Sjavarfoss

Sjavarfoss (Sjávarfoss; pronounced "SHAU-var-foss"; labeled as "Fossa" on our map) was an unexpected waterfall we noticed while driving along Hvalfjörður on the way to

I wasn't fluent enough in Icelandic to be able to read the nearby sign (so we'd know once and for all what the ruins were perhaps), but it certainly looked historical and important.

Sometimes finding the right place to be is a guessing game, when you're not fluent. But it's worth learning a few words so you can get around the area. With signs for anything from a museum to a Britannia Hotel, the designers usually make it pretty obvious. It worked for us, so we took a look.

And if indeed that's the case, it would certainly add even more intrigue to this waterfall (like why the ruin would be there and how did they treat the waterfall?) since you don't normally see history and waterfalls mix. Maybe they have a saga for it?

Directions: While driving on Route 47 along Hvalfjörður towards Glymur, it was about 12km east of the turnoff for Route 48. Alternatively, if coming the other way, it's roughly 7km west of the turnoff for Glymur.

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The ruins and the falls

Yellow flowers before the falls

Some purple flowers blooming before Sjavarfoss

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TRIP REPORTS

• June 21, 2007

GUIDEBOOKS / OTHER RESOURCES

NEARBY WATERFALLS

• Glymur

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