Day 3 was our longest one of the trip and presented the chance for Steve and I to venture into parts unknown to us.
We started with a breakfast buffet at a nearby hotel that we heard had breakfasts so good that Bjork eats there. It ended up being a buffet but a really good one. The canopy Hilton is only a couple blocks from Hotel Odinsve so it was an easy walk. We hit the road by 8 AM, heading south on the 1 towards Vik.
We traveled an hour and a half down the southwestern part of Iceland. We saw the landscape morph from cityscape to hard lava rock n a pass to lush green hills that reminded us of Ireland and New Zealand.
First stop was Lava, a museum dedicated to the natural wonders of volcanos that created this rock island. They have also menaced the people living on this rock, taking out cities, villages and farms after eruptions. The museum is very modern, having been built in 2016 and contained rooms that simulated the sound and sensation of earthquakes during a volcano. It also featured a beautiful and slightly scary movie highighting the magnitude of force these geological wonders wield.
From lava we continued south towards the first waterfall of the day, and certainly the most elegant. Seljalandsfoss drops a majestic 210 feet from a cliff, landing in a wide pool that eventually snakes out to the sea. The best feature by far is the ability to meander around behind the veils, taking in the mist and fresh water from all sides of the waterfall. The worst part is the millions of visitors also clambering about the same path (which is European in standard so has no railings, little footholds other than slippery rocks and certainly no warning signs). Most visitors are capable and efficient, able to take in the sites while snapping a few notable pics but not holding up the major line. of course, there is always one overdressed, il-prepared deva who jacks it up for everyone else. Just know that these exist and do your best to think of these creatures as part of the experience. We certainly did.
Adjacent to Seljalandfoss are 2 smaller waterfalls which provide a nice opportunity for a walk but certainly are not in the same category. Seljalandfoss is in her own.
Feeling refreshed, we headed south again, this time stopping at Skogar. Skogafoss is a mighty waterfall with 500+ steps that allow you to see her from all angles. These steps include occasional handrails, often wiggle and are the size of 2 normal stairs. This climb is not for the faint of heart but is a great workout and does provide terrific views from the top. We saw a bride and groom doing a full photo shoot in the river below with the waterfall as a backdrop. I am sure those are unforgettable photos.
After lunch at the Bistro located next to the falls, we visited the Folk Museum adjacent to the waterfall. It houses an impressive collection of tools, equipment, cars, clothing and general history of Iceland. it has some of the most complete collections of cellular phones, radios, land telephones, etc. While we didn’t have a ton of time to explore, this was an interesting glimpse into life as an Icelander.
We headed south and then east as the road curves around the island and as we did so, the winds picked up significantly. The scenery remained impressive, with the glacier to our left carving off granite cliffs that mellowed into lush farmlands before meeting the black sands at the ocean. We fought the winds when opening our car doors and couldn’t even stand upright to walk.
We stopped to visit the glacier, which is receding at an alarming rate of 300 feet per year. It was a 15 minute walk along large loose rocks to get even close to the glacier. In front of the existing glacier is a large pool of water with very black icebergs. The sand here is black so the glaciers look dirty compared to ones we have seen previously.
Based on Rick Steve’s recommendation we made our way to the Dyrholaey promontory, a tall bank with a lighthouse on the top. To get there we had to take a true off road path, up a dirt road with warning signs that only 4x4 vehicles should attempt it. At the top the winds were extreme and the views obscured by fog but breathtaking nonetheless.
Back into the car for a 20 minute drive back inland and then out to Reynisfjara Beach, one of the most famous beaches on Iceland. This black sand area contains large basalt columns that are often photographed and climbed upon by visitors. This beach also is known for sneaker waves, massive tidal waves that come in from deep ocean with little warning. They tell you never to turn your back to the water. It was a bit intimidating honestly and the extreme winds played into the danger. Impossible to hear the person next to you or even enjoy the peace of the beach, we didn’t spend very long here. We enjoyed respite and a warm cup of coffee in the small restaurant and then headed back into the car to make our arrival for the horse back ride.
Icelandic horses are short, sturdy horses with long hair and a unique gate that makes riding them a very smooth and enjoyable experience. We arrived at the Vik Horse Riding facility and were greeted by a handful of young and friendly horse experts gathered from all over the world. The one who spent the most time with us was actually Irish (County Clare).
After some brief instructions, a staff member asked us to line up in order of our comfort and experience with horses. We ended up on the “comfortable” end and then they matched us up with horses and fit our stirrups. Grady got the tallest (made sense) and then we were headed outside and towards the beach.
You guys, these horses are so stinking adorable I cant even tell you. My mare was named Rynna and I was told she had a habit of pulling her head and trying to snack which we were not supposed to allow them to do. She tried a couple times to pull her reins and grab a bite but after 3 or 4 unsuccessful attempts she settled in.
Unfortunately with the winds they felt it wasn’t safe to allow us to take the horses to trot so the ride was pretty much a walk down to the beach and back. While I was disappointed to not get to enjoy the gate, it was a really fun experience all the same. The boys each commented on how much they enjoyed being on a horse and what a fun time it was to experience this.
After an hour of riding we jumped back into the car and headed north towards Snellfoss. After 2 hours of driving that included several gravel roads, we made it to Fjorubordid Restaurant where we were served a large bucket of langoustine lobsters. These are small for lobsters, more the size of shrimp, but they taste sweet like lobsters. The meal includes a creamy soup, salads, bread and dessert after consuming your allotted grams of langoustine. We were stuffed as we left for our hotel.
Still light at 10 pm, we drove the hour into Reykjavik and to our hotel for the last night of our trip. The day was a long one but we saw sooooo much!
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