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<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI flew in a small plane from the capital, Reykjavik, to the northern town of Akureyri, planning to board, along with very few travelers, an even smaller plane that would take us all to Grimsey Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Considering my chronic fear of flying, imagine what was going on in my head seeing the nasty weather outside and the tiny plane that was supposed to take us over the ocean\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had to walk sideways to get to my seat, as I couldn\u2019t fit otherwise\u2026 I sat nicely in my reserved seat and gathered my courage, thinking that the two men at the controls often fly in this kind of weather and in such places. So I even managed to take out my camera to take some pictures \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n And we took off. The flight? Thirty minutes, no more. We left behind the gloomy northern coast of Iceland on that July day, and headed in a surprisingly bright direction! I started to get excited at the thought that, although I knew very little, I was about to discover a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think the first impression mattered a lot! Actually, I\u2019m sure of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 41 kilometers off the northern coast of Iceland, I landed on a green island, bathed in sunlight, a 5.3 square kilometer patch of land, 5.5 kilometers long, located right on the Arctic Circle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An island formed from volcanic rock, home to fewer than 60 people and… over 1 million seabirds!!! <\/strong>Seriously!<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can imagine how eager I was to explore it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once I got my small bag for an overnight stay, I was spotted by a lady \u2013 my host.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I barely stepped out of the airport when I reached her guesthouse. Here, the saying \u201cjust a stone\u2019s throw away\u201d would be perfect, as you can also see in the photo. It was practically the shortest airport-to-accommodation transfer I\u2019ve ever had haha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two guesthouses on the island. That\u2019s all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One is right next to the airport, called B\u00e1sar<\/strong> \u2013 where I stayed. It has 8 small rooms, a shared kitchen, and a shared bathroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The other is near the harbor, where tourist boats dock. It\u2019s called Gulls\u00f3l<\/strong>, and it has similar amenities to the first one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the window of my tiny room, I could see the marker indicating that you\u2019re exactly on the Arctic Circle \u2013 one of the best-known landmarks of the island. I dropped my bag and rushed out with my camera, as if that pole would vanish if I dared to breathe, unpack my backpack, or take a quick bathroom break\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Four tourists were also taking photos there. Quite the crowd, huh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I waited for them to finish and leave so I could take over \u2013 me, the queen of the Arctic Circle…<\/p>\n\n\n\n I planted myself right there, but of course, I needed them, because the selfie wasn\u2019t cutting it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pole was installed in July 2003. The idea was that people could \u201ccross\u201d the Arctic Circle on a kind of bridge \u2013 basically, a ladder on each side of a stile:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I started to mark my territory. No, not like that, don\u2019t get any weird ideas! I pulled out the Romanian flag I\u2019d brought especially from home, stuck it in the pole, and just like that, added a splash of color to the place haha \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then I went puffin<\/strong> hunting. My weapon of choice? My Canon camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re in the right place at the right time\u201d, someone tells me. Puffins, those northern sea birds with parrot-like faces, spend most of their lives on the water, but during spring and summer they come ashore, especially in Iceland, to form breeding colonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I step off the path to see them on the cliffs and I\u2019m amazed by how many and how cute they are!<\/p>\n\n\n\n In some spots, I come across \u201ccamouflaged\u201d cameras without owners:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I look at my own camera and feel so small compared to what I see here\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Truth is, this island is the perfect place for professional photographers to come and capture these birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I spot the owners of those huge cameras. They wait patiently for the perfect wing-flap. With lots and lots of patience. I understand that there\u2019s good money to be made from this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So I arm myself with patience too, and slowly approach the promontories, where I see the puffins chatting or holding fish in their beaks. I\u2019m beyond thrilled to see in real life, with my own eyes, what I\u2019ve only seen on TV before. And to take photos like the ones I\u2019ve seen online. Just with the camera on auto mode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The island has a few walking trails. Easy ones. Some spots give you the chance to see the landscape from above. Not too<\/em> high up, considering that on the eastern side \u2013 the highest point \u2013 the island only rises to 105 meters above sea level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the walk is worth it! The air is the kind that feels like it cleans out your lungs. And the landscape is so beautiful, it instantly fixes any nearsightedness you might have \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the island’s trails, I spot the \u201cshuttle\u201d that carries passengers across the sea from the mainland (from Dalv\u00edk) to Grimsey and back:<\/p>\n\n\n\n One trip takes 3 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of the tourists who arrive by sea only stay on the island for a few hours, until the boat leaves again. They walk around a bit, take photos, eat something, buy a souvenir, and that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I start walking down the main street of the island\u2019s only village \u2013 Sandvik.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m curious about how these people live, what their houses look like, what they do, what they have\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s sunny outside, but the temperature doesn\u2019t go above 16 degrees Celsius (in July, mind you!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stare at the houses, the yards (though there are hardly any fences), and whatever else they\u2019ve got around. No movement anywhere. No barking dogs, no lazy cats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later, I found out, by talking to the locals, that they raise horses and sheep. Definitely not dogs or cats, which are not allowed on the island, because of the birds!<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are no rats or mice on Grimsey either. The only wild land mammals that occasionally visit the island are polar bears. Very rarely seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fish is left out to dry in the sun. I\u2019ve seen this in many places, and I found it again in shops, for sale, in bags that release such a strong smell it makes you want to run\u2026 But everyone considers it extremely healthy food!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of fish, all the men on the island are fishermen. Except for one \u2013 who is a mechanic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fishing and fish processing are extremely important nowadays, but in the past, bird hunting and egg collecting were essential! (From what I understand, they still go egg collecting even today.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, look at that\u2026 I\u2019m not the only one staying overnight! Though some have chosen to sleep outdoors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Camping is allowed on the island, in a designated area where you even have a few facilities like showers and toilets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I pass by the school. It\u2019s summer break, so not a single child in sight. Not inside, not on the makeshift football field, not by the basketball hoop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I find out that 13 kids study here, up to 14 years old. And there are 3 more in kindergarten. (These figures are from the summer of 2014. Now, things have changed: the building is a Community Center, as the school and kindergarten were closed due to lack of children!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t see any sign of a hospital or clinic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They don\u2019t have one\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe only get sick once every 3 months\u201d, jokes a local. Because a doctor only comes to the island once every 3 months!<\/p>\n\n\n\n If there\u2019s an emergency, something serious, help comes by plane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This church, photographed by me in 2014, burned down in 2021! \ud83d\ude41<\/p>\n\n\n\n I found out the news in Reykjavik, during my 2023 trip, when I saw an exhibition with photos from the disaster and details about the fundraising efforts for its reconstruction. (People have rallied and hope to have it rebuilt by the end of 2024. In the meantime, they hold certain services or events in what they\u2019ve managed to build so far.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The church was originally built in 1867, and later expanded and renovated in 1932.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So these photos I took in the summer of 2014 now feel very precious to me!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I found the church open and learned that it was kept open permanently so that anyone could come in to pray or gather their thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, there was no resident priest. The priest visits Grimsey about three times a year \u2013 for a wedding, a baptism…<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the way out, you could buy a postcard of the church if you dropped 100 ISK (just over half a euro) in the donation box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Approximately 60 people are officially registered as living on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During winter, however, the population drops to 25\u201330 people! Women leave for mainland Iceland with the children, for school (since the island hasn\u2019t had a school for 3 years). On top of that, tourism drops drastically, and people go elsewhere for jobs, education, or other needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In summer, they return, relatives also come to stay, and there are more fishermen too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I arrived on the island in 2014, most of them didn\u2019t have mobile phones, weren\u2019t into the internet or Facebook. Since then, things have changed, and at least those I spoke to are now enjoying the benefits of being online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Very, very rarely do they go to the mainland. They stay on the island. They go for walks, collect eggs along the high shores, hunt birds, ride horses, have fishing competitions, or relax at the small pool on the island. But what they enjoy the most is gathering for chats, that\u2019s their thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And I also found out they\u2019re really good at chess!<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 19th century, a wealthy American scholar and chess enthusiast (Daniel Willard Fiske) set foot on the island. Seeing the locals\u2019 love for chess, he donated a chess set to every household, plus money for the community to help with its development. Since then, the people of Grimsey commemorate him every year on his birthday \u2013 November 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I came across two of the island\u2019s very few children. Working in the small fish factory. On their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You wouldn\u2019t believe the speed and skill these kids had! And we\u2019re talking about hundreds of kilos of fish!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fish that I later found on my plate, at a nearby restaurant. Cooked…<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is only one restaurant on the island, near the port \u2013 Kr\u00edan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is where people gather to chat, outside of the ferry hours that bring tourists to the island, and when every local becomes helpful \u2013 my host from the guesthouse was washing dishes, the man who served me would later be my boat guide\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s common for everyone to do a bit of everything, especially when the place gets flooded with tourists from the ferry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The restaurant is small and, since the weather is amazing, I sit on its terrace because I have a stunning view of the Arctic Ocean and Iceland\u2019s northern coast:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had lunch twice on the island, so I got to try both of the local specialties, frrresh:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Puffin with potatoes and cod with potatoes. Oh my God, my mouth waters just remembering it!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the island, there\u2019s only one supermarket. Well, more like a village shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s only open a few hours a day (an hour and a half at lunchtime and two more hours in the afternoon), and in summer it depends on when the ferries arrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Inside, there\u2019s also a post office. They have stamps, but no postcards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, postcards, but no stamps \ud83d\ude42 can be found at a small souvenir shop at the guesthouse by the port (Gulls\u00f3l).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Besides postcards, you\u2019ll also find handmade crafts by local women, books, maps, and a few edible goodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From here, you can also buy a diploma, stamped on the spot, after they fill in your name and date \u2013 a diploma proving that you\u2019ve been to the Arctic Circle. Of course I bought one\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can get a tan, quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After just a few hours of walking, I could already feel the sun had roasted me well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can play football on the island. On a \u201cnatural\u201d field. Just bring your own team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If I go by the golf ball I found, it seems there are also people who play golf here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I take the ball as a lucky charm…<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also come across a swimming pool. I wasn\u2019t expecting it, considering these people are surrounded by ocean, but when I learned that the water temperature is around 4\u00b0C in winter and only about 8\u00b0C in summer, I understood the value of a warm indoor pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I go in to see what it\u2019s like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Warm!<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a small pool, but clearly it makes the locals happy, at the very least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can set off on a walking tour. There are paths that take you to the northernmost point of the island, then to the high cliffs in the east. You\u2019ll also reach the only lighthouse, at the southern tip of the island, and then return to the port through the village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can go horseback riding, if you\u2019ve had a bit of training (or have courage\u2026), but you can also rent a Vespa if you prefer comfort. Or a bike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019re officially called \u201cArctic terns\u201d around the world, but to me, they\u2019re the \u201cterrorist terns\u201d<\/em>!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nGRIMSEY ISLAND<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWHERE TO STAY IN GRIMSEY<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nON THE ARCTIC CIRCLE<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nTHE PUFFINS<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nGRIMSEY SEEN FROM ABOVE<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nSANDVIK<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nTHE GRIMSEY CHURCH<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nTHE INHABITANTS OF GRIMSEY<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWHAT TO EAT IN GRIMSEY<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
AND WHAT TO BUY<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWHAT TO DO ON GRIMSEY ISLAND<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nARCTIC TERNS<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n