NOT EVEN THAT INTREPID DUO CROSBY AND HOPE ventured upon the Road to Stykksholmur. To our surprise, Sir Clive, our trusty SatNav, knew the way from Reykjavik. Or rather, his way. Clive has acquiesced to our frequent birding stops, photo ops, lunch breaks and pee stops and has even accepted John's missed turns. But "His Snootiness" was totally miffed yesterday when we decided to circumnavigate the Snefells Peninsula rather than follow his directions.
Mt Snefells
Our much longer route took us from Reykjavik through Borgarnes along the rugged coast, through lava fields and beneath Mt. Snefells volcano, appaloosad with snow. The day, which had started with bright sunshine, turned cloudy and windy by the time we reached the Stykksholmur Hotel where they couldn't locate our reservation. No problem, they had plenty of rooms. Which was a good thing. The first room they assigned us hadn't been cleaned and the wifi didn't work in the second. Third tiime was a charm. One might expect more for $145 a night.
"Norwegian House," Stykksholmur
Stykksholmur has shifted gears from being a center for herring fishing to tourism. The old section near the harbor has been restored to its 19th Century splendor. But this musem to the past, like many other sites in northern Iceland, won't open until June. We may have beaten the tourist rush but there are drawbacks and we had to be satisfied with a walk around on this freezing, windy morning.
