Ring Road Iceland - Djúpigovur

Having reached east of Iceland, my journey took me through a jagged coastline of fjords. Although Egilsstaðir is the largest town in this region, Djúpigovur is the oldest municipality by receiving its trading license in 1589. Located on a peninsula between two fjords, the town is home to the oldest commercial building in the country known as Langabúð (early 19thC). Today the building is a café, heritage museum and has an exhibition on local sculptor, Ríkarður Jónsson who in 1918 won a competition to create a new coat of arms for Iceland.

Not far from town is an outdoor art installation called, The Eggs of Merry Bay. Along the bay are 34 large replica eggs that are meant to be a tribute to the native birds of Iceland. Each egg, set atop a concrete slab, "depicts the shape, patterns and colours of the individual bird egg it represents". With the exception of one, the eggs are all close in size. The larger singled out egg, was the sculpture honouring the red-throated diver which is the official bird of Djúpigovur.

Classified as a "Cittaslow" town, Djúpigovur is the first and only one in Iceland. Cittaslow is a cultural trend towards slow movement. Founded in 1999 Italy, Cittaslow's aim is to improve the quality of life in towns by slowing down the pace, promote healthier lifestyles, environmental protection, cultural diversity and resist cultural standardisation. Djúpigovur is one of 192 Cittaslow towns around the world.

The nearby Papey Island was settled by two monks who might have fled Norse attacks on the mainland and founded a hermitage. The island's name is Celtic, meaning "Friar's Island". It has the oldest wooden church in the country. Uninhabited since 1948 when the last resident left, it is a great place to see puffins, guillemots, other birds and seals.

Climbingslopewaterfalls is the literal translation to Klifbrekkufossar, a waterfall that looks like a series of waterfalls one above the other falling from a 90m (295ft) height but Klifbrekkufossar is a singular waterfall that lands on a series of ledges before winding itself down the river. Being spring-fed the river is not contaminated by dirt, like glacial rivers, thereby making the water clear and clean giving the waterfall a sense of purity.



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