don’t get lost on flatey

what trip to the north is complete without a visit to an island? (or a trip anywhere, for that matter?)

we had a gorgeous first weekend of august out on flatey, an island out in the middle of the breidafjordur between the snaefellsnes peninsula and the west fjords. the island, which literally translates to “flat island”, is only one
of hundreds in this area but is the only one inhabited all year round! as soon as i got reading about it, i realized this is the island that was the setting for the first of my icelandic film series, white night wedding (2008), which is a really sweet film (but much darker than you’d think) about love, commitment, and an unlikely wedding set out on this island that i had seen many years before.

we took the baldur ferry, below, from stykkishólmur which takes an hour and half to this sweet little island and then made our way to hotel flatey, sort of the outpost for most activity on the tiny, treeless island (only 2km long and about 1km wide) as it houses a fabulous restaurant and the island’s only bar, only open summer weekends. the title of this post is sort of the running joke when it comes to this place! i was pretty excited as our stay lined up with the visit of guest chef uli bergmann who was cooking a cod feast! (salted cod prepared about five different ways + herring!)

what a cool welcome to flatey, in the large airy barn-turned-restaurant hall seated alongside other guests. the atmosphere was lively and i think we were the only native english speakers there that night from what i could hear.

i loved unplugging on flatey and going on walks and observing the bird-life, especially the arctic terns (that this island is well known for) swooping around and feeding their young. about a third of the island is also a breeding ground reserve for eider.

some much needed beach time & wanders…

finding a private little alcove for drinks on the beach at sunset… (below, sliv hard or die dryin’ – this one’s for our czech friends!)

the absolutely delicious cuisine served at the hotel restaurant… even ordering something as innocent as “fish soup” turns out to be a huge deep-fried fish skin chip under a pile of local mussels and a delicious broth. so sad to forget my camera as i wasn’t expecting any culinary surprises but clearly, i got it! they put loads of care into the food they serve. (photo via)

watching the terns swoop around in circles at night, cawing loudly as the feeding frenzy has begun. even in august, the sun only set a little bit making those black-out shades a necessity.

so much to love about little flatey… below, you can see the top of snaefellsnesjökull (glacier at the most westerly part of the snaefellsnes peninsula) to the south.

to be out on a tiny island in the north atlantic feels mysterious and wonderful, like being on the edge of the world. i mean iceland alone can give this sort of feeling, so one of iceland’s tiny islands really takes that to the next level… which i love. what is better than to feel on the edge of the world in a place like this?

i’ve realized that i have scheduled an island or seaside getaway every summer of this adventure (2013, 2014, 2015) so it was nice (and almost expected by now) to keep up that tradition. i’ve never appreciated the sea as much as i have the past few years, living away from it, and a little seaside getaway added an extra and much appreciated facet to this iceland trip… which i’m still on! so fun writing from the road.

what is your favorite island you’ve visited? what are your thoughts about staying on tiny islands?

this post is a part of wanderful wednesday.