Fantastic to experience the stillness in the Westfjords

Kristín Bogadóttir, photographer and guide, recommends taking your vacation slowly and enjoying what the country has to offer. She herself knows nothing better than being in the Westfjords.

Bogadóttir says photography and guiding go well together. "I've traveled around the country over the years, photographing and I have an eye for what's beautiful and what's fun to look at." So I have taught a lot, and guidance and teaching are two sides of the same coin. After all, many teachers are guiding because it's about managing a group and communicating. It can't be a coincidence that many teachers are travel guides."

Bogadóttir says that she does not work with nature photography in her job as a photographer, but has done more of that in her spare time. "I also like the every day and the little things, and I like the weather," she says.

Fun to be in the rain and wind

How do you photograph the weather?

"By not always just being on the move in good weather. We should redefine what good weather is, get better rain gear, and enjoy being out in the rain and wind. This is just part of the experience, I think." She says, among other things, that you can capture the weather in a picture by photographing the clouds, the wind, and the sea.

"Speaking of the weather, one of my most impressive experiences in guiding was when I was with French tourists in Ísafjörður. I sailed across the Deep to Hesteyri, the weather was not good, but the sailing across the Deep was magnificent. Some whales came to check us out. We went ashore there and walked around in such a pouring rain and during the walk we breathed in the history. We picked blueberries because it was the beginning of September. I taught them to make a berry pick from their fingers, just put their palms under the main blueberry bush, and pick that way. We then all arrived soaking wet and blue into the Læknishús in Hesteyri, where we had steaming hot coffee and bread or pastries. It was amazing."

Enjoys going slowly around in the Westfjords

Bogadóttir says that she favors leisurely travel during her vacations and focuses on enjoying and exploring each area thoroughly and carefully.

"I have often been to the Westfjords and in recent years have been a lot to the north of the Vestfjords. The Westfjords offer a round trip in a few days. For example, you can drive the Deep and take your time, stop, get out of the car, and walk up to all the little headlands and all the little beaches. Maybe grab a coffee at Ögur or in Litlibær in Skötufjörður. Stop and enjoy on the way. On the way home, you can pass the new tunnel and Dynjandisheiði, which is now much better repaired.

I also find Ísafjörður, the town itself, incredibly fun. You can also go out for a good meal there. My favorite hot tub in the country is in Bolungarvík, but it has a view straight up to a mountain. Önundarfjörður is beautiful on summer evenings, the sea is mirror smooth, the mountains upside down in the sea and this beautiful white sand. Dýrafjörður is also incredibly beautiful and it's always fun to come to Þingeyri," she says.

Instead of driving from A to B, Bogadóttir recommends going over slowly and maybe taking on a new theme in each area. By focusing on a new theme, the country can be seen in a new light. "I went on a trip with my parents a few years ago and we were in the north and one day we went and looked at churches in Eyjafjörður, but there are a lot of beautiful churches in the north."

Will enjoy in the tent

Bogadóttir says that she has been able to make use of the various accommodation options in recent years, but plans to pull the curtain this year. "I was going over my tent and think we should start staying in tents more." It is naturally by far the cheapest and there is so much freedom in camping. But of course I think people should just mix it up," she says and mentions farm accommodation, union apartments, and summer cottages.

When traveling, she likes to start the day early, but she finds it no less pleasant to look out at the sea on beautiful summer evenings. "It is this stillness and calm to the west that I think is so wonderful to experience being out of the wind in Reykjavík. One of my favorite songs is Stingum af by Mugison and I think that the lyrics of the song captures the essence of this feeling of what is good about traveling. The night sky is clear and the sky is a jewel of the evening sun, finding a small stream and a small, shallow, and mirror-smooth fjord. The text is so much about enjoying - and enjoying with the children and the family."

Is each season unique to the West?

"I think so. I think every season has its charm. I always have a little trouble with spring because it can be so gray and bleak. However, I always think it's beautiful when the mountains become striped in the fjords to the west and to the east when the snow picks up. I also think autumn is beautiful when everything starts to fade and there is this beautiful light. Then it will be as if powdered sugar has been sprinkled over the mountains when it starts snowing at the top of the mountains."

Finally, Kristín points out that it is possible to spend the entire summer vacation in the Westfjords and also recommends exploring the southern part of the Westfjords. "You can go to Rauðasand, Látrabjarg and Selárdalinn," she says and recommends the campsite at Tálknafjörður and the swimming pools in the area.