The weather was going to be wet, very wet. Why you might ask? It’s hurricane season and one was brewing in the Gulf at that time.
We drove up via the interstate system and once we turned onto the main east/west route, we quickly ran into tree damage. A recent hurricane had gone through this part of Florida and the damage was still visible.
We could see exactly the path of the storm as the trees were broken differently on the opposite sides of the storm and eyewall.
Work was progressing for tree removal but ever so slowly.
We had one side trip planned before getting into Tallahassee. We own a plot of land and we hadn’t seen it in awhile. I’ll admit……………..we took a few wrong turns until we found the right turnoff.
Yep, the property was still intact – more overgrown than our last visit but no squatters had claimed it.
Rolled into Tallahassee later that evening and stopped at the rooftop bar for a nightcap and view of the city.
Our plan for the first full day in Tallahassee was to drive to Bradley’s Country Store via one of the ‘canopy roads’.
Canopy Roads are designated highways in the county protected by law and have a governing board.
They came into existence from old Indian trails that turned into market roads. Plantation owners lined both sides of the roads with LiveOak trees which gradually grew together to form a tree canopy.
Hurricanes and windstorms do a number on these roads and work was continuing when we visited. Right after the storm passed, looked like some of those roads were blocked.
Just a few minutes and twelve miles northeast of Tallahassee was our destination: Bradley’s Country Store – linking the present with the past.
It stands just as it did in 1927. Their trade, plain and simple, is selling the best, old fashioned, country smoked and fresh sausage that money can buy. Their front porch invites customers to sit awhile and enjoy the view. Indeed, while we were there a number of customers stopped, picked up a sausage sandwich and ate their lunch.
The tradition has endured through four generations of the Bradley family and still attracts thousands of customers from around the area and Southeast. They have expanded their offerings and while supplying a number of Tallahassee families and business with their products, they also ship upon request.
We also enjoyed a sausage sandwich before leaving and had the foresight to bring a cooler in order to bring home some of their sausage.
Okay………………………I’m only a few weeks/months behind from completing the last Iceland post. If you’ve read some of my other trip posts, this is usually the hardest one for me to write – as the trip is over. 😦 Regardless, here you go.
Back to the Storm Hotel in Reykjavik and we got an upgrade! We were on the top floor with our own balcony. Woo Hoo!
Loved it!
Eric agreed to go back to a gastro pub that Adrienne and I visited that we loved. If I was totally truthful (and I strive to be), it wasn’t quite as good as my memory served. We enjoyed it but there were different things on the menu during my 2019 visit, as there should be, but still…….. I had built it up in my memory. Reality was my tastes and tastebuds have changed in 5 years. We’ll go with that.
But during our walk to the restaurant, I chuckled at their street corner lights……..
Leave it to the ‘girls’ to follow the traffic rules – just saying.
Back inside the restaurant, we started with local beers.
Add in a few veggies – Brussel sprouts and spicey edamame.
Next small plate that arrived was this spicey tuna.
Ordered ‘goats on horseback’…………huh? Bacon-wrapped dates, stuffed with goat cheese. I really enjoyed them.
Naturally wanted to finish with dessert. 🙂
This is also the city where elaborate graffiti is encouraged.
A few examples we passed as we traveled the city centre.
Always need to visit one of the most iconic places in the city…….Hallgrimskirkja Church. It is the largest church in Iceland and amongst the tallest structures in Iceland, being a Lutheran parish.
In front is a statue gifted to the Icelandic people from the United States commemorating the 1000th anniversary of the convening Iceland’s parliament at Pingvellir (930 A.D.). No, that is not a typo, it was the 1000th anniversary.
Another iconic street is this one – a top photo spot. Iceland is a very accepting society. We came across a number of these rainbow streets throughout our trip.
Since our last visit, food halls have become more prevalent in Iceland and elsewhere. We came across this one and went inside to check it out – and get warm.
The time was well spent with a cup of coffee for me in the green floral mug and beer for Eric.
And some snacks.
They have r.e.a.l.l.y good French fries.
I discovered this Icelandic chocolate a few days before leaving home.
And while it was a hike to get there, we made the trek. Omnom Chocolates was started by two Icelandic friends in 2013 and their goal was “bean to bar” using the finest cacao beams sourced worldwide. Sustainability starts with traceability, and they buy ingredients by direct trade.
They specialize in small-batch chocolates, originally creating single origin chocolate bars and expanded by adding in unique Icelandic elements to their ingredient list. Their chocolate-wrapped graphics are inspired by fantastical creatures, surrealism, pop art and contemporary Nordic design. Basically, I LOVED all of the designs. Here is one example along with my Icelandic sheep. While the sheep always made me smile, I would get ‘looks’ whenever I included it into a photo. It always made people smile – which in turn made me smile that I added a bit of fun and whimsy for someone else.
One last restaurant we visited was BRUT established in 2021. They specialized in small plates, which is a style of eating we both enjoy.
Started with home-made chips & hummus dip and Icelandic Sea snails. I’m fairly new to eating snails and our waiter warned us they had a unique texture. Yep, he was right. I tried one and Eric got to eat the remainder that was on the plate.
I really enjoyed these shrimp with herbal mayo. The ‘burned’ lemon was not something we had seen, and added another layer of flavor. Yum.
This fish was something new for us to try: Skate, served with brown butter, capers, parsley and lemon. The tender flesh resembles strands as it cooks and the flesh has a mildly sweet flavor. It was good – I would order it again.
The morning we left, Eric did a bit of walking and found a barber. Nothing else to do……….Eric went in for a shave and trim. He has plans to stop in on the next trip to Iceland………………….which may be happening sooner than most would expect.
That’s right. I’m always up for a trip to Iceland but Eric originally said his one trip in 2019 was enough. This trip was more about knocking something off of my bucket list. He truly enjoyed himself sooooooo much more than he expected, we’re planning a shorter trip in the Fall. Yeah!!!!!
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.
While technically we were no longer on the ‘Ring Road’ since we turned off to explore the Snaelfellsnes Peninsula………..I wanted continuity with my posts. There you go.
Grundarfjordur
Our city for the night was situated on the North Snaefellsnes peninsula, exactly in the middle of the northern peninsula coast. The town was between a mountain range and the sea. Due to its natural harbor it was a center of trade for the peninsula since the 15th century. Fishing boats come in and out, offloading their catches – except when we were there. We arrived on the weekend AND it was an Icelandic holiday. Even their grocery store was closed – not good, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
My previous post ended with wind and rain. That’s where this starts. We stayed at a former post office that had been converted into guest rooms. Yep, still raining. We should be using an umbrella but we don’t have one and it seemed silly to drive in the small town – so we walked and got soaked.
We were on the ground floor, with our own bathroom and an extra bed.
A nice restaurant was fairly close and easily walkable. Website indicated it was open and cars were in their parking lot. Closed for a private event that evening. Uh oh. Find a plan B. Googled more eating establishments and walked to Harbour Cafe – it’s open, but everyone not part of the private event was there. BTW – still raining.
It’s generally bad news when you enter and a person asks ‘Do you have a reservation?’. Another couple was ordering and being seated at a table for five with the caveat it needed to be vacated at 7pm. She asked if we could join them – they gave us a thumbs up and said yes. Thank you!
I needed a beer. The lighter one on the right was mine and I was keeping up with Eric.
They also had a bar, beer on draft and wines – pretty nice for this very small establishment.
Eric started with the langoustine soup – fitting for tonight. It was steaming hot, filled with veggies and BIG. He had enough for all of us.
My lamb steak was just what I needed that evening. The potatoes were crunchy and the salad crisp – delicious.
Eric was staying with seafood, ordering Icelandic cod.
When we got our beers, they put a slip of paper on the table, 7pm. We were fine with that and not offended. Our ‘new best friends’ were from Belgium and had gotten their food fairly quickly. Did we make it out by 7pm? We could have but……….not a chance nor our fault. The waitress came towards our table, looked at me and said ‘What? Where is your food?’ That was exactly what we were thinking and it was 7:10pm. Needless to say, it came fairly quickly after that.
The next morning breakfast was at the same locale. It was the only thing open we could find. It was near the harbor and we discovered the Icelandic Coast Guard was in port.
A few houses had graphitti, not to the extent in Reykjavik. It is generally sanctioned in Iceland and there have been some fabulous ones.
But why had we deviated off the ring road? Why were we here? To see one of the most photographed places in Iceland – Kirkjufell, which means church mountain. The mountain generally looks like a steeple on a church.
The free-standing mountain with volcanic rock was 463 meters or 1519 feet tall.
It is not a volcano but a nunatak – a mountain that protruded above the glaciers surrounding it during the ice age. The word nunatak is Greenlandic. It is the result of glacial erosion. BTW – Alaska has the largest nunatak called ‘Great Nunatak’. Who knew?
The view most seen encompasses the nearby falls. Have you seen it? If you’ve done any reading or research about Iceland, there’s no doubt you’ve seen this.
Turned around and got this shot. The town we stayed in was at our backs. The sun is trying to shine through the cloud cover. Still very windy.
It was a short hike to get here with the parking lot beyond the waterfalls. While the rain had stopped, the wind did not. You had to lean in headfirst to make any progress. It was the strongest wind felt since arriving. We definitely held onto our car doors!
The mountain can be hiked by an experienced mountain climber but truly only with an expert guide. My reading indicated there had been three recent fatalities.
My last shot as we got back onto the road passing by Kirkjufell and looking back.
I say ‘my shot’ as I’m including some shots I found on the internet. The color changes during the passing seasons.
Summer & lush growth:
June equinox and the midnight sun:
Winter -barren, white and brown
September and months onward for the Northern Lights:
We were driving five+ hours and jumping off the ring road with Grundarfjordur being the night’s destination. This drive gave us the opportunity to see a variety of landscapes. This post was about transitions.
Let’s talk trees.
My previous post talked about how the land was deforested 1000+ years ago. When the Vikings arrived 25-40% of the land was forested. At the beginning of the 20th century .5% of Iceland was covered by trees. In 1907 the Icelandic Forestry Service was established. While trees had been planted it was in the 1950s the first large scale tree planting occurred, with mainly native birch. The hope is that 12% of Iceland will be forested by 2100.
They were planting poplars, Englemore spruce and Alaskan willows. Plant growth has been slow due to low nitrogen in the soil and the cooler growing temperatures. Millions of seedlings are planted yearly.
Let’s talk farmland.
The North has extensive areas of green acres supporting crop and livestock farming. Today farming is practiced by 5% of the population with sheep and cattle being the two most farm raised.
Economic actives include animal breeding, offering accommodations and activities for tourists. The second offering someone might question – accommodations. Really? Really. A number of properties and farmland had small individual tiny houses for guest to rent. Riding horses, especially along a beach is a popular activity. Icelandic horses are a pure breed and garner world-wide interest. Once a horse leaves Iceland, they are not allowed back for fear of spreading disease.
You’ve got to keep your eyes on the road. Never know what you may be following.
The production of meat, dairy and eggs is sufficient for the country’s needs. Meaning Iceland does not have to import these goods. Despite a seemingly uncultivable environment, Iceland grows over half of its own vegetable produce, all with 100% green renewable energy. Crops such as potatoes, rhubarb, turnips, radishes, carrots, cabbage, kale and cauliflower to name a few. Subtropical crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, pepper and bananas (yes, bananas) are grown in greenhouses.
Let’s talk stark beauty.
While not ‘pretty’ in a traditional sense, the landscape can change in a blink of an eye.
Eric was a little worried about the weather, but up to now there were no issues.
Occasionally you would come upon a car – and pass them.
We were driving between ranges, meandering along route 1. A few guidebooks called this boring and a few suggested driving this first and save the ‘best’ (south Iceland) until last. I like our route and direction.
The weather can change quickly.
When we turned off the ring road, we ran into rain and WIND. BTW – your insurance doesn’t cover car damage caused by blowing sand nor door damage if you lose control of the door when opening it. We kept a tight handle on the doors. The other we couldn’t control. Yes, it is that windy. And rainy. And windy with more rain.
No lie, this vehicle HAD to be having a tricky drive. I would not want to be in a vehicle this tall.
It was still gray, raining and extremely windy as we drove into our destination. Small town, majestic views, but I will save that for the next post. There was a reason we strayed off the ring road for one of the last legs of our Icelandic journey.
We don’t have far to go for our next stop – Akureyri. It is the second largest city in Iceland and has one of the rarest sights………an actual forest. The Vikings denuded almost 90% of the forests over a thousand years ago by building boats and weapons.
I wanted to chuckle at the sign before heading into this tunnel. I suppose people have tried to ride their horses and bicycles through, hence, the sign.
Another sign………..we’re approaching Akureyri, having to cross a causeway before getting into the city.
We stayed in the downtown area, with minimal street parking, but a large city parking lot is fairly close AND it was the weekend, so no charge. Sweet. I put in the hotel name using google maps. Centrum Hotel. As we were getting closer, I noticed that google maps was calling it a hostel. Uh Eric, are we staying at a hostel or hotel? Yikes, I think I put in the wrong place. Found the hotel’s address and did this again, nope same end point. Really? Eric was still driving so he couldn’t confirm anything, but I think for a few moments, even he was concerned. We are waaaaaaay past the age of staying in a hostel. Nope, we are staying in a hotel.
Check-in was at the bar on the first floor. There was no reception desk. What kind of place were we staying in?
Fourth floor opened the door and VERY nice. It is a kitchenette – nice, but not part of our plan for this trip around the ring road. No cooking happening this time.
We had an early dinner, ultimately eating at the same place we checked in – which was below us. The crowd is ‘hip’ and I’m going to guess it continues to get younger as the night wears on and the bar has more action than the restaurant.
To celebrate our time on the ring road, we started with a bottle of prosecco.
I ordered a shrimp & langoustine flatbread for my dinner. While a tad unusual, it was tasty. I really liked the pickled red onions and the spicy mayo on top.
Eric ordered the grilled arctic char. He liked his meal. We don’t get arctic char so every chance he can, he seems to order it.
We both ordered desserts and really enjoyed them. Looking at the photos afterwards, they kind of look like a ‘crime scene’. Regardless, we were scraping every last bit of goodness from the plates.
Eric’ – mango & passion fruit Ginny’s – chocolate and red fruits with mango
I’m going to admit right now, we didn’t spend enough time in Akureyri. There were a number of places that in hindsight I wished we had seen. Guess that means I’ll have to plan a trip back! We did a tiny bit of exploring in the morning.
At the end of the block was a cute children’s area with seating for the parents.
The street was fairly deserted the morning we left. The night prior there were plenty of people walking around, hitting the bars and socializing.
We had plans that I was VERY excited about. Eric was kind of getting into the geothermal pools and asked me to see if there was another one somewhere along our route.
Forest Lagoon near Akureyri!
I remembered reading about it in 2022 when it first opened – never dreaming that I would get a chance to experience it, but here we are. We had reservations for 12 noon, when it opened.
It was a short hike from the parking lot passing this nearby waterfall.
Couldn’t resist a quick photo with the forest in the background. It really was unusual to see trees.
And then we arrived.
As I mentioned earlier, shoes come off before going into the changing room. Yep, not too many people here first thing.
I scoped out the facilities then stripped for my shower. One of the best things…………..being shielded from the wind when stepping and submersing yourself into the water. LOVE that. After our visit to GeoSea in Husavik, the 20 feet walking to/from the pool took courage. The outside temps were about the same, but here we were protected.
Eric joined me soon after. In the background is a bar if you so choose.
Even though you’re in the water, can’t forget to hydrate.
It really was lovely, quiet and peaceful with everyone being respectful of your space in the pools. The bay and Akureyri was the view beyond the infinity pool’s edge.
Yes, pools – plural. The larger pool was kept at 37C or 98F. They had a ‘hot’ pool which was smaller. Eric didn’t want any part of that, but I did. I moseyed on over to test the waters.
The smaller pool was 40C or 104F. I could feel the difference, but still enjoyed the hotter temps. This wasn’t a place you could spend all of your time. It was draining on your body. Twenty minutes max and I needed to get to the other pool.
Something very unusual for me, instead of a selfie one of the other patrons offered to take my photo and I said yes. 🙂
There was a Finnish dry sauna with a really cool-looking reflection window. Nope, didn’t check it out.
I paddled over to find Eric as he was contemplating this experience.
Forest Lagoon has a tranquil atmosphere, relaxing hot pools and majestic views of the Icelandic wilderness. It was a perfect place to listen (via my hearing aids) to Taylor Swift and her new album. I mean come on. Really good music that I enjoy, good company and great surroundings. It couldn’t get better.
The geothermal spa was actually a ‘happy’ accident. During nearby construction a geothermal water source previously unknown was found and while it was an issue with the construction company the resourceful Icelanders came together as a community with this as a result.
Notice another ‘non-selfie’? While in the hot pool these ladies were the ones that offered to take my photo. They were from Manitoba, Canada and driving around the ring road the opposite direction as we were. They had family in Iceland and were meeting up with them throughout their time here. Milestone birthdays were being celebrated. Nope – not sharing anyone’s age. 🙂
We really enjoyed meeting and talking with them, staying longer than planned. With the recent electro-magnetic activity seen recently, they shared the Northern lights had been awesome in Canada. I will see them in my lifetime……….
Since they graciously allowed me a photo, I shared the blog address with them.
“I hope you get a chance see this and know you are one of our fond memories of Iceland. Enjoyed all of the time spent together.”
We thought of them the next day when our rental car company sent an email about road closures. Three of the roads we recently traveled were closed due to weather – and that was the way they were driving.
The next leg of our ring road was going to be the longest stretch of driving…….. 5+ hours. It was time to get going. We reluctantly got back into our rental and continued west.
Opened in 2018, GeoSea Is one of the northern-most geothermal baths located on the cliffs of Husavik, overlooking the Skjalfandi Bay. It was the last thing we planned before getting back on the ring road. What was the temperature? Yep, it was that cold. It was early afternoon.
While drilling for hot water in the mid-20th century, hot sea water was found. It was mineral-rich and heated from the earth’s core – unusable for heating houses. Instead of letting this hot water go to waste, a barrel was installed for the residents to enjoy the health benefits of hot seawater.
There is a long traditional of geothermal bathing in Iceland. There is where locals gather to socialize, find out what’s happening and catch up with the latest news. Every town has a pool, or it’s not considered a town. Bathing occurs year around.
But there are rules about bathing etiquette. Quite frankly, by now we’ve gotten used to it until I started sharing updates with friends in the states and remembered, oh yeah, those outside of Iceland tend to be uncomfortable with the rules. What are they?
First, prior to entering the changing area (yes, separate for men and women) shoes are removed. There are shelving units to set them on.
~Shower time! Soap and water, scrubbing your body. This is not the time for a quick rinse. Why? There are no chemicals in the geothermal waters, so a clean body is essential for sanitation. Sounds okay – right?
~These are communal showers. Time to strip, put your clothes in a locker, secured with your electronic water-proof bracelet and walk to the showers, along with anyone else in the locker area. Body scrub was provided.
~Instructional signs are posted in multiple language so no one can’t say they didn’t know or understand. BTW – it was also discussed when you checked-in for your reservation. They are serious about this.
~Dry yourself off. We needed to rent a towel for each of us and that was always an option available.
~Put on your swimsuit and you’re ready to go out to the geothermal pools. Here’s a tip I discovered. After putting your swimsuit on, get back into the showers, warm up with the heated water before heading outside.
~Go to the pool, there’s no jumping or messing around. This is a place to relax and chat with people.
Enough talk, let’s get wet.
There are a couple spots where you can see and feel the water seawater bubbling up in the pool. Not sure if you can tell, but this is another infinity pool.
The day prior we were whale-watching in the bay.
The water spills over the edge before dropping down into the bay. No lie, it was windy enough that occasionally the water was coming back into the pool!
Even in this climate, some plant life is blooming.
The yellow lighthouse was built in 1956 and stands 164 feet tall. It also sits on the cliffs of Husavik.
After an hour of soaking in the pool it was time to get on the road.
No lie, the twenty feet to the door from the pool was daunting.
Eric had already gone in and I was enjoying my last few moments…………and drumming up the courage to get out of the water.
Here’s a short video of the facility.
Cleaned up and dry, we were ready to head to our next destination: Akureyri.
I really liked the town of Husavik. The name means ‘The Bay of Houses’. It is considered the oldest settlement in Iceland when a Swedish Viking built a house here in 860 AD.
While this is obviously not my photo, I included it go give a perspective of what the city looks like.
We stayed at the FossHotel, an Icelandic hotel chain. It was only a few blocks from the harbor. It was easy to walk to everything we needed. It has a bar, restaurant and 24/7 front desk service.
This church was in the center of town. Built in 1907, the style resembles a Swiss chalet. It is also their civic museum for culture.
There is also a golf course, campsites, communal geothermal pool and skiing if whale watching was not enough. And let’s not forget their brewery.
I read about a whale museum which sounded REALLY cool, but unfortunately, we didn’t have time. There was also a EuroVision museum, which is big in Europe and a movie was based in Husavik.
There were a few places to eat but Eric had read about the fish soup in Naustio, which opened in 2011. Their goal was to offer fish soup and fish skewers in a small, unpretentious restaurant. The first two summers their food was noticed by locals and travelers alike and flourished.
In 2016 they found their current location in a ‘catalog house’ ordered at a co-op store in Norway and assembled in Husavik in 1930. The locals have a colorful history of those that have inhabited the house.
Yep, Eric ordered their fish soup and it was delicious. I got to dunk some of his bread in it. 🙂
The meals were wolf fish and a Smashburger! Guess what I ordered? It was time for some beef.
It was a nice homey place to eat.
What else was happening that evening? Snow.
Then a few minutes later……………it wasn’t snowing. This was 10:30pm. Definitely happy that all of our sleeping choices have had black-out curtains. It was needed.
There was a delicious bakery that we stopped at before leaving the following morning.
There was a lot to choose from. We bought a few things for the road.
We had an appointment at 12 noon, so needed to kill some time. We stopped in at the government-run store which sells anything over 2% ABV – and it is expensive! That is why most Icelandic people stock up once they return in the Duty-free store before leaving the airport. Really enjoyed looking at all of the different beers.
What was happening at 12 noon? We are going to GeoSea, a saltwater thermal spa. Brrrrrr – it was cold but the experience was exhilarating. That will be the next post.
After walking and viewing those awesome waterfalls, we continued our journey north to the seaside town of Husavik.
Don’t think I’ve talked much about the 1 lane bridges, but they abound around the island. One reason, they don’t cost as much, especially if they have to be replaced. I got a decent photo. The one that reaches the bridge first should be the one that continues as the other waits along the side. In our current climate in the US……..not sure they would work well. Heck, we even have issues with roundabouts.
The sign you see on the bridge ’30’? Kilometers. We felt like speed demons when we saw signs for 90. In reality you were only going 56mph. Generally speaking, unless marked, the non-urban areas 90 was the norm. But I digress…..let’s get back to the title of the post.
We had been conversing with our hotel about possible companies for a whale-watching tour. Why? Husavik is considered the ‘World whale-watching capital’. The hotel recommended getting to the town that day, versus finding a tour for the next morning. Why? Two reasons (1) the first tours of the day were doing more scouting to find Sealife and (2) WEATHER. The weather was taking a downtown and going to be (extra) windy, rain, sleet and snow expected. Not going to make for a good ride in a boat. Understood. We made a beeline for Husavik!
Upon arrival, we had 30 minutes until we needed to check-in for our 4:30pm tour. What to do? Eat an Icelandic hot dog, of course. Where do you find that? In the local gas station. Yep, that’s what we did. Let me tell you what, those French fries, we’re still talking about them. Excellent! They were some of the best during our entire trip.
The company we chose was North Sailing. They have a 97% success rate for sighting these large, gentle animals.
They advertise classic whale watching on a traditional Icelandic oak boat.
Nattfari was the boat for our tour.
Why is the Northern coast and Skjalfandi Bay such a ‘hotspot’ for whales? This water is particularly rich in nutrients which attract large numbers of fish and krill. Whales feed on krill and plankton. The first tours started in the late 1980s when a group of local fisherman started taking tourists out to see the whales. At this time whale hunting was still legal. Whale watching was going to be a more sustainable alternative.
Before going out, we had to ‘suit up’. Even though we had multiple layers on, this was a godsend. I can truly say I was never cold during our entire three hours.
What were we expected to see?
Indeed, our first sighting was the humpback whale. Here’s a short video. You’ve got to look at the first half second of the video. The whale was out of the water. We also spotted the minke whale and fin whale.
Eric was excited that he found the first whale sighting on our trip.
We both intently looked across the water to see disturbances in the bay.
We tooled around for a bit and found another whale company was watching this – tale slapping.
Our guide said this was not typical behavior but usually found during mating season or if a large amount of fish was in the water. It was exciting to see. After diving down and disappearing, we moved around the bay and found these whales flapping their dorsal fins – also unusual.
These companies since the beginning of their journey have kept an eye toward sustainability and conservation. They have converted some of their boats to being all-electric and redesigned their boats propellers to reduce fuel consumption. They work with scientists and other conservationists for Marine Protection and follow a Code of Conduct that emphasizes approaching nature and wildlife with the utmost care. They prioritize minimal disturbance and deep respect while observing the animals from a comfortable distance for the whale’s well-being and protection.
I brought my little sheep with me and grabbed a few photos. It always brings smiles to those around me spotting my actions.
On the way back, one of their traditions is to serve hot chocolate and cinnamon – their special family recipe. No photos of that, but the group that we hung with on the back of the boat, offered to take a photo. Thank you!. 🙂
This was pretty amazing, especially for one that grew up in the middle of America, land-locked.
Today was going to be about waterfalls. The first one we reached was also the easiest (only) one that could be seen from the ring road and was an East waterfall.
It is considered one of the tallest in Iceland dropping 305 feet. The rocky structure divides the cascading water into multiple drops. Since I walked about halfway, my shot doesn’t show the full cascade. Actually, looking my photo now – it’s not impressive, but it was more so in person. It would have helped if I had at least gotten more of the cascading water. Bummer. It was the only photo I took since Eric was waiting for me in the car.
The hike was considered to be 1 hour or less with the last bit being the steepest. There is a log book near where the water crashes to record your visit. We are not in the book. This photo was after the water had cascading down and was getting ready to go under the road to continue its journey.
Now for one of the best waterfalls in Iceland……..Dettifoss. I did think a part of this sign was humorous. Really? Someone would use their bicycle?
The water comes from a river formed from the melting glacier Vatnajökull collecting from a large area in Northeast Iceland. It is rich with sediment which colors the runoff a greyish-white. But first there was a trek to get there.
The pathway was fairly tight. You really didn’t want to step off to the side when passing others because you could see deep footprints from those that did. This was undoubtedly an issue as the sign states.
Paths were marked by these white & red stakes, seen above the snow. This pathway was obviously closed.
With the sun shining, we started to shed coats. The falls (yes, plural) were over 1 kilometer from the parking area.
We got to a point where climbing over rocks was the only way to go forward. We were right near the edge as we continued our journey.
Some call it the most powerful waterfall in Europe while others call it the second most powerful waterfall. The Rhine Falls in Switzerland can have a higher flow rate in the summer months. The debate continues. One thing to note, Dettifoss is double the height of the Rhine Falls.
Finally our trek brought results and we made it to the falls. Success!
There was a higher viewpoint which terminated our walk.
My research indicated the lower viewpoint got you closer to the water dropping and you felt the thunder of the water. Nope, not going to happen on this trip as that pathway was totally closed.
Here is a short video giving you a wider look at Dettifoss.
When I said plural waterfalls, there’s another called Selfoss, further up the river. We originally weren’t going to walk there and spend the time, but…………since the pathway had been altered, we were much, much closer to Selfoss. We walked.
The Selfoss waterfall is smaller but considered more elegant between the two. It is wider and more docile.
Here is a short video for Selfoss.
Even though this is a fairly harsh environment, I came across this hunk of moss blooming – very tiny but trying to continue growing.
Something I haven’t talked about is the purity of their glacier water. It is widely known and shared that individuals can drink straight from the streams. That was a goal for Eric. In between our waterfall journey, we took a slight detour. This also gave Eric a chance to drive off-roading, much like I did earlier in the week. We found a spot that we could pull off.
Our plans involved driving to Husavik for another great adventure – the same day. We had originally planned for that event the following day, but the weather was going to be some of the worst. We needed to get going and head north. My next post will share that awesome adventure.
Darden Travels 