Grenjaðarstaður and Myvátn

On the fourth day of our trip to Iceland, we first visited the open-air museum of the Grenjaðarstaður peat farm.

The Grenjaðarstaður parish had been based at the peat farm since 1865.

A layer of peat above the rocks

Volcanic rock, peat from the surrounding area, and driftwood were used to build the farmstead. Most of the driftwood came from Siberia and took up to five years to reach this location.

Immediately to the left of the entrance to this housing complex is the so-called "Golden Room," which is furnished entirely in the style of the 19th-century bourgeoisie. The middle photo shows Pastor Benedikt Kristjánsson, who served here as pastor from 1876 to 1907. His wife, Regina Sívertssen, is pictured on the left. She died in 1884, and Benedikt married Ólöf Ásta, his second wife, pictured on the right.

Initially, cooking was done over an open fire. In the old peat-farmhouses, there was very little ventilation.

The women, who worked at the hearth from dawn to dusk, suffered from lung and eye diseases.

You will find a coffee pot just about anywhere in Iceland

So the modern stove came at just the right time. The women working here could occasionally look out the window and watch what was going on at the neighboring farm.

On the left: By moving the end panel, the bed width could be adjusted to suit individual needs.

Adjacent to the "kitchen" is the Pilthúsið, a room that served as both a sleeping and working area for the workers at Grenjaðarstaður.

On the other side of the corridor is Elísabet Jónsdóttir's room. She was the wife of Pastor Kristjansson's successor, Pastor Pétur Hjálmarsson. Elísabet was exceptionally musical. She was not only the parish organist and choir director, but also one of the first women to publish her compositions in Iceland. In her room, she taught not only music but also needlework.

In the farm's pantry, you admire a barrel used to store salted fish, as well as a butter churn.

The Grenjaðarstaðarkirkja stands in the churchyard. It was built of wood in 1865. The bells date from 1663 and 1740 and hang above the gateway.

The church's interior is kept simple.

Our next stop was the picturesque area around Lake Myvátn, which ranks among Iceland's most remarkable sights, particularly due to its volcanic features.

A basaltic eruption of the volcano Krafla 2300 years ago formed a natural dam, preventing accumulated water from draining away. It pooled into Myvátn, the Lake of Midges.

The midgets were many, annoying, and some of them biting. We bought mosquito nets to cover our heads.

©Wikipedia

The rift between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which we already met at Đingvellir, also runs through this region. The Myvátn area remains volcanically active.

 

The rift is widening. The midges rejoice: Iceland's land area is steadily growing.

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