We had two choices to head back. One, go over the mountain pass which was the shorter route. Two, follow the coastline which would be longer. Overnight Eric got an email from the rental car company and sent me this text.
We had just been on all of those roads. Yikes. We wanted a safe journey. We went with option two – follow the coastline.
We had two additional planned stops for the Snaefellsnes peninsula. First up, a lava cave, Vatneshellir.
It is one of Iceland’s older lava tubes that can be explored and was formed during an eruption 8000 years ago. Here’s a schematic of our path. We entered where the lava tube reaches the surface with a short stairway to the smaller chamber on the left of the snapshot below.
Our guide pointed out some rock formations at the end of the smaller chamber.
Also pointed out the remains of an arctic fox that got curious and then couldn’t get out.
This crack in the ceiling is a good thing. Really? The guide said these cracks allows for shifting rock and prevents the lava cave from falling in on itself. Okay, I guess.
Here is a shot of the middle chamber after we retraced our steps. These lava caves were created when during an eruption, a river of molten rock begins to cool from outside in. The effect left a crust of flowing lava and a hollow tube.
He pointed our several colors in the rocks. red = iron, yellow = Sulphur and green = copper.
One last chamber to explore required navigating this spiral staircase downward.
Our view of the last chamber…………before shutting off all of the lights to ‘feel’ total darkness. Got to say, I wasn’t surprised when this happened (we had a warning) since every cave tour I’ve been on, the guide always does this. It is VERY dark.
To get out, you had to retrace your steps. All in all, the tour was an hour, we had 14 in our group, a nice stop. BTW – in addition to the helmets, each person was issued a small flashlight on a lanyard for the duration of the tour.
At the top I said we had two planned stops on the peninsula. Next up was a black church – Budakirkja. It is popular with tourists for a few reasons, one of which is the color – black. The black is pitch, used to protect the wood during winter.
Why so important? There’s a story…………..
It was built by a Swedish barn merchant using his own money and consecrated in 1703. Over time the church fell into disrepair and a royal letter in 1816 made it official it was no longer considered a church. In the mid 19th century, a wealthy widow changed that. On a spring day, she was working nearby and suddenly was overcome with fatigue, laid down and fell asleep. A man came to her in a dream and wanted her to take up the challenge of rebuilding. She woke up and realized it was the original Swedish merchant. She accepted the challenge and in 1847 she applied to have the building decreed but was refused. She appealed to the King of Denmark, who gave his blessing. She is one of those buried in the nearby cemetery.
The church is not open for tours, but local events are held here throughout the year. They have had people from around the world plan their weddings here. I found this photo online on their website. Before plans are made, guests are made aware there is (1) no heat, (2) no facilities and (3) holds generally 50 guests.
So, what is next……………head back to Reykjavik. But not before seeing their only native mammal, the artic fox – IN The Wild. Eagle-eyes Eric, saw the fox cross the road several hundred yards ahead of us.
He definitely blended in with the countryside. Okay, okay, not the best photos, but hey – who expected to see an artic fox?
We weren’t so excited for our next sighting – traffic. After having minimal cars on the road during most of the time, this was a shock to the senses.
Looking to the driver’s left, Eric could see Reykjavik in the distance, but it seemed we were going the wrong way. Yep, another tunnel, but this one under water for almost 6 km.
All of the other tunnels we experienced on the ring road were through mountains. I liked those better – just saying.
We are staying at the same hotel (Storm Hotel) where we started our adventure. We had one more photo to get…………….Sun Voyager, the place we began the Ring Road journey and the place we ended the Ring Road experience.
Darden Travels 