Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [75]
History
Viðey had an explosive beginning – it’s actually the tip of a long-extinct volcano. Despite its tiny size, the island has played a prominent part in Iceland’s history. Its main roles were as a pilgrimage place and religious battleground.
In 1225 a wealthy Augustinian monastery was founded here; it kept the coffers full by imposing a cheese tax on a massive area of land surrounding it. During the 16th-century Reformation, the monastery was sacked by Danish Lutherans and all its riches taken. Incensed by this cultural and religious outrage, Iceland’s last Catholic bishop, Jón Arason, made a stand. He seized the island in 1550 and built the fort Virkið (no longer visible) to protect it, but he was captured and then beheaded in November that year.
Skúli Magnússon, the founder of the modern city of Reykjavík, built the fine mansion Viðeyarstofa here in 1751–5. It’s now Iceland’s oldest stone building. The island existed quietly for the next few centuries before it was donated to the city of Reykjavík in 1986, on the 200th anniversary of its municipal charter.
Sights
Just above the harbour, you’ll find Viðeyarstofa, an 18th-century wooden church, and a small monument to Skúli Magnússon. Excavations of the old monastery foundations turned up some 15th-century wax tablets and a runic love letter, now in the National Museum; less precious finds can be seen in the basement of Viðeyarstofa. Higher above the harbour is Ólafur Eliasson’s interesting art installation The Blind Pavilion (2003). Nearby is the most recent addition to the island’s artworks, Yoko Ono’s Imagine Peace Tower (2007), a ‘wishing well’ that blasts a dazzling column of light into the sky every night between 9 October (John Lennon’s birthday) and 8 December (the anniversary of his death).
The whole island is crisscrossed with walking paths. Some you can cycle (there are free bikes available at the ferry stop, or bring your own), while others are more precarious. A good map at the harbour shows which paths are which. The whole island is great for birdwatchers (30 species of birds breed here) and budding botanists (over one-third of all Icelandic plants grow on the island). In August, some Reykjavík inhabitants come here to pick wild caraway, originally planted by Skúli Magnússon.
From the harbour, trails to the southeast lead you past the natural sheep fold Réttin, the tiny grotto Paradíshellir (Paradise Cave), and then to the old abandoned fishing village at Sundbakki. Most of the south coast is a protected area for birds and is closed to visitors from May to June.
Trails leading to the northwest take you past low ponds, monuments to several shipwrecks, the low cliffs of Eiðisbjarg and basalt columns at Vesturey at the northern tip of the island. Richard Serra’s artwork, made from huge pairs of basalt pillars, rings this part of the island.
Eating
Viðeyjarstofa ( 660 7886; 11.30am-5pm mid-May–Sep) Soup, salad, sandwiches, waffles and coffee are served in this lovely restored mansion.
Getting There & Away
The summer-only Viðey ferry ( 533 5055) takes a mere five minutes to skip across to the island from Reykjavík. It operates from Sundahöfn (Map) from mid-May to the end of September, leaving at 11.15am, 12.15pm, 1.15pm, 2.15pm, 3.15pm, 4.15pm, 5.15pm and 7.15pm, returning 15 minutes later. In winter, there’s a reduced weekends-only service. A boat also sails from Reykjavík harbour from June to early September, leaving at noon and returning at 3.30pm. The return fare is Ikr1000/500 per adult/child aged 6 to 18 years.
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SELTJARNARNES
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Visiting the coast at Seltjarnarnes is a strange feeling. Head 1.5km west from the bustle of Lækjartorg, and you reach a red-and-white lighthouse, a strip of lava-strewn beach and a windswept golf course. Waves rush in, the air has that