Happy 4th of July! We started the longest portion of our return drive around the Snaefellsnes Peninsula to West Iceland, back toward Reykjavik today. We had a few hundred kilometers to cover, with an evening reservation for dinner and geothermal baths, and it was cold and WINDY, so lots of brief stops to make sure we were 1. on time, and 2. didn’t blow away.
Topping the agenda, literally, was the 463m high Kirkjufell ("church mountain"), one of the most photographed mountains in Iceland. It is also known as the Arrow Head Mountain from the Game of Thrones. Paired with it, the Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall. Beautiful. Foggy. Really cold. Audrey finally had a few minutes to find her 4 leaf clovers for this country, though. I had thought this country might not have the mutation, but she found 3 today, and Elizabeth found 1.
Next stop, the murals of Hellissandur—the Street Art Capital of Iceland. From our trip notes, “In the summer of 2018, a team of international artists were summoned to Hellissandur by the founder of local hostel and culture venue “The Freezer” to transform an abandoned fish factory and several unadorned buildings around town into 30 large works of art. Each mural is inspired by a local story.” I had no idea that in Jules Verne’s “The Journey to the Center of the Earth”, the protagonists try to reach the center of the Earth through the nearby Snaefellsjokull volcano. There were some beautiful pieces on the buildings here.
Not even a real stop, as we didn’t pause the car, but we saw Saxholl Crater. You are able to climb this crater, but we had a few more stops that we prioritized for the day.
Djupalonssandur, which translates to "black lava pearl beach" after the smooth black pebbles all over the beach was our next stop. A British trawler sank in these waters in 1948 and pieces of the rusty wreckage are scattered on the beach. There are also four lifting stones used by fishermen to qualify men for work on their boats - fullsterkur ("full strength") 154 kg, halfsterkur ("half strength") 100 kg, halfdraettingur ("weakling") 54 kg and amlodi ("useless") 23 kg.Halfdraettingur was the minimum weight required to be lifted to hip height. We had thought we would have time to hike down to the beach and back, but we were conscious of the time (even without Greg’s prodding) and kept it to the main viewing path.
On to Londrangar. At Londrangar there are volcanic plugs that are the remains of a volcanic crater formed when magma solidified within the volcano after an eruption. Eventually, the rest of the crater was eroded by the sea leaving two towering rock formations standing tall at 65m and 71m. Malarrif lighthouse (built in 1917) is also there (and a nice Visitor’s Station great for potty breaks if you also find yourself on a long drive along the North Atlantic Ocean!).
Finally our highlight stop for the day, Ytri Tunga--a golden sand beach known for its seal colonies. Both of the two seal species which are permanent residents in Iceland are visible here: the common seal and the grey seal. The area is marked as a “Quiet Zone”, and you are asked to stay the equivalent of a football (American) field away from the seals. True to form, tourists completely ignore this request and are right up next to the seals. We stayed back and Elizabeth and Greg used their trusty cameras to zoom in for better pictures. Ryan and Audrey found some good rocks to collect. Gillian climbed another rock (definitely a theme for her). I tried to not blow away. I believe I’ve mentioned the wind.
On to dinner and our ticketed event for the day, Krauma—a natural geothermal baths & spa. At Krauma, the hot water originates in Europe’s most powerful hot spring Deildartunguhver, at a temperature of 100°C (212°F). Of course the baths you can enter are not 100°C! Still, we stewed ourselves for a bit before taking off for our hotel. Of our two geothermal bath experiences, I would say we enjoyed Krauma more. It seemed to have more locals (vs. trendy tourists), and the baths had much less algae, and were smaller. Our family definitely shows our American sense of modesty and space, though, as we do not enjoy the communal locker rooms and showers that accompany these European baths. I think if we ever have this opportunity again, we would need to rent the whole space. ;)
I don’t usually find it interesting to mention our hotels, but I will for tonight’s accommodations, the Hraunsnef Country Hotel. This hotel is on a working farm and the staff were very friendly. The rooms (and cabins) are comfortable and beautifully decorated. They have a restaurant, 2 outdoor hot tubs, a play area, and a lounge with a fireplace. I took pictures of their ducks, cows, and cats. I don’t know why we feel compelled to document these same kinds of animals we see every day at home, but it is what it is! High recommendations for Hraunsnef Country Hotel.
Last long drive day in the books for Iceland.
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