p>\n

\"sn111\"<\/a>“The new road of B\u00falandsh\u00f6f\u00f0i opened 26. November 1999.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The road at B\u00falandsh\u00f6f\u00f0i was for ages\u00a0one of the most ill-famed roads of Iceland. It was most dangerous here at \u00der\u00e6laskr\u00ed\u00f0a where the road\u00a0lay at 111 m height. Below the road is a 80 m tall vertical drop (standberg = vertical stone wall) to the beach.<\/em><\/p>\n

There’s a story of an incident that happened here a long time ago. Krist\u00edn was the name of a servant woman in Eyrarsveit who was sent to drive sheep over the H\u00f6f\u00f0i in the early spring. The sun had began to thaw\u00a0the snow (= s\u00f3lbr\u00e1\u00f0) and the road was very slippery with ice (= mikil h\u00e1lka). Suddenly one of the sheep began to fall. Krist\u00edn managed to grab the sheep and they both slid down the side of the road and couldn’t stop until the very edge of the cliff. Krist\u00edn held onto the sheep with all her might and could not move at all, because she didn’t want to lose what had been trusted to her. Long time after a man called Samson happened by. He heard Krist\u00edna’s pitiful voice and saw what had happened. He managed to lower himself to them with a rope and saved them both. It was at the last moment because Krist\u00edn was by then almost out of strength (= a\u00f0 \u00ferotum komin).<\/em><\/p>\n

May such loyalty, kindness and helpfulness as was described in this story be a sign of the friendliness and cooperation of the people who live in Sn\u00e6fellsnes.<\/strong>“<\/em><\/p>\n

\"sn129\"<\/a>Our next stop was at the farthest end of the peninsula: crossing over Neshraun we visited two famous lighthouses. The road is good at first but turns into a hell of potholes in the end, large rocks and soft, sandy edges so reconsider if you’re going on a small car – we made one\u00a0stop on the way to help push some tourists back on the road.<\/p>\n

\"sn140\"<\/a>The ruins of a house. This was the windiest place I’ve ever been to,\u00a0gloomy and barren aside of this one spot of wet grass land…\u00a0not an ideal place to live.<\/p>\n

\"sn219\"<\/a>We also stopped at Skar\u00f0sv\u00edk\u00a0<\/em>(= gap ness)! For the medieval history buffs this place\u00a0is probably already old news, it’s a home to several rich grave finds that date to the viking era. Definitely worth a visit, the road is in excellent condition all the way here (the moon land begins a bit further along the road) and the beach…<\/p>\n

\"sn209\"<\/a>…with the turquoise ocean, the red-white sand and the black lava cliffs and stone formations is something you shouldn’t miss.<\/p>\n

\"sn218\"<\/a>Black sand vs. red-white sand.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"sn239\"<\/a>We wanted to drive\u00a0over the mountain range that lies in the middle of the peninsula so we went\u00a0back past \u00d3lafsv\u00edk and turned right to the road 54. I can totally recommend this route – the scenery is amazing!<\/p>\n

\"sn244\"<\/a>We also found this house sitting there on top of the mountain all alone. The SO suspected it would be a place where hikers can stay a night while they’re crossing over the mountain.<\/p>\n

\"sn250\"<\/a>He was right! The shelves on both sides of the table are meant for sleeping and there was a place where you can cook your food near the door.<\/p>\n

\"sn256\"<\/a>“Vinsamlega gangi\u00f0 snyrtilega um h\u00fasi\u00f0<\/em>” = Please be tidy while using this house.<\/p>\n

Continuing we\u00a0drove the remainder of the road south, turned our backs to the glacier and began our way back home. Sn\u00e6fellsnes is one of my favourite places in all Iceland and it was sad to leave, but at least I can console myself with the thought that it’s so near I can come back any time.<\/p>\n

\"sn072\"<\/a>Bye bye B\u00e1r\u00f0ur, we had a great time!<\/em><\/p>\n

Other\u00a0posts in this series: <\/strong><\/p>\n

*\u00a0Seltjarnarnes lighthouse<\/a>\u00a0*\u00a0secrets of the\u00a0Hallgr\u00edmskirkja neighbourhood<\/a>\u00a0*\u00a0Hvalfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur and Glymur<\/a> * Secrets of the Harbour<\/a> *<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

On a clear day you can see Sn\u00e6fellsnes\u00a0all the way to\u00a0Reykjav\u00edk. This is not because the clean Icelandic air or the brightness of the midnight sun allowing you to see forever, it’s just really close to the capital city! I’m not even joking here, one day is all you need to drive to Sn\u00e6fellsnes, go\u00a0all…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":3407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[90791],"tags":[3,91398,178,2332,27676,91387,11872,91396,6977,91397],"class_list":["post-3314","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-icelandic-culture","tag-culture","tag-driving-in-iceland","tag-history","tag-nature","tag-outdoors","tag-sample-of-icelandic","tag-sights","tag-so-icelandic","tag-supernatural","tag-traveling"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3314"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3474,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3314\/revisions\/3474"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}