No one volunteered to blog after Gillian’s entry yesterday, so I guess it’s back to me. Today we had time to explore Husavik. Originally, we had a boat tour to see whales and puffins, but the tour was canceled due to weather. Honestly, waking up to 39 degrees Fahrenheit and steady rain, we were not the family to argue about the decision, particularly because we had an option to reschedule for whale watching out of another harbor on Saturday. So instead of getting up early, putting on every layer of clothing we brought, to go huddle in the rain on the Skjálfandi Bay and not be able to see whales, we slept in a few more minutes in our nice, comfy hotel and met for breakfast. That’s not to say we didn’t go out and about! We are not so easily deterred. Thanks to our trip advisor, we had several options for how to take advantage of our day.
First option, Lake Myvatn. Literally translating to Midge Lake, we skipped it. We are still dealing with the lingering effects of biting midges last Monday. Despite assurances that this variation of midge was the non-biting variety, it wasn’t worth the risk. Instead, our first stop was the underground hot spring, Grjotagia. This stop seemed deceptively underwhelming from the parking area, but it was seriously cool—or hot. The springs are too warm for bathing since the Krafla eruptions. Featured in Game of Thrones and reportedly once an outlaw hideout, you can climb down and walk through the area, and it is both unique and beautiful.
Ok, next stop, the Hverir geothermal area. Hverir features fissures, fumaroles, and mud pools. This was a very brief stop for two reasons. 1. The sulphureous fumes are harmful to animals, plants, and humans. We were warned to not hang out long breathing this air. Apparently, lots of people didn’t get this warning since there were people walking all around. But even if we didn’t know to avoid hanging out, there was reason 2. Egg farts. The smell. Quite frankly the absolute strongest Sulphur smell I’ve ever been exposed to. Gillian thought she might throw up. Audrey was ready to go back to the van after three steps. Know that the family picture here was 100% forced. A real-life example of where a picture doesn’t really show the reality of a situation!
Stop three. Well, it became stop 2 ¾. I previously mentioned the rain and cold in Husavik today. All of this weather was continuing as we explored the area. Stop 3 was going to be the Krafla volcanic area, you know, up at the top where you can get out and walk around. Well, the higher up we drove, the colder the temperature, the stronger the wind, and the harder the snow fell. “Fell” actually meaning snow blowing horizontally across the road with accumulation, 0 degree Celsius without the wind chill, and what we’re guessing was between a 12-15% grade on the road up and down the mountain. Now we are adventurous, and I hate missing a stop. Greg is a great driver. But—we abandoned Krafla 500 meters out. Our 2 wheel drive 9 seater van felt a little precarious, even with snow studs on the tires. Better to not be an international headline. “What were they thinking?!”
If you can’t climb around a lava field, you might as well go shopping. We checked out some of the local stores in Husavik. Elizabeth found a lovely hand knitted wool sweater. Socks were on sale—buy 3 get 1 pair free! A bookstore… I’ll show you a picture of those nasty arctic terns.
Back to the hotel where we had one of most enjoyable evenings to date. Dinner in, and then we played two rounds of Exploding Kittens. This is a card game, and it’s not necessary to get into details. Just know that my oldest and youngest children collaborated to bring me down. There is no loyalty in Kittens. Sad reality. I’ll get them next time.
Tomorrow, we move on to Laugarbakki, and our rescheduled whale watching tour!
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