I had really planned on walking in Vik to get in some exercise, but……when I finally work up – Eric! We got to get going. Not that this day was going to be a long day in the car, but we wanted plenty of time to stop along the way and not feel rushed.
Shortly leaving Vik, we came across this landscape which were lava rocks covered in moss.
The moss family can be traced back 400 million years and mosses were the first plants to settle on dry land. There are 606 different species of mosses in Iceland. Moss absorbs nutrients and water through its leaves and can colonize rocky surfaces such as lava fields where other plants cannot survive.
We came across this I-information stop and boy did we strike it lucky.
Great info, great location, great facility and great individuals staffing it! Brian and Elina were terrific. Unknowingly we talked with Brian’s wife when we checked-out of our accommodation in Vik that morning.
(I want to apologize if I got the names wrong. I can’t find my note and it was either Elina or Alina that worked with Brian.)
They gave us a map to help with our time along this part of the ring road, along with some suggestions for stops, gas and eating. Thank you!!!!
Speaking of gas………it’s always tricky with a new car in a new country. More often than not, Eric would need to go inside to ask some questions before we could pump. Oops. 😦
I had a DeJa’Vu moment. Adrienne and I stopped at the same gas station in 2019. Great map of Iceland, by the way on the outside of the building,
We made a lot of stops along the way. Iceland has done a g.r.e.a.t job with creating pull-offs for photo spots and picnicking.
Lunch was our next order of business and was one of their recommended stops – loved the sandwiches. It was situated with one of the gas stations in the area.
Loved the quirkiness.
There was a canyon they recommended that would be a nice hike.
For anyone that knows us, we’re not ‘hiking’ people, but hey, we’re in Iceland. About 10 minutes later, we were like who are we kidding? Yep, turned around.
We’re much better at pulling off at the side of the road, taking a photo, then keep going.
Our next stop on this leg was something we were both looking forward to, Fjallsarlon Glacier Lagoon. It is not ‘the glacier lagoon’ that most visit but smaller and we were told much prettier. We have to agree.
I read about it after my other visit in 2019, after we drove past it. History repeated itself. We drove past it – but this time we turned around.
It was a short walk from the parking lot…….
………..until we saw this.
Eric picked up a floating piece of ice along the rocky beach, quick photo before it went back into the lagoon.
Here’s a short video clip of this glacier lagoon.
On to the nearby Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon – which is widely visited, and parking was a bit challenging with all of the tourists.
While I always like to do the ‘selfies’ a couple walking past offered to take our photo.
The ice was fantastic looking, so pretty and white and blue. Only 10% is visible above the water. The icebergs here melt rapidly because warm seawater enters the lake. The blue color of the ice is due to the fact that it absorbs all colors of the spectrum, except blue, which is reflected.
While we didn’t see any of the ice break off from the glacier in the background, a piece broke off a nearby iceberg and floated towards the sea.
See the bridge at the top of the video? One lane bridge – they are all over. The diamond beach where this ice would reach shortly was disappointing – no photo. When I visited in November 2019, it was absolutely fabulous and stunning. Definitely not the same in May. On to our accommodations in Hofn, Hotel Hofn to be exact.
It was nice – but boy, our room was HOT. We opened the window as soon as we stepped in and it was open most of the evening. This was our view – fantastic.
Dinner was at Pakkhus in Hofn.
This will probably be our BEST meal in Iceland.
I’m giving everyone fair warning now.
>>One of our dinner selections may be offensive to some.<<
It was originally built in 1932 as a warehouse, using scrap wood from other houses. We could easily walk to the establishment since it was by the harbor.
Started with a bit of local liquid refreshment. I had the Icelandic toasted porter on the right.
They specialize in local ingredients from both the land and the sea. Hofn is known for langoustines, also called the Icelandic lobster – but much smaller. Eric started with the cream of Langoustine soup with a drizzle of herb oil. He let me dip some of his bread in the soup – delicious.
I selected Langoustines for my meal. My dish had langoustine tails and whole langoustine oven grilled in Icelandic butter, garlic and parsley, served with a side salad and fried potatoes with tzatziki sauce. O.M.G. I did not leave any of the langoustine on my plate!
Eric was debating between the Cod (locally fished) or another item, not seen in the states. The recommendation from our waitress was the second item, horse tenderloin, grilled with onion jam and chili bearnaise sauce and potatoes. Yes, I tried it and really enjoyed the pieces that Eric shared.
Then came dessert – O.M.G!!!
I chose the Home made ice cream parfait. Didn’t sound like much on the menu, but it was heaven. The ice cream was served inside the chocolate globe and on the side and then hot caramel sauce was poured over the top – at the table. It was delicious, sweet & gooey yet had some crunch with the ground nuts sprinkled around the plate.
Eric chose the Skyr Volcano. Icelandic skyr mousse with Tahiti vanilla, lava, ash, pop rocks and caramel. It was also a gooey delicious bowl of goodness.
I don’t believe we will have a meal that good anywhere else in Iceland. Enough said.
Darden Travels 