Hafnarfjordur
Because I am an willingly manipulated tourist at heart, the
place I most wanted to see was Hafnarfjordur, home of the hidden people, only
visible to those with second sight. I was expecting a tour guide to point at a rock and tell me it's awesome and I still wanted to do this.
At the Park. Are you my elf house?
Iceland has a great reputation for belief in elves, ghosts,
and all kinds of mystic creatures. Even road constructions have been re-planned
so as not to disturb elf houses and incur their (or the locals’ wrath). That
said, rumor has it that most Icelanders will say yes, many people believe in
elves, but that they’re not sure if they themselves
do.
While hidden folk are noted to grace places around the
country, this town, just a 20-min drive out of Reykjavik, is the most known for
them. There weren’t any tours offered when we arrived, which perhaps defeats
the purpose, but we wandered anyway through the grassy boulders of the public
park and across the Hamarinn Cliffs where the hidden folk supposedly like to
visit. I'd been hoping to find a map of elf houses at the Tourist Center and self-guide our tour, but alas, no luck. My dad pointed to every rocky crag he saw, said “Look, Jule, an elf
house!”, and speculated on each one's property prices.
The small town is rather quiet for having two notable
tourist traps: elves and a Viking hotel and restaurant.
Land of the midnight sun. The sun didn't set until 11pm.
(a black-pebble beach back in Reykjavik)
Traveler's Tips
Hafnarfjordur
Tours 1.5hrs and only offered at 2:30 on Tuesdays and
Fridays, so plan accordingly. They might also only be seasonal.
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