Iceland: Day 8 - Christmas House

July 2, 2004

After Akureyri, we hoped to find a nice picnic spot along the fertile floodplain of Eyjafjarðardalur. We didn't really find one, but we did stop at Hrafnagil. This was a chieftain's estate and church site from a long time ago, and the scene of an infamous act of revenge committed on Christmas Day, 1258, at the height of Iceland's civil war. With a population of 136 there were no signs to mark the historic significance of the place but we found a delightful Christmas house instead where they sold Icelandic crafts. They also had a little garden with some miniature turf houses and a very special wishing well.

Eyjafjarðardalur - at the base of the mountain on the left side is Akureyri.

The Christmas house.

The sign at the wishing well. (Can you guess what we wished for?)

A miniature turf church.
We really liked the idea of using tree trunks to make a little walking path.

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