Rick Steves Iceland by Rick Steves & Ian Watson & Cameron Hewitt

Author:Rick Steves & Ian Watson & Cameron Hewitt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Avalon Publishing
Published: 2018-03-27T04:00:00+00:00

Vestmannaeyjar Town Walk

This 1.5-hour walk is designed to give you a handy ▲▲▲ overview of the island’s only town—Vestmannaeyjar—with views from atop the lava that swallowed up several houses, and a stroll past its scant historic landmarks and along its busy harborfront. The walk begins in front of Eymundsson bookstore on the main street.

• Stand with your back to the water, looking up the street called...

Bárustígur: This is the little main street of a little town on a little island. The bookstore doubles as a TI, with a helpful staffer inside who can answer your questions between ringing up book sales and pulling espresso shots. Several recommended restaurants are just up the street. The gray, blocky building at the far end of the street is the town history and culture museum (called Sagnheimar and described later, under “Sights on Heimaey Island”).

• Walk one very short block up the street, turn left, and head for the staircase up the side of a bluff. Climb to the top of the stairs, then bear left with the trail and follow it out to the grassy viewpoint where the trail takes a sharp bend to the right.

Vestmannaeyjar Viewpoint Spin-Tour: Get oriented with this 360-degree visual tour. First, look out over the harbor, where boats big and small are sheltered by two steep cliffs with rounded, green tops. Vestmannaeyjar’s excellent natural harbor became even more sheltered by cooled lava after a huge eruption in 1973 (see sidebar in this chapter). A sixth of Iceland’s total fish exports come from here, even though the island has only a little more than 1 percent of Iceland’s population. The whole northern side of the harbor is given over to fish processing, and the community tends to vote for Iceland’s conservative party, which works to protect fishing interests. The harbor is too tight for big cruise ships...which is a good thing for independent travelers.

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