Tag: iceland

Iceland Ring Road – North then West

by ginnyinshanghai

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.

Ginny

Iceland Ring Road – Akureyri & Forest Lagoon

by ginnyinshanghai

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.

Ginny

Iceland Ring Road – GeoSea at Husavik

by ginnyinshanghai

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.

One last photo before leaving. 🙂

Ginny

Iceland Ring Road – Husavik, the city

by ginnyinshanghai

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.

Ginny

Iceland Ring Road – Husavik & Whales

by ginnyinshanghai

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.

Ginny

Iceland Ring Road – 3 Waterfalls, East & North

by ginnyinshanghai

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.

Ginny

Iceland Ring Road – Hofn to Seydisfjorduir

by ginnyinshanghai

I woke up to glorious sunshine and bundled up to walk before Eric was awake, eventually walking for almost an hour, and spying an early morning golfer. No golf carts around here.

Walked past this mural with puffins, afraid that might be the closest sighting I see.

The plan was to get on the road and drive a bit before breakfast. The countryside is so astounding. My photos do NOT do it justice. There are farms tucked away in canyons or nooks protected by volcanic outcropping. usually with colorful buildings to brighten the landscape.

Throughout the entire ring road we came across their horses. Icelandic horses are unique in that they have a fifth gait and once they leave Iceland these purebreds are not allowed back into the country since few diseases exist.

They are long-lived and hardy. It is believed they were developed from ponies brought in my Norse settlers in the 9th and 10th centuries. Selective breeding and natural selection played a role as the harsh Icelandic climate eliminated many horses throughout the years.

Fairly soon we came upon our first tunnel. They were definitely needed for some ‘short cuts’ otherwise we would still be driving around the coastline. Most were between 5-7 km long.

First stop to pull off the road was this red chair, bolted to a rock along road 1. I found out later it was called the Batman chair. Why? The farmer nearby was always seeing people stop next to the road taking photos of the ‘batman mountain’. He decided to make it something ‘more’. Ahhhhh, now I get it. Wished I read that info before-hand. I don’t have the correct angle for the Batman Mountain.

Notice who didn’t get out?

Going to introduce a bit of whimsey for this trip. I forgot my ‘duck’ that I used in Italy, soooooooo, first order of business after landing was to find a substitute – a sheep was ultimately selected. Eric thought I should save it until the very end and have its own post. But darn it, it was just so cute, and it made numerous people smile along our travels and strike up conversations.

Our next pull-off were these fabulous cliffs.

Eric got a little nervous a few times. Why? No guard rails. EEkkkkk! Sometimes we had them, other times we did not. We had guard rails at this stop.

We are skirting the coastline as we are driving the East Fiords. Here was one of the few times no wind and I could capture a mirror reflection.

Breakfast was a little hard to come by and we ended up at Djupivogur. These sweets below plus coffee was our breakfast that morning. Yes, that is Danish apple pie on the left and I got a slice of carrot cake on the right.

They had a brewery and since we were blocked in – another story – we got a few cans to take with us. Too early to drink, even for me.

Wandering the small town, I found some of the ‘hidden people’ houses. 62% of Icelanders believe in them.

What did I mean earlier by ‘blocked in’? We pulled into a tight parking spot along the wharf which made Eric nervous. While we were eating our cake/breakfast, a number of large trucks & vehicles blocked us in. Uh ho. Crud. We’re going to be stuck here for a while. Eric went down to survey the situation. We noticed in the harbor a medium-size cruise ship. These were the individuals taking the group for a glacier tour – soon. Naturally, Eric struck up a conversation and that person was the owner of the tour company and the shops/restaurant that we had been in. He offered to move the vehicles but Eric said we weren’t in a hurry, so they continued talking about Iceland and hunting. These are the type of conversations that Eric enjoys.

Getting back onto the road, we drove past several salmon farming operations in the calmer fiords. Man, there are some heated controversies about fish farming. Strong enough to divide communities.

We have got to get going towards Seydisfjordur! It is a little bit off ring road but is a charming town that is an artistic enclave. But getting there requires driving over a few mountain passes. The temps have continued to decrease and were 4 degrees C.

We needed food and eventually found the Salt Cafe & Bistro. Eric got a fish stew and I got pizza. Yeah!

Little did I know I was going to need this beer – before we drove over another mountain pass.

We’re on the last leg before tonight’s lodgings. Up, up and over these snowy mountains.

This photo was looking back at the switchback we just completed. If you know where to look, there is a tiny car in my photo below. It’s a white speck on the black pavement.

We’re almost there! It’s a hamlet where the Danish ferry makes weekly stops and apparently the night before the ferry – this town is packed.

Okay, I can breathe again since we’re at the bottom of the mountain. My next post will feature the uniqueness of Seydisfjordur.

Ginny

Iceland Ring Road – Seydisfjorduir

by ginnyinshanghai

My previous post described the 30-minute drive away from the ring road to Seydisfjorduir. The drive was made a bit more exciting due to the snow, the curves and the mountain pass. We stayed at Hotel Aldan. They have purchased four individual historic houses and ultimately made them hotel rooms. Everyone stopped at the spot below to check-into their specific lodging.

We were in this building, apartment #3, bottom floor, facing the water – basically the back side of this photo. 🙂

Nice room and even had a bed for one more in the small nook.

This town has become known as an artist enclave. Artwork abounds on houses, on the street and along buildings.

Even in front of our room this tile mosaic existed.

I mentioned there is a weekly Danish ferry. Lucky for us it wasn’t arriving, or lodging would have been hard to come by.

Walking around town was tiring. Really! The wind was blowing a gale and we were the only ones out walking. We needed something to boost our energy. This place had good looking burgers but was going to be too much food since we had a late lunch. We settled on liquid refreshment.

At the Reception House there was a cafe serving dinner with options more suited for our needs this evening. With us traveling in May – the shoulder season – we were prepared for the potential of limited openings but not overly concerned.

I ordered this tuna appetizer – small and delicious. Several of their dishes had an Asian flair. Loved the crunchy pieces on top.

Eric went with the fish of the day – also delicious and he shared. It was sitting on some sautéed veggies and mashed root vegetable. Sorry for the description, that’s the best I can do. The fish was really good.

We both saved room for desserts.

Ginny’s – chocolate lava cake topped with ice cream and cookie crumbles.
Eric’s – raspberry sorbet and vanilla ice cream with cookie crumbles.

Many visitors come to this hamlet for the blue church. It is a well known landmark due to its unique color and architectural style. It’s only open (1) in the summer (2) cruise ship has docked or (3) special events. The photos on-line were great. The church was originally moved from a farm in 1882 before being ruined fourteen years later in a severe storm. It came to the town in 1920. The waters were still the next morning and I was able to capture this photo.

A number of the places we booked had breakfast included. At others you could add it onto your hotel bill the next morning if you so desired. All our breakfasts were good but this ranked near the top of our list.

Along with coffee, tea and several juices you could also make your own waffle – which we did.

We needed to continue our journey around the ring road, but first had to go back over the mountain pass. Funny how blue skies makes the journey a lot more enjoyable and shorter. That’s not fog but clouds.

Someone had fun snowmobiling.

Artwork – you can even find it on the side of their mountain. These huge colored blocks were another great reminder of our visit.

Ginny

Iceland Ring Road – Vik to Hofn

by ginnyinshanghai

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.

Ginny

Iceland’s Ring Road – Vik 2.0

by ginnyinshanghai

Here is the second part of Day 1 on the Ring Road – still driving to Vik.

Finding the black sand beach required turning off road 1. The church was one of the first sites seen.

The church was locked, as most are. Unfortuantely vandalism occurred with all of the multitude of visitors coming to Iceland and unless their is a service going on, prior arrangements have to be made to go inside. Everything I read said that a few visitors ruined it for all of us. How true.

We also ran across these escaped sheep on the ‘wrong’ side of the fence. A few hundred yards back we saw a farmer repairing the fence – he hadn’t gotten to this spot yet. They could enjoy their last minutes of freedom. The grass is always greener on the other side – just saying.

We made it! This spot always freaked Eric out. He made Adrienne promise to keep an eye on me during our visit in November 2019. Why so dangerous?

Sneaker waves – a.k.a. killer waves, are extremely dangerous and occur without warning and can easily sweep an adult out to sea in a matter of seconds. They can occur every 10-20 minutes and will reach much higher up the beach than previous waves, catching visitors off guard. BTW – we were under ‘yellow’ when we visited.

The basalt formations are splintered columns of volcanic rock from long, long ago – opposite the black sand beach.

The jagged Reynisdrangar sea stacks were also formed by volcanic activity.

This part of the ring road had another famous waterfall, Skogasfoss. It is situated on the River Skoga with the water originating from two separate glaciers. It is broader and more powerful than the first waterfall we saw on this journey.

14 meter wide and 62 meter tall is imposing and while you can hear the thunderous water pooling at the bottom, you can’t walk behind it.

You can’t see it in my photos, but to the right of the waterfall are 500+ steps leading to the top and a hiking trail that continues inward into the middle of Iceland. In 2019 I did this (the steps) with Adrienne, but at a much slower pace than her.

We continued to Vik, checking into Hotel Kria.

Very nice with a restaurant and bar part of the building with breakfast buffet included. The gentleman upgraded our room.

There was a sitting area outside – we lasted only a few minutes. Yep, kind of windy.

Let’s explore…………..I’m driving! Yes, I can drive on vacation.

What got me there was our stick shift, manual transmission rental. It was an option at the airport rental and since we had both driven these types of vehicles in our youth, we thought we’d give it a try. Loved it! I had forgotten how many fun it was to shift. Man! I never had six shifts in any of my vehicles. Reverse was a bit tricky until you got the hang of is. How many times did I kill it – none. Eric – once, thus far.

Drove around to see get another view of the sea stacks from the Vik viewpoint.

Next stop was the Vik church, one of the highest points and most photographed. Also discovered that it is the meeting point for the people of Vik if a volcano erupts. It is the ice melt that would be one of their biggest dangers.

Not quite hungry yet so we continued driving – and turned down a side road. Fairly quickly it became a gravel road.

Went around the bend and the viewpoint widened quite a bit.

Until we got stopped by this. No fences, just free range sheep.

And then we got stopped by this. Our off-roading adventure was stopped.

Okay, now we’re hungry and I had requested dinner be at this joint, a brewery.

Although I was still driving, we both knew Eric would be drinking most of my selection, a toasted porter, which you can just barely see in the photo.

My next selection was not something typically poured in a beer glass, orange soda.

This was one of the few places I had seen a BBQ pork sandwich, topped with cole slaw.

Eric chose well when he got the Icelandic lamb tomahawk, gently smoked and finished on the grill with cowboy butter. He was generous and shared as many bites as I wanted.

Truly, we were too full for dessert, but one of the waitresses brought out a sampling of their dessert, wishing us a happy anniversary. It was just enough for both of us – perfect.

The lupines were just beginning to bloom. This one spike had the most color. I had seen Icelandic photos of lupine meadows that were gorgeous. I’m guessing in 2-3 weeks from now they would be in full bloom.

Breakfast photos can get kind of boring, but since it was included and since one of us had an interesting combination……………

My breakfast, fruit, meat, cheese and veggies.
Eric’s breakfast, skyr with chocolate breakfast cereal.

Really? Really. So ended the adventures going from Reykjavik to Vik on the ring road. More ring road traveling.

Ginny