Sunday Travels: Grafarkirkja, Holar and Glaumbaer

Today, Sunday June 16 (Happy Father's Day, Dad!...), brought perfect weather for an excursion: a cloudless sky, warm temps with a slight, cool breeze at our backs, and crisp colors in the landscape.  We started our day at a small chapel not far from the Art Center.  Grafarkirkja was built in the 17th century, and is a good example of the use of turf/sod as a building material. An alternative to hard-to-find lumber, and providing superior insulating and cooling properties, turf was commonly used to build structures in previous periods of Icelandic history, before international trade allowed for access to other materials.  The distinctive grass and sod rooftops, along with stacks of turf layered to build walls, are some of the hallmarks of turf houses.  The studio building at the Art Center was built with a turf roof, and although you will not find many current homes and structures in Iceland utilizing this technique, it is beginning to make a comeback.

The chapel is small, and that really understates it.  In the photo below, you can get a sense of scale as Andi, another artist-in-residence at Baer, enters the front door.

Inside, small pews front a tiny altar.  The church is still in use today, although primarily for special events, and the interior has been renovated with the times to allow for continuing worship activities.

Not the best choice for church if you're tall.

On the exterior of the chapel, you can see the stacked layers of sod that make up the outside walls.  These sections were stacked here like pancakes, one atop another; generally, you find sod walls in more of a herringbone pattern, which offers greater strength to the structure (you'll see an example later in this post).

This was a beautiful, if somewhat compact, church... sitting in the middle of a field, bordered by mountains.  Very peaceful.

We left Grafarkirkja and headed further southeast, to a tiny village called Holar.  An old community, it dates back nine centuries and is home to a cathedral (again somewhat small in stature) and Holar University College, a research and teaching center specializing in horse-breeding and -training, aquaculture, and tourism.  The small village is also the site of a printing press and farmhouse dating back to approximately 1530; these remains cover the ruins of an even older farmhouse from the 12th century.  This area has been the site of an archaeological excavation, unearthing valuable evidence of the printing press activity; it holds great historical significance, as it was the first press in the world to print a Bible in Icelandic.

The cathedral, although small, is quite beautiful.

We visited midday, as they were preparing for a concert to be held later in the afternoon. A great place to hear music- someone was playing the organ as we watched, and it had such a sweet sound.

Lunchtime came upon us, and we had a delicious meal in the University Center: arctic char, gold potatoes, salad greens, and spicy tomato soup.  The seafood in Iceland is, quite simply, some of the freshest I have ever tasted.  All local.  Never in my life have I taken so many pictures of meals...but I'm compelled to do so in this country, as it's all so memorable.

Our wandering in Holar after lunch brought us to another turf house: Nyibaer dates back to the mid-19th century, and was still in use as an active home until 1945. With this structure, one sees an excellent example of the herringbone-style placement of the sod sections, making up the outer walls.

We left Holar early in the afternoon, and made our way west to Glaumbaer Farm, another turf home...this one considered to have been a large manor by comparison to many.  The techniques for building with turf varied between different areas in Iceland; in some, walls were often constructed with a combination of rocks and turf. At Glaumbaer, most of the building structure was almost exclusively turf. This farm dates to the 18th and 19th century, depending on which section you consider.

Glaumbaer consists of many small connected rooms and buildings, ranging from smithy areas to bedrooms and pantries.  From the outside, it looks like separate sections, but most are combined with passageways and room combinations.  

 The interior rooms each have their own unique character.  This front room is the only one in the complex with any color on the walls.  The remaining are either natural wood, or exposed sod.  The floors are made of dirt.

The passageways are cramped...not a good living situation for anyone with claustrophobia.

There are a number of bedrooms, each with a few beds.  These beds are not only short, but narrow as well. However, each slept two people on average.  There could be upwards of 22 people living in this complex at any given time.

The farm is well-stocked with artifacts relating to everyday living during the 18th and 19th centuries.  Food and water barrels and cabinets, sewing tools, recreational items (such as ice skates made of bone)...even a kit for blood-letting, a common health practice in those days.

Glaumbaer is a vivid example of turf-house living, with all of its challenges.  But, what a view in the front yard:

We ended our time at Glaumbaer with a stop at the coffeehouse on the property grounds.  Here, I tasted what I sadly suspect I won't be able to find to any comparable quality in the US: skyrcake, a cheesecake-style dessert made from skyr, a cultured dairy product native to Iceland, similar to yogurt, but way, way better.  Skyr is kind of like a strained yogurt, with a consistency not unlike greek-style yogurt, but smoother. It has been a staple of Icelandic cuisine for over a thousand years. It is traditionally served cold, with a topping of sugar and cream.  However, today I tried a taste of it in this popular dessert form.  Heaven.  I understand skyr is available in the states, most readily at Whole Foods, but I'll have to confirm it for myself when I return home.  I'm a big convert.

Just before we left Glaumbaer, I had a quick chat with a few new friends. These guys were hanging out near the walkway, cooling their thick-coated bodies in some dirt.  Sleepy and lazy cuddle time.