Ísafjörður to Stykkishólmur

My friend, Ferne, is here in Iceland for her third Snorri Plus trip! They had their graduation last week, so she flew up to Ísafjörður and we have been able to spend time together. She has heard my presentation four times now here in Iceland……. I am sure she could give it! She is a great photographer and it is fun to have someone to have along on the long drives between locations.

On Saturday, we left Ísafjörður and drove south across the mountains and valleys of the westfjords. The Dynjandi or Fjallfoss waterfall is spectacular!

The Westfjords are magical. I think it would be a good idea to walk because every few meters, we wanted to stop and take photos.

We continued south from Ísafjörður about three hours. There were a few horses, many sheep, and lots of birds along the way.

The mountain roads were pretty bad because of the rain, heavy clouds, pot-holes and the ever-present sheep along the road – but we survived.

Along the way, there is the Jón Sigurðsson Museum, which is at the farm of his birth, Hrafneseyri.

Jón Sigurðsson has been given credit for helping Iceland gain their independence and a symbol for the nation´s symbol of unity. His birthday, June 17th, is Iceland National Day.

There are about 18 museums and special places to visit in the Westfjords and we did not get to see most of them. We will have to be back soon. We continued on the rainy day over the mountains to Brjánslækur, the harbor were we board the Ferry Baldur.

It was strange for us land-locked Western Icelanders to put our car on the ferry.

The Ferry took off across the big fjord, Breiðafjörður. It was very wavy today and the ride was a little rough but after 2.5 hours, we made it to Stykkishólmur where we will stay for three nights.

The city of Stykkishólmur was given an award in 2011 for a Destination of Excellence. The water here in this city is rich in salt and minerals that make it very beneficial for people suffering from arthritis or rheumatoid ailments, respiratory disorders, and also skin problems such as psoriasis and eczema.

It is beautiful here by the sea. They have the Norska Húsið, which is the regional museum built in 1832 and was the first wood-frame home that had two storeys in Iceland. They say that the town of Stykkishólmur is a museum in itself because of the collection of historical houses. They also have the Eldfjallasafn (Volcano Museum) and the Vatnafafn (Water Museum).

We are staying at the summer-house of our friends, Halldór and Anna. He is the President of the Icelandic National League in Iceland and has been so helpful and kind to me during this International Visits Program tour.

I have 2 presentations remaining. The time has gone by very fast and there are never enough minutes to see and experience all that Iceland has to offer. The people at each location have been wonderful.

Ferry Baldur