Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [198]
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DOUBLE DETOUR: ALDEYJARFOSS & THE LAXÁ POWER STATION
Several roads zip between Mývatn and Húsavík, yet very few people indulge in a detour. With a bit of extra time, you’ll discover dozens of little-visited attractions – these are our two favourites.
Touring a power plant may sound tedious at first, but the Laxá Power Station has a secret – a delightful sculpture museum ( 1-5pm Mon-Fri, 1-6pm Sat & Sun) set among the compound’s brassy levers and turbines. To reach this cleverly hidden exhibition space, follow the easy-to-find yellow signs for the turn-off to Laxávirkjun between Rte 845 and Rte 87.
Reaching otherworldly Aldeyjarfoss takes a bit more legwork. From Goðfoss, you’ll have to follow Rte 842 for about 41km into the silent highlands. You’ll pass a guest house at Kiðagil along the way, and just when you start to think that surely you’re going the wrong way, you’ll have to continue for another 10km. The dirt track comes to an end at Mýri, where you’ll find a white gate leading straight ahead into the farmstead and a red gate (to your left) marked ‘Sprengisandur’. Don’t be shy – open the red gate – it’s only two more kilometres to the waterfall. Although the road is marked ‘F26’, the 2km are doable in a 2WD. Soon, the sound of crashing water will confirm that you’re in the right place. Park your dust-covered car at the A-frame huts and shuffle along the loose gravel until the stunning cascade suddenly emerges. Vast quantities of water burst forth, tumbling into the basalt-lined canyon below. As the waves smash against the stacks of honeycomb columns their echoes almost sound like the whispers of wandering trolls.
If you’re keen on extending your detour (or the accommodation options in Húsavík and Mývatn are all booked up), there are plenty of charming B&Bs scattered throughout the area – check out the ubiquitous Áning and The Ideal Holiday farm-stay booklets for details.
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HÚSAVÍK MUSEUM
A folk, maritime and natural-history museum all rolled into one complex, the Húsavík Museum (Safnahúsið á Húsavík; 464 1860; www.husmus.is; Stórigarður 17; adult/under 16yr Ikr500/free; 10am-6pm Jun-Aug, to 4pm Mon-Fri Sep-May) is one of the best local museums you’ll find in Iceland. The museums occupy the 1st and 3rd floors of the building (the library is on the 2nd floor), and an annexe nearby. The natural-history display has the usual array of stuffed animals, including arctic foxes, a frightening-looking hooded seal, and a stuffed polar bear, which was welcomed to Grímsey in 1969 with both barrels of a gun. The folk-history exhibits cover everything from a re-creation of an early farmhouse to a healthy collection of 16th-century weapons and historic books – including a copy of a Bible printed in 1584. There’s also a carefully catalogued collection of 100,000 beer-bottle labels from around the world.
HÚSAVÍKURKIRKJA
Húsavík’s lovely and unusual church is quite different to anything else seen in Iceland. Constructed in 1907 from Norwegian timber, the delicately proportioned red-and-white church would look more at home in the Alps. Inside its cruciform shape becomes apparent and is dominated by a depiction of the resurrection of Lazarus on the altarpiece. The carved font is also worth seeking out, as are the 17th-century murals and candlesticks.
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THE WHALES OF HÚSAVÍK
After a riveting afternoon of whale watching (three humpbacks!), we grabbed a beer with Edda Elísabet Magnúsdóttir, a local PhD candidate in marine biology, to learn more about these gentle giants. The bay around Húsavík is an ideal place to study whales, and in 2007, the Húsavík Research Center (a branch of the University of Iceland) was established here, with a focus on marine mammal studies. Edda moved to Húsavík to work at the centre – her focus being underwater recordings