Around Iceland 2015: Breiðafjörður
Photo: Brynjar Gauti
Iceland’s national newspaper Morgunblaðið is on a six-week 2015 tour of Iceland!
The paper’s journalists and photographers will be bringing us news and images of everyday life, culture, business, nature, education, services and more from the four corners of the land. Today’s destination: Breiðafjörður.
Breiðafjörður
Breiðafjörður a large bay in West Iceland, separating the south-west of the country from the West Fjords region . The surrounding area is home to some 1,000 people, engaged mostly in agriculture and services.
Breiðafjörður in West Iceland. Photo: Google Maps
In the middle of Breiðafjörður is the picturesque and historic island of Flatey, with a permanent population of just five. It is a popular tourist destination is the summer months and was once one of Iceland’s main cultural centres.
Dancing in the midnight sun on Flatey. Photo: Golli/Kjartan Þorbjörnsson
Gullsteinn is a start-up company in the town of Reykhólar, on the north-east coast of Breiðafjörður, specialising in products made from organic seaweed and dried fish. It recently won an innovation award of ISK 3 million (approx. €20,000).
Gullsteinn's seaweed comes straight from Breiðafjörður. Photo: Gullsteinn
Hótel Flatey is spead across three buildings and is a popular stop for tourists passing through. Some 85% of the hotel’s guests are non-Icelandic. It is a foodie’s paradise with trout, mussels and caviar sourced directly from the local area.
Hótel Flatey. Photo: Golli
Þórarinn Birgir Þórarinsson and Ragnheiður Pálsdóttir moved to Hvítadalur eight years ago from South Iceland. They named their prize stallion Stefán, after the famous Icelandic nineteenth-century poet Stefán Sigurðsson, who grew up in Hvítadalur.
Þórarinn and Stefán in the beautiful Hvítadalur. Photo: Sigurður Bogi Sævarsson
Check out Iceland Monitor for Morgunblaðið ’s next destination in Around Iceland 2015: Vesturbyggð.
