About 4000 people live on the Vestmannaeyjar, an island group consisting of 14 islands, 30 archipelago and 30 rocks.
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The journey from Landeyjahön to the main island of Heimaey with the ferry Herjólfur takes about 30 minutes.
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The name Vestmannaeyjar (the western mans islands) is the story of two settlers and friendly chieftains. Hjörleifur Hróðmarsson settled with his clan on the Mýrdalssandur and was killed there by two of his Irish slaves, who then fled to the islands with a boat. Ingólfur Arnarson, friend of Hjörleifur, persecuted the murderers and killed some of them on the island of Heimaey. And since Norwegians called the Irish Vestmen, the islands were called Vestmannaeyjar.
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There are high cliffs near the campsite and in the next pictures I will take a look at my tent. The festival Þjóðhátíð will also take place there at the beginning of August, about 15 000 people go to concerts, big bonfires, fireworks etc.
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Not until evening the puffins will appear in large quantities on the cliffs.
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The football team ÍB Vestmannaeyja was three times Icelandic football champion (1979, 1997, 1998) and won four times the Landespokal (1968, 1972, 1981, 1998).
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The Vestmannaeyjar are a very young group of islands, only about 70,000 to 100,000 years old and are placed on a very active volcano system. In the north-west of the main island, the tufa cone Háin and the cliffs Norðurklettar formed in two outbreaks about 8000 years ago. About 6000 years ago, the islands of Alsey, Brandur, Suðurey and Hellisey emerged from the sea. The crater Stórhöfði and the cone Sæfell are around 4500 years old. The most recent outbreaks were the Surtsey Island between 1963-67, and the eruption of the Eldfell on Heimaey in 1973, when all inhabitants had to be evacuated from the island.
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I climbed successively the two volcanoes of the island, the younger Eldfell and the older Helgafell.
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In the evening, I visited the cliffs in the north-west again to observe the puffins, who gather there in the evening and watch the sunset ...
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The weather changed the other day to wet cold, but the wind came from the east, so I decided to cycle with the tail wind right up to Reykjavík.
(25) Reykjavík
The hot water tank Perlan provides Reykjavík with hot water and heats in winter even walkways and roads. From the roof of the tanks, which are located on the hill Öskjuhlíð south of the town center, you have a good view of the capital.
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Hallgrímskirkja was designed by the architect Guðjón Samúelsson in expressionist style. Gothic interior elements such as cross-rib vault and arched windows characterize the interior of the conventional five-aisled basilica. In the middle axis in front of the church is a statue of Leif Eriksson, the Icelandic explorer of Vinland, North America.
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The concert organ of Johannes Klais organ building in Bonn has 72 registers and 5275 pipes.
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The sculptor Einar Jónsson sometimes had a tendency to heroic and monumental sculptures. The themes of his sculptures are mostly Icelandic history. In addition to the Hallgrimskirkja, his works are shown in the Einar Jónsson Museum and the adjacent sculpture garden.
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The concert hall and conference center Harpa (or Tónlistar- og ráðstefnuhúsið í Reykjavík), opened in 2011, is home to the Icelandic opera and the Icelandic symphony orchestra. Olafur Eliasson designed it.
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.The lake Tjörnin offers in the middle of the city habitat for geese, ducks, swans and other birds. The city hall, the Icelandic National Museum, the university, the parliament (Alþingishúsið), the Fríkirkja and the cathedral are located directly on the shore or in the immediate vicinity.
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In the Ráðhús a 3D model of Iceland can be seen
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Reykjavík is full of statues and the small streets are full of creative ideas and surprises.
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At Nauthólsvík parts of the ocean and sand from Northern Africa are heated geothermaly or you enjoy a few hot pots on the beach.
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The cultural history museum Þjóðminjasafn is the Icelandic National Museum and deals with the history of Iceland.
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I could now tell stories to each individual exhibit, but that would last to long ... but I will tell you the translation of the inscription on the wedding bank from Skarð (16th century) "Guð miskunna þú mér" or something like ... "God be Me merciful"
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Not Hallgrímskirkja is the cathedral of Reykjavík, but the Dómkirkja and right next to it is the parliament Alþingi.
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Sólfar or "travel to the sun" of Jón Gunnar Árnason could be seen as a viking ship, but another interpretation could also be more like a ferry boat for the transport of souls into the realm of death ...
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I stayed in Hafnarfjörður, a suburb of Reykjavík, built on hills of lava. Hafnarfjörður is a center of faith in elves; Amazingly many Icelanders are convinced that these lava hills are inhabited by elves. Next to the sculpture park Víðistaðatún is a hostel and campsite.
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Höfði was built in 1909 for the French consul. From October 10th to 12th, 1986, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met there.
On the last day I made a detour to the airport and visited, among other places, Garður with its lighthouse before a plane brought me back to Munich.
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