I made a delightful detour this summer in North Iceland, one which brought me to a quirky museum along the coast. The historical museum is more like an adjunct to the home of Bjarni Sigurður Aðalgeirsson, who is passionate about Icelandic history and any momento and object that links Iceland to its heritage. Officially called The Mánárbakki History Museum, it was opened on June 18th, 1995 in a house named Thórshamar that was moved there from the seaside fishing town of Húsavík.
In recent years, the museum was enlarged with a house named Lækjarbakki, built in a traditional Icelandic style. The museum is open daily from June 10th to August 31st and by agreement at other times of the year. You can see it on your own if you have a car or if you take a tour with Saga, it is included on the Europe’s Most Powerful Waterfall tour. Outside the museum, there are stunning views and the landscape of the nearby farmlands is full of pure and raw beauty.
To call this place charming is an understatement.
It also happens to be quirky.
Inside each room, there is so much to look at, you can marvel at the relics and objects of old for hours on end.
Below meet owner Bjarni Sigurður Aðalgeirsson who is cutting some smoked fish for me from a little back house near his home that also is home to many of his relics. Yum!! He also played some traditional Icelandic music for me from an old fashioned record turntable, which you’ll experience by viewing the video below. He also played Norweigan music because after all, remember that the Norweigan King had quite a hand in Iceland for some time and had ruled the nation for many years.
He looks a bit like an Icelandic Ronald Ragan don’t you think?
Below is a little video I shot which includes translation of some of his stories by our Saga Travel guide.
Note: I was hosted by Saga Travel in the North, a personalized travel and tour company I’d recommend syncing up with if you want to explore North Iceland. Their team is knowledgeable, passionate and most importantly, fun! All opinions expressed here are my own.
For more on Iceland, check out Iceland section / Travel to Iceland / Traveling to Iceland. All photos Renee Blodgett.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
