Today was pretty low key. As we were winding down our epic journey around Iceland, we only had one scheduled stop on the final stretch of road to Reykjavik, yep you guessed it, some more waterfalls. But, these falls are just a little different than what we have experienced so far. Hraunfossar, the lava waterfalls, are an unusual stretch of tiny waterfalls that come up from springs seeping through the lava. They are a very beautiful blue color we did not see in any other river or waterfall. A short walk up the path brought us to Barnafoss, or the children’s waterfall. There is a legend about the waterfall and the collapse of the 2nd natural bridge:
The Barnafoss Saga
The saga said that there were two children in the Hraunsás household who were supposed to stay home while the parents went to church for Christmas Mass. When the parents returned from mass, they discovered that the children had disappeared (possibly because the children got bored and decided to go out). They then followed the children’s tracks to this waterfall at the stone natural bridge where the tracks disappeared. The mother concluded that the children must have fallen into the river and drowned. Then, the mother had the arch destroyed in order to ensure no one else faces a similar fate.
As with any good tale, there are plenty of variations. Parents? A widow? Boys? Girls? Is it a true story? We won't ever really know.
After we left the waterfalls, we spent about and hour and a half on the road, and about 10 minutes under the water in the Hvalfjörður Tunnel, a road tunnel under the Hvalfjörður fjord in Iceland and a part of Route 1. It is 5,770 meters long and reaches a depth of 165 meters below sea level. Opened on 11 July 1998, it shortens the distance from Reykjavík to the western and northern parts of the island by 45 kilometers. I was wondering where the road went and how we were going to get across the fjord, another tunnel was the answer. They family has given up trying to hold their breath through these tunnels. They are very long. We even went through one that had an intersection to another tunnel. I am very curious how that was accomplished; these tunnels are a marvel of engineering.
Again, thanks to the wonderful navigation by Melissa, we made it to our final hotel without any issue or drama. I am fascinated on the design choices in Icelandic bathrooms. The sinks are small and the showers are… interesting. At least this one had a partial glass wall so I only flooded half the bathroom. Enough about bathrooms, first stop in Reykjavik had to be Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur for a world famous Icelandic hotdog. I got mine ‘eina með öllu' or 'one with everything', raw onions, crispy onions, ketchup, mustard, and remoulade. It was quite tasty, and I might get roasted online for this, but it doesn’t really compare to the good ole’ hotdog from Costco. Something about the special blend of nitrates in the all beef dog from Costco just makes it unique. But, if you are ever in Iceland, it is worth taking the time for the experience. Since we b-lined directly to the hotdog stand, we were already at the far end of Laugavegur, the main street, and unfortunately for me, we had plenty of time for the girls to do a little shopping. I mostly spent my time looking for the cats of Reykjavik.
We ended the evening with a very nice dinner and somewhat early evening (since there really is no proper night) to be fully rested for the last full day of the trip.
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