A Visit to Flateyri

A leisurely start made some exploration of the small town of Isafjordur possible. Who’d have thought you’d find a Museum of Everyday Life in a place as remote as this?

Having time to explore this area of the Westfjords, we found a number of points of interest along the road to the small community of Flateyri.(yes, it’s pronounced Flattery!!) It’s the largest community in the area with just 200 inhabitants.

Back up the hill and through the tunnel Paul drove while the rest of us enjoyed seeing the road in a different light. The wind has decreased and the snow has ceased so visibility is better than on our drive in to Isafjordur.

Our first find was a deserted house

And then there was the ‘bookshop’

with a very proud owner who was more than happy to explain the shop’s history and the fact that it had been maintained by his family for over a hundred years so their policy is only to sell things from companies that have been established at least as long or are unique to the Westfjords. Generally known now as The Old Bookstore it was established by the present owner’s family in 1914 and is unique in that the original fittings, furnishing and decor are pretty much as they would have been then. It is renowned as Iceland’a oldest original store.

It was even better to discover later that what we thought an expensive purchase was available at the same price in a regular bookstore in Akureyri.

A quick lunch in the cafe a few yards away provided an opportunity for more conversations with real Icelanders. We ;learnt that the local Vocational College was celebrating graduation – but nothing fancy as in the prom gear we had seen in Reykjavik.

Driving back along the fjord we stopped to photograph the drying racks with dead fish heads by the hundred

Further along was a church silhouetted against the landscape and then a beach with all kinds of angles of view across to the mountains in the middle distance.

And then it was back to the hotel, up over the pass, through the tunnels and ready for our dinner at the famous fish restaurant.

What a treat!!! Nothing but fish and vegetables. Fish soup to start, then a whole variety of fish cooked in different styles and with a variety of salads. Although it was ‘ come back for more as often as you like’ buffet style, I could only manage one full plate. But I really enjoyed what I had!

A short walk back to the hotel followed at the end of another very successful ( and rather more leisurely!) day!