Visiting Iceland’s Eggs of Merry Bay: Eggin í Gleðivík

What to do with old plinths? Remnants from an old port were just sitting in the village of Djupivogur, looking shabby until artist Sigurður Guðmundsson was asked to do something about it. The sorry slabs were transformed into a 656 foot long sculpture series called Eggin í Gleðivík.

The name of the enormous outdoor art work translates to the Eggs at Merry Bay, and they represent the birds that would sit right in the water beside them.

There are 34 eggs in total, each is a precise large scale replica of the actual thing. Walking down the line observing each, you will notice each has a slightly different shape and color. Every egg includes its Latin and Icelandic name for you to better identify them if you come a cross this particular egg in the wild. The best time of the year for birding in Iceland is June-August.

You may notice that there is one egg that is different from the rest. Lómur, or the red-throated diver, is the official bird of Djúpivogur and this egg is made to be humungous in its honor.

All of the eggs are carved from Chinese granite, the artist lives in China for part of the year and for the other part, in Eastern Iceland right near this sculpture in town. The eggs have become a symbol of Djúpivogur, a draw for people to come and visit. If you go shopping around you can find tiny versions of the eggs to bring back home as a gift for your favorite bird watcher or omelette eater.

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