The Golden Circle - Land og saga

Básar Guesthouse in Grímsey
Where Everybody Knows Your Name
For those used to living in metropolitan
areas or even small towns, a visit to
Grímsey will surely change the way you
feel about your neighbours. Grímsey is
a tiny island of only two square miles,
located 25 miles north of Iceland and has a
population of less than a hundred. The small
here is much more energetic. For example
our community centre is sometimes even
booked the whole week through and when
it’s someone’s birthday the whole island is
invited,” says Ragnhildur.
Activities in Grímsey are plentiful. You
have the option of going sea angling, which
think of this environment as more personal
than in many crowded populations. For
example, I never leave my guests unattended
and I often take guests staying at Básar for a
drive around the island and introduce them
to our daily lives” says Ragnhildur.
Básar offers 18 beds in eight different
population ensures that everyone has a share
in the community‘s responsibilities and that
everyone knows everybody.
For example one inhabitant, Ragnhildur
Hjaltadottir, shares the duties of being the
manager of local guesthouse, Básar, operator
of a small banking branch in Grímsey,
airport manager and chairwoman for the
local women’s club. “In order to live happily
in such a tight-knit community, you have
to be 100% content with yourself and be
generous to the community. We have an
extremely active social life and there is
really no other alternative than to take part
in it. We tend to celebrate every occasion we
can think of and most people I know from
the mainland tell me that the social life
can be arranged in Básar. You can spend
the day bird watching as the island hosts
various species of birds. If in doubt as to
where the best spot is, simply ask the locals
who will gladly point them out to you. Then
of course, you can just explore the entire
island by foot, see the church, chat with
the fishermen at the pier (though not all of
them speak English but they’ll welcome you
anyway) or drop by at the community centre
and see if there is a bingo game or a lottery
going on.
Ragnhildur says island visitors are
uniformly welcomed to the island and
commonly invited to join in on whatever
events the locals are celebrating. “We like to
rooms, either made up or for sleeping bags.
Breakfast is on offer, as well as full meals if
requested. The guesthouse is located next to
the Arctic Circle and you only have to take
three steps outside the guesthouse to cross it.
From 12th June until 20th August, flights
depart for Grímsey daily at 13:00 from
Akureyri. Prior to that time, flights depart
three times a week. A ferry also leaves from
Dalvík at 9:00 am three times a week (Mon,
Wed, Fri).
Básar
Básum • 611 Grímsey
+354 467 3103
gagga@simnet.is
none
50 www.icelandictimes.com