Every part of Iceland is incredibly unique and The Westman Islands are no exception. A Volcanic island chain just of the south coast it is made up of a dramatic volcanic landscapes new and old, grassy knolls covered with gazing sheep and the most sea birds I've ever seen in my life, occupying the cliffs.
The main island Heimaey is the site of the largest and only town, Vestmannaeyjar. The town is quite large given the size of the island but this is due to the lack of farming and reliance on seafood. Heimaey is known for it's very good harbour where half of all of Iceland's seafood is processed making it the second most important harbour after Reykjavik.
The islands are named after Gaelic slaves who were brought to the islands by the Norse. The Norse referred to the irish as the Westmen before Iceland was discovered and the name stuck. It's interesting history does not end there. The islands were raided by Algerian pirates multiple times in the 16th century and recently in 1973 the main town saw a volcano form within its boundaries and take out 1/5 of the town. After a lengthy evacuation and fighting the lava flows with water cannons, people were eventually allowed back to rebuild. The remains of this newly formed volcano known as eldfell and lava fields are very clear on the main island today.
18 сен 2024
