I approached the vehicle as it was driving up and immediately loaded our luggage (without help from the driver) into the Lyft yesterday. Then we all got into the vehicle. I was charged a 38-second “wait time fee” of 27¢.
I would dispute this 27¢ if there was any easy way. Guess it’s another method to leech money out of us bit by bit?
Greenland from the sky. A flight attendant of 40 years said she’s never seen it to the north…we got to see it for the first time with her!
(First three photos are the east side, last photo is the west side. You can see a landing strip at the lower left.)
Last, to our Airbnb near Sandgerði.
Our host met us to let us know that the Arctic tern were nesting. While nesting the eggs and hatchlings are vulnerable to Arctic fox. She let us know that if we heard any gunshots, it was the local farmers taking out a predatory fox.
The terns were everywhere.
Yesterday at Harpa we took in the interactive light exhibit, Circuleight.
Then we headed closer to the airport and our Airbnb for the evening, eating an outstanding dinner at Röstin restaurant at Garðskagi.
Yesterday we were back to Reykjavík, preparing to return home. 😢
It was sunny and warm (15°C), so ice cream at Eldur og Ís. Then a visit to Harpa.
Also two days ago, we finished our short Golden Circle tour. Geysir and Thingvellir.
Two days ago we started the day with tire repair. Protip: check your tires before leaving your rental car agency…especially driving Iceland. When our tire went flat, I looked at the tires and…oof, they were bad. Mechanics aid they were “terrible.”
Visited the park in Hvolsvöllur. Then to Gullfoss.
More updates to come from yesterday and today, but it’s time for bed and to say “Until next time” to Iceland. Flying out (🤞) tomorrow morning.
Visiting Skógafoss? I highly recommended following the Waterfall Way. The most work is climbing to the top of Skógafoss. From there it’s straight beauty. The first 25% of our hike was in steady rain, but we were prepared.
Steinbogafoss, Fremri-Fellsfoss, unnamed waterfall, and Skálabrekkufoss.
Two days ago. Kvernufoss and Skógafoss. If you’re visiting Skógafoss, don’t skip Kvernufoss. A walk-behind waterfall with hardly any other visitors.
Two days ago now. Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrafoss. Do not miss Gljúfrafoss!
Just experienced the super rare Iceland thunders (Hopefully that’s what it was!)
Got back to our Airbnb and noticed a tire was losing air. Flat within 10 minutes. Thankfully it wasn’t on the side of the road. Thankfully it wasn’t during our 6-hour epic drive in the northeast. Still a bummer, though.
I will have to save my photo update for tomorrow. 🙃
Finally we were glad we decided to go out in the rain one last time to visit the famous Reynisfjara black sand beach. We overlooked it from Dyrhólaey earlier in the day, but walking directly on its otherworldly sand was a whole different experience.
Then we spent some time in Vík. First looking at the church and cemetery. Then taking in the Lava Show. Hot!
Today was a bit more typical Iceland: windy and rainy.
Still, we soldiered on! First to Dyrhólaey.
After grabbing groceries at the absurdly busy Krónan grocery store in Vik, we headed west out of town and the sun peaked through the clouds for the first time all day. Simply breathtaking!
We wondered where this path led to near Stjórnarfoss. We gazed at miles upon miles of moss covered lava fields. We could have stared at Fjarðarárgljúfur (feather river canyon) literally all night. It was so gorgeous. We wrapped our pre-Vik drive up at Yoda Cave.
A stop at Dverghamrar yielded a number of fun pictures, including the first one with Foss á Síðu in the background.
Today we drove from Hotel Skaftafell to our remote Airbnb an hour west of Vik. The sheep outside of our window were ready to go! After a great breakfast, we took a stroll behind the hotel to see Svínafellsjökull. Next, a 45-minute hike to the famous Svartifoss. Then we found Lómagnúpur sleeping.
For today’s glacier hike, well, I had to write a full blog post. Enjoy The Falling Glacier.
Final yesterday! Our lodging has been pretty great throughout the trip. Though expensive! (Even planning 6 months early, options were sparse.)
We watched the Euro finals over dinner. The view at REY Stays was lovely, including a Harvestore-style silo like we had on our farm growing up.
Also yesterday! We visited Diamond Beach, where artists were forming the ice into diamond shapes. Cool! Then on to Jökulsárlón, a large glacial lagoon filled with icebergs from the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier.
I will write more in-depth on bjhess.com later. A collection of pages vs blog posts? 🤔
Yesterday! As I mentioned prior, extreme driving day. Here are four shots from the drive: Rjúkandafoss, marina at Djúpivogur, some mountains (😀), and the back side of Vestrahorn mountain (I think).
Way too tired to post an 🇮🇸 update tonight.