After a couple of days in Reykjavik, we decided to have a drive northish to see a bit more of the countryside. Grundarfjörður is two and a half hours away from the capital in the north of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. As you might expect, it’s a scenic route. There are plenty of mountains, waterfalls and we even saw wild horses fighting.
I know. Fighting horses would have been better.
Grundarfjörður was shut when we arrived. The one hotel wasn’t serving lunch and the best we could manage was a coffee at a small supermarket that appeared to be the meeting place for anyone who had ventured out of their wooden house.
We eventually found a cafe serving food but after paying fifteen quid for a bowl of soup realised why everyone just went to the supermarket or stayed indoors. With the wind and rain getting worse, Jen decided that the high price of lunch entitled her to linger indoors a bit longer and so I left her there and drove around the corner to the football pitch that we’d spotted on the way into town.
It was quite a view.
The game was a fourth division clash between Grundarfjörður in blue and white and Fjardabyggd in red and black. I didn‘t have to pay to get in. In fact I didn‘t even have to get out of my car. Everyone just parked up on a raised ledge and watched from the warmth of their vehicle. That was quite fortunate really as the dashboard was suggesting that it was close to freezing outside.
There were about another thirty cars lined up by the time the game kicked off, with a few hardy souls watching in the open. I suppose the locals have got used to weather like that and I doubt there are many rival attractions on a Grundarfjörður Sunday lunchtime. Or any Grundarfjörður lunchtime.
One of those cars was ours.
Two minutes in and the Grundarfjörður right winger got clear through and squared it for one of his strikers who somehow managed to get his legs tangled up and miss an open goal.
After that though it was all Fjardabyggd chances in the remainder of the first half with the wind seeming to thwart the visitors more than the home defence. Bang on half-time their left midfielder used the gale to his advantage and cutting in from his side of the pitch curled a right footed shot just inside the far post to open the scoring. The goal was greeted by the sound of car horns, presumably in celebration, so there must have been some away fans in attendance.
That’s quite a famous rock apparently.
Fjardabyggd continued to press in the second half amid a few harder tackles flying in. Early highlights included one of the coaches being sent off, presumably to sit in the warmth of his car. That’ll teach him. Then we had a home player calling for what I had presumed was a replacement shirt, but was actually an additional shirt. Fair enough I’d say.
Imagine what it’s like in the winter.
Twenty minutes from time a Grundarfjörður free kick bobbled around in the box before just sitting up nicely for the home centre back who wellied it home on the half-volley to even things up. The goal seemed to increase the niggling fouls and before long we were treated to a handbag session that ended up with one of the Grundarfjörður fellas getting a straight red.
Get into ’em!
A minute from time Fjardabyggd were awarded a penalty. As you can imagine Grundarfjörður, who were a player and a coach down, weren’t too pleased with this. They soon cheered up though when their keeper managed to keep both the initial shot and then the rebound out.
Just look at those hills.
The joy wasn’t to last though as moments later a cross from the right was headed home from five yards out to give the visitors a two-one victory.
That’s yer lot.
As the car horns greeted the final whistle the bloke who had been sent off came back on to the pitch to remonstrate with the ref. Unfortunately for him Grundarfjörður don’t supply their players with padded jackets and so he stated his grievances whilst wearing a shawl. It’s hard to be taken seriously in those circumstances.
I think that Grundarfjörður might very well have been the most scenic location that I‘ve ever watched a game of football. It was definitely well worth the weather and the pricey soup.
Trail of the Lion King 
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