Day 1, August 5, 2024, Monday, Tampa, FL
Thanks to hurricane Debby, our flight to Newark, NJ, was delayed 5 times. We originally had a 3.5 hour layover to our connecting flight to Iceland. With the delay, we were down to 25 minutes. The United Airlines attendant in Tampa said we will not make it and he offered to book us on the same flight the next day. We declined and decided to go for it. With 25 minutes to get to the bus to get to the next terminal which the airport signs estimated at 20 minutes we hurriedly arrived at our new gate only to find our next flight was delayed. We boarded and got a notice on the airline app that our luggage was also on board. Then we sat on the tarmac 45 minutes waiting to take off. Well at least we will arrive in Iceland on the scheduled day, and with our luggage.
Day 2, August 6, 20243, Tuesday. Reykjavik, Iceland
Although no sleep on the plane, we did get a decent dinner and breakfast on the flight. Flying over Greenland we got a beautiful view of the curvature of the sunrise over the arctic circle. Regretfully, I forgot to take a photo. We arrived in Reykjavik at 7:40 am, only 40 minutes later than scheduled. Customs took all of 30 seconds. We bought sim cards for our phones and retrieved our bags. Our driver, holding a sign with my name, greeted us and took us to our hotel, the Storm Hotel, about an hour drive. We dropped our bags since check-in was not until 3:00 pm and went about exploring the city. We started hiking down the main street of the town, visited a very tall church with a very large pipe organ, the Harpa concert center and walked along the coast to the Viking sculpture. We ate lunch at Parma and found out their version of a margherita pizza was a cheese pizza with a small garnish of a basil stem. We had gelato at the nearby food hall and returned to the hotel at 2:00 and checked in. The room was so small we had to walk sideways to get by our suitcases to get in and out. We had dinner at Reykjavik Fish Restaurant where I had the fish soup which was good and Rosemary had the Arctic Char. Afterwards, we returned to our room, and after 25,000 steps, we called it a day, a 44 hour day.
Day 3, August 7, 2024, Wednesday. Reykjavik, Iceland.
We had a very good early breakfast buffet as we had a bus tour to the Lava Tunnel which was about an hour drive. On the drive we saw many waterfalls and fumaroles along the way. The tunnel tour began at 10:00 with a temperature of 39 degrees and wet. The tunnel was rocky but beautiful with many different colors of rocks. The tunnel had several roof collapses near the beginning but further into the tunnel the guide shut off the lights and there was total darkness. Back in Reykjavik, we walked all over the town and to the Lava Show. This is the only show in the world featuring molten lava (with the exception of an active eruption). The show began with a video of the volcanic history of Iceland which has the most active volcanoes in the world. After the video, lava poured down a slide in the center of the room. We were in the first row and immediately got warmed up with the 2,000 degree heat. Even our phones taking photos became very hot to the touch. The show was presented by a geologist who did a great job describing the process. The lava went through several color changes as it cooled, as well as loud cracking like broken glass. It was an amazing show! Dinner at the Reykjavik Kitchen Restaurant began with a starter of meat soup in langoustine (lobster) base followed by monk fish with potatoes, bell pepper, spinach and arugula in a blue cheese cream sauce downed with an Einstok Pale Ale. Rosemary had cod with sweet potato puree. A great dinner and another over 20,000 step fantastic day!
Day 4, August 8, 2024, Thursday. Hella, Iceland
Today we got our rental car, a 2024 Nissan X-Trail hybrid. The Hertz representative showed me how to work a few items but when I asked how to use the cruise control the response was “I don’t know.” We checked out of the Storm Hotel and began our drive along the Golden Circle. First stop was the Pingvellir National Park for a hike through cliffs formed by two tectonic plates crashing into each other. The hike included a beautiful waterfall. Next stop was at Geysir where fumaroles where everywhere. The Strokkur Geysir erupted about every 5 to 10 minutes and sometimes did a double eruption. Next stop was the Gullfoss, a spectacular waterfall with views from the base with associated water spray and views from atop the cliff. Next was the Kerid Crater, an extinct volcanic crater which now holds a lake. We walked all the way around the rim of the crater. We checked into the Stracta Hotel in Hella. Dinner at the hotel was unimpressive.
Day 5, August 9, 2024, Friday. Hella, Iceland
We began the day with a drive to view the Hekla Volcano, the most active volcano in Iceland. It has erupted 20 times since Iceland’s founding. The last eruption was in 2000 when experts predicted the eruption 30 minutes before it occurred. In 2016, experts predicted another eruption which has not yet occurred and thus, the experts advise that no one should be hiking or otherwise be near Hekla. We chose not to do the 8 hour hike up to the summit, especially since a 4WD vehicle is needed just to get to the beginning of the hiking trail. Next stop was the Haifoss Waterfall, the third highest in Iceland at 122 meters (400 feet). Absolutely outstanding, breathtaking, spectacular - well you get the vibe. You stood on the edge of a steep cliff opposite the falls. We hiked around the river downstream a bit for more views of the falls. Next stop was the Stong, an archeological site where the Vikings resided until it was buried in a Hekla volcanic eruption in 1104. Next stop was the Hjalparfoss, a dual waterfall that was also impressive. All of these sites we visited this day were very far from any civilization so we had visited a “grocery” before we started out and bought lunch - peanut butter, sesame crackers, skyr (Icelandic version of yogurt) and a banana. We finished those hikes earlier than expected, so we visited the Seljalandsfoss waterfall which we was originally planned for the next day. The falls are just off the “Ring Road” (Highway 1) and we could see the falls from 10 km away. This waterfall has a trail where you can walk behind the falls, and of course we had to do it. We definitely got our money’s worth from our purchase of our rain jackets and rain pants before the trip. The spray from the waterfall was quite cold and I only wish I had windshield wipers for my eyeglasses. Dinner was at Hygge in Hellisholar about 11 km off Highway 1. Turned out Hygge is the restaurant for an RV Campground and golf course. The food was great. I had the lamb sirloin with the local beer, Gull, a pilsner style lager which was very good and Rosemary had Korean style salmon. We shared an amaretto brownie for dessert. Another great day!
Day 6, August 10, 2024, Saturday. Kirkjubaejarklauster, Iceland
We got an early start as it is hard to sleep late when the sunrises at 4:30 am. Our first stop along the southern coast of Iceland was the Skogafoss waterfall which is 60 meters tall. Next we visited the Dyrholaey, an area along the coast with a lighthouse, jagged cliffs housing many bird species including Puffins and rock formations with arches. We then arrived in the town of Vik where we were to meet Arctic Adventures for an excursion into a natural ice cave in the Myrdalsjokull Glacier. Unfortunately, the tour was canceled due to gaseous pollution but we got no advance notice of the cancellation. We moved on with plenty of other sites to see. Next was the black sand beach and the Reynisdrangar basalt columns jutting out of the ocean and a sea cave. Heading further east we visited the Fjadrargljufur Canyon which included another amazing, spectacular, beautiful and lush gorge with a waterfall - a real “WOW” experience! From there we checked into Hotel Klauster in Kirkjubaejarklauster. Then we visited two more waterfalls and the “Church Floor,” an area of basalt columns, the tops of which are at ground level, which they compare to the hexagonal tiling of a church floor. Dinner at the hotel was great. I had the lamb roast which included a lamb springroll. Rosemary had the cod with a morel sauce. Another great day albeit at a slightly slower pace.
Day 7, August 11, 2024, Sunday. Hofn, Iceland, The “Lobster Capital of Iceland”
After checking out of Hotel Klauster, a mere 10 minutes away, we visited Dverghamrar or “Dwarf Cliffs”, a small yet impressive canyon of hexagonal basalt columns. Next we headed to the Skaftafell portion of the Vatnajokull National Park. The park covers 14% of Iceland’s land mass. We hiked to the Vatnajokull Glacier with a park guide explaining and showing the glacier’s receding over the last 100 years. The glacier itself covers 8% of Iceland. Next we hiked to the Svartifoss (“Black Falls”) waterfall. The round trip was almost 2 hours and had an elevation gain of over 650 feet. The hike to the falls was all uphill and fairly steep which meant several stops to catch our breath. We arrived at the top of the waterfall and declined to hike down to the base of the falls which would mean hiking back up. The 20 meter tall falls was nice but nowhere near as exciting as other falls we have seen on this trip. Next we visited the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. Huge chunks of the glacier calve off the glacier and make their way to the sea. Many large “icebergs” get caught in the lagoon and channel to the sea until their size whittles down, or another collides into it breaking it into smaller pieces. The glacial lagoon was filled with large icebergs of various sizes and shapes. As we walked along the channel, we saw and heard several collide and float past. We reached the beach known as Diamond Beach which was littered with ice chunks that had washed ashore. Some chunks lodged in the sea near the beach but many (hundred and hundreds) found the beach. A surreal and exciting spot. Many folks were taking photos of people standing, sitting or peering through the ice chunks, us included. Next we backed tracked 10 km to the Fjallsarlon Glacier. After a short hike we reached the lagoon in front of the glacier. We felt this glacier was more pristine than others we had seen, a worthwhile detour. We continued to Hotel Hofn. Rosemary’s dinner at the hotel was the “Lobster Feast” featuring lobster and langoustine. I had the cod which on the second try was quite good.
Day 8, August 12, 2024, Monday. Hallormsstadur, Iceland
We departed Hofn on the early side due to a weather alert indicating rain and wind of 30 m/s (67 mph) in the area we would be passing today. We drove to Djupivogur, a small village which had an “attraction” called Eggin I Gledivik (Eggs of Merrybay) which is 34 granite eggs representing various local bird species. Each egg sits atop its own pedestal. We drove into town to discover a cruise ship in the harbor and people everywhere including in the roads. We drove by the eggs and determined it was nothing but this town’s “biggest ball of string” and we continued on our way. About 9 km further was Bulandstinder, a huge pyramid shaped basalt strata. Unfortunately, the top of the pyramid was covered by clouds so it merely looked like a typical nondescript mountain. We entered Faskrudsfjordor, a small town of about 700 people founded by French fishermen. Surprisingly, there was nothing French about the town except street signs in Icelandic and French (and the French names were in much smaller letters), no French restaurant or any other decent restaurant. We did find a small grocery, Rosemary got skyr and blueberries and I got a banana to go with our peanut butter and sesame crackers (Burger crackers from Germany - quite delicious) and ate in the car at a nice viewpoint. After driving through rain, fog, clouds, some sunshine and a 3 mile tunnel (fortunately 2 lanes not 1 - we were told there are 1 lane tunnels in Iceland but we did not experience one) we arrived at our Hotel Hallormsstadur about 25 minutes from Egilsstadir. We had the dinner buffet at the hotel which had a wide variety of dishes and included horse, cured mutton, smoked tongue and pork & blueberry pate. A much needed leisurely day without hiking.
Day 9, August 13, 2024, Tuesday. Hallormsstadur, Iceland
We began the day with only a 10 minute drive to a hike that included two waterfalls. The first waterfall was Litlanesfoss about 30 meters tall. The second waterfall was Hengifoss at 128 meters tall. The hike was incredibly steep with an elevation gain of 1,200 feet. Hengifoss has striking red clay layers and black basalt columns on the cliff face. Surprisingly, the weather was bright and sunny and during the hike I actually got down to a tee shirt. Of course, coming back down the wind had picked up and the jacket went back on. The hike was about 2.5 hours. Then we headed east driving on the north side of Lake Lagarflot on our way to Borgarfjordur Eystri a town of about 100 people on the eastern coast. The drive took us over mountaintops of the fjord surrounding the village. Waterfalls and glaciers where everywhere. The village is known for its Puffin colony. Alas, we found out the Puffins headed south and left six days earlier. We visited the village “grocery,” a room about 10 feet by 10 feet. Rosemary got her skyr but no banana for Bob. We ate lunch in the car a few minutes past the village overlooking the fjord and the sea. We visited the Lindarbakki sod house which dates from 1899 and Rosemary took a turn on the town swing. Next we headed to Seydisfjordur described as a charming village. But on this day, a cruise ship was in port and people were everywhere. We did a short hike up to a waterfall and drove around town. Then it was off to Egilsstadir for dinner at Askur Pizzeria and Craft Brewery. The pizza was good but the beer selection was limited. I had a lager which was ok. Another great day with lots of sunshine too!
Day 10, August 14, 2024, Wednesday. Husavik, Iceland
Today we departed East Iceland and headed to North Iceland. Our first stop was the Studlagil Canyon which is known for its basalt columns. The canyon has metal stairs down to the view point. Next we had several waterfalls on today’s itinerary as we headed to the Vatnajokull National Park. We continued northward and turned onto Highway 864, a gravel road on the east side of the Jokulsa, a Fjollum (Mountain) river. Highway 862 is the road on the west side which I understand is paved. However, it was my belief that the better view of the waterfalls is on the east side so the warnings of a rough road did not deter me. Turned out the road was in fairly good shape. We arrived at the Dettifoss waterfall. Dettifoss is 45 meters high and 100 meters wide and is the most powerful waterfall in Europe. It was reached by a walk down a steep rocky trail of about ½ mile. The falls was impressive and the spray from the falls goes to the west side so we stayed dry. From Dettifoss we hiked the 1.4 km trail to the Selfoss waterfall. The hike involved some scrambling over rocks and I had to talk Rosemary out of turning back. With some coaxing from me, we made it and boy were we glad we did not turn around. Selfoss is only 11 meters tall but it seemed to go on forever. It was a definite Wow! Of all the many waterfalls we had seen, I rate this one the best. And we had the east side to ourselves and the best view of the waterfall is definitely on the east side. We could feel the spray and fortunately we were wearing our rain gear. Back to the car and an 8 minute drive to the Hafragilfoss waterfall. There was only one other couple at this waterfall which was surprising since no hike was necessary to see it. Hafragilfoss is 30 meters high and 90 meters wide, the second largest waterfall behind Dettifoss. Next stop was Asbyrgi Canyon, a unique horseshoe shaped canyon with steep cliffs reaching 100 meters. In the center of the canyon is an island cliff. The park ranger told us a hike to the island cliff to view the horseshoe was 30 minutes. It took us an hour and 45 minutes even though it was level and easy and we walked quickly. Accordingly, we were disappointed and we had to forgo our planned hike at the echo caves. We arrived at Fosshotel in Husavik at 6:00. Dinner at the hotel was lamb for me and arctic char for Rosemary. The food was good but it seems that all restaurants in Iceland seem to have pretty much the same menu. A long day but another great one.
Day 11, August 15, 2024, Thursday. Husavik, Iceland
Today we spent at the Lake Myvatn area. It is about an hour from our hotel but all of our planned sites to see are within 10 minutes of each other. The area we visited is the Krafla, a volcanic caldera of 10 km (6.2 miles) in diameter and a 90 km (56 mile) long fissure zone. The Krafla volcanic system is one of the most explosive of Iceland having erupted 29 times since Iceland was settled. It is an Iceland hotspot. Our first stop was to the Viti Crater which contains a blue green lake. Although we hiked to the rim we did not hike the ridge as the morning weather was cold and the wind was gusting enough to throw one off balance. Next was the Leirhnjukur, an active volcano whose last eruption was 1984. The area is closely monitored for any signs of activity. We hiked among small crater lakes with boiling geothermal waters that produce numerous steam vents throughout the hike. And yes I stuck my hand near one and the reaction was like touching a hot stove. The hike meanders through lava fields, some of which required careful climbing. The craterous landscape is similar to photos of Mars. A really fun hike of about 3 miles. On our way to our next stop, we made an unplanned visit to the Krafla Power Plant (actually to use the conveniently located WC). The visitor center had a short film of the Plant’s history as well as complimentary coffee and tea. We never passed up a hot drink is this climate. Construction of the Plant began in 1974 but was halted due to eruptions and was not fully completed until 1984 when the seismic and volcanic activities strongly declined. Amazingly, 90% of Iceland is geothermally heated. Next was a visit to the Namafjall Geothermal area. Here there are many smoking fumaroles and boiling mudpots surrounded by sulphur crystals of many colors. The mudpots were on a rapid rolling boil. The sulphur odor was pervasive and definitely overpowering even with my runny, drippy nose from the cold. Another unplanned stop was to Grjotagja, a small cave with an underground pool of hot water which we confirmed by touch (not as hot as a hot stove - more like a hot bath).The sign said it should be recognizable from the TV show “Game of Thrones” but not to us. Next we visited the Hverfjall Volcano Trail. The trail was listed as a 20 minute hike but the trail was straight up 180 meters (about 600 feet). So needless to say, we took several rest stops on the way up. The volcano crater was worth the hike and no rest stops were needed on the way down. Our next stop was Dimmuborgir, an area of incredible natural lava sculptures, An easy hike of just over an hour included one formation called Kirkjan (the “Church”). After a drive around Lake Myvatn we headed back to Husavik and had dinner at Salka Restaurant. We began with a seafood soup which unlike previous versions actually had lots of seafood - langoustine, shrimp, scallops and mussels. Rosemary had the fish of the day “Wolffish” and I had a vegetarion option, falafel. The food was excellent and filling. Another great day without a lot of driving.
Day 12, August 16, 2024, Friday. Laugarbakki, Iceland
We departed Husavik on a cloudy rainy morning. First stop was Godafoss, the “Waterfall of the Gods.” A short hike with rain suits on, we took our photos and decided not to hike down to the river level due to the weather. We continued west and drove through the Vaolaheidergong Tunnel, a 6 km toll tunnel, on our way to Akureyri, the second largest city in Iceland with a population of 18,000. We drove around the city and I had planned to visit its botanical garden but when we drove by it we discovered it was about the size of my backyard (slight exaggeration) so we continued on. Along the way we visited at an old sod church dating from 1834. A bit further along the way, in Blondous, we ate lunch in the parking lot of a modern church built in 1993, quite a contrast with the prior church we visited. Next we drove on a 26 km unpaved, rough and muddy road to view Hvitserkur, a basalt rock stack off the shore of the Vatnsnes pennisula. A short hike through a strong and cold wind to view the rock and left wondering why this site is such a tourist attraction. It was not worth the ride. On the way back we took another rough dirt road to see Borgorvirki, a natural fortress further fortified over time by ancient tribes. It was cold and raining and I quickly took a photo while Rosemary stayed in the car. Back to pavement, next we visited the Kolugljufur Canyon and the Kolofoss Waterfall. Again, with bad weather we took photos and continued on to Hotel Laugarbakki. Dinner at the hotel was lamb burgers and French fries, for Rosemary too!
Kolofoss Waterfall
Kolugljufur Canyon
Day 13, August 17, 2024, Saturday. Arnarstapi, Iceland
Today we departed rainy Northern Iceland and headed to West Iceland and the Snaefellsness Peninsula where Snaefellsness National Park is located. The National Park surrounds the 1,446 meter Snaefellsjokull Stratovolcano, the setting for Jules Verne’s epic novel, Journey to the Center of the Earth. We had partly cloudy weather with some light sprinkles but the high temps were only in the middle forties with gale force winds. We used all of our layers today! Our first stop was Arnarstapi Center which contained our hotel. As our room was not ready, we hiked to Gatklettur, a cliff with two arches that the sea spouts through in stormy weather. No spouts today, fortunately. The hike continued to the Stone Bridge where I wanted Rosemary to take a photo of me crossing the narrow bridge. But somehow it was me taking a photo of Rosemary on top of the bridge. I guess she wasn’t as afraid as she let on (and the bridge wasn’t as narrow as expected). The hike continued to Pumpa, a triangular inlet. We hiked back to the hotel and checked in. We then proceeded to drive along the park’s coastal road and hit all of the sites along the way. The first stop was Londrangar, two prominent rocks protruding along the coast. Next stop was Dritvik Djupalonssandur, a black lava pearl beach some of which is littered with orange contorted steel - the rusted wreckage of the fishing trawler Epine which sank in 1948. The Dritvik Cove is an enclosed bay from two cliffs. Next was Saxholl Crater, a 109 meter volcanic crater. The hike was easy because there are metal steps to the top, all 396 of them. At the top the wind was so strong we took a photo and proceeded down. Next stop was Skardsvik Beach, supposedly a golden sand beach in a rocky cove. The sea was the roughest I have ever witnessed with waves crashing into the rocks and splashing twice the height of the rocks. The sopping wet golden sand looked more like brown. Still the beach was beautiful to me and we watched the angry sea meet the shore for awhile. We worked our way across the northern ridge of the peninsula to the Kirkjufellsfossar Waterfall and the Kirkjufell (“church mountain”). The mountain is 463 meters high and is an unusual shape. Access to the waterfall is by a bridge over the falls. We stopped for dinner at the Harbour Café in Grundarfjordur. Finally, a restaurant that had the Icelandic specialty that I have been wanting try! The menu called it the “Icelandic Viking Experience” appetizer. It consisted of fermented shark, rye bread and Brennivin (37.5% alcohol). The shark is the Greenland shark. It evolved in such cold water that it developed an antifreeze containing ammonia. Our server Danny informed us that eaten as is, one piece makes you sick while three pieces kills you. So it is fermented to make it edible and healthy but supposedly with an awful smell and taste. I was served 5 bite size pieces, 4 halves of rye bread and a shot of Brennivin. Rosemary immediately objected to the aroma. Danny then announced all the required warnings and presented the liability waiver. The shark is eaten with a toothpick - probably so not to permanently contaminate the silverware. The shark had the consistency of sushi and wasn’t as bad as advertised until I experienced a bit of a bad aftertaste that one would not associate with food. Thankfully the rye bread and Brennivin removed the aftertaste. I ate all 5 pieces, 2 halves of the rye bread (Rosemary filched the other 2 halves) and downed the shot. When Danny discovered that I ate all of the shark, he presented me with a congratulatory pin announcing that, I am a Viking! After a dinner of smoked pork which was actually a delicious and juicy pork chop, we departed the Harbour Café at 7:15 and since there were two more stops on our agenda and still several hours of sunlight left, we visited the Raudfeldsgja Gorge. A bit of an uphill hike which was steeper than at first glance. Unfortunately, the gorge was full of rapidly flowing water from glacier melt and we did not see much of the gorge. Next we visited Songhellir Caves which required a short drive on a rough and steep gravel road. A short hike to the cave which echoed as advertised. We had the last two places to ourselves which made it extra nice. Guess we should have done more after dinner hikes.
Bardur Snaefellsas sculpture (half man half troll)
Gatklettur
Rosemary on Stone Bridge
Pumpa
Londrangar
Snaefellsjokull Stratovolcano
Saxholl Crater
Kirkjufellsfossar Waterfall and the Kirkjufell (“church mountain”)
“Icelandic Viking Experience” (fermented Greenland shark)
Day 14, August 18, 2024, Sunday. Husafell, Iceland
We departed the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and headed east. We stopped in Borgarnes for groceries and gas. Next door was a small gift shop which we visited and I bought some rhubarb jam. Our next stop was Grabrok Crater. The crater is 170 meters tall and is accessed by a wooden staircase. We walked all the way around the rim. At the top is a view of another crater very close to Grabrok. I would rate this the top crater of this trip and only partially due to the ease of access. Next stop was Deildartunguhuer, the largest area of hot springs in Europe. We did not partake in the hot springs here but we did walk around and view the boiling and steaming springs. It was hard to get a good photo with all the steam obscuring the view. And yes, a prominent sulphur smell. We continued on our way and checked into Hotel Husafell, a large farm estate, now owned by the seventh generation of Husafells. At 5 pm we took an excursion to the Husafell Canyon Baths, a surreal hot spring paradise. Located in a small canyon, there are three geothermal pools - one hot pool at 98-100 degrees, one hot pool at 101-105 degrees and one cold pool at 50 degrees. The air temp was 45 degrees but sunny so we started in the cooler hot pool and then moved to the warmer one. We spent about 90 minutes soaking and relaxing and then telling our host to go away when she came to retrieve us. We opted out of the cold pool. A very special place. Dinner was two “Queen” pizzas for take out in our room. Described as tomato and basil, it came loaded with arugula not basil. Still good pizza. Another fun day with some actual relaxation!
Snaefellsjokull Stratovolcano
Deildartunguhuer
Husafell Canyon Baths
Day 15, August 19, 2024, Monday. Husafell, Iceland
Today we went on an excursion called “Into the Glacier.” Iceland has 269 named glaciers but only one has a manmade tunnel - the Langjokull Glacier, the longest manmade ice tunnel in the world. We departed at 10 am on a bus for a 30 minute ride on a rough gravel road to the base camp. The we boarded an 8 x 8 truck that was a former NATO missile launcher modified to drive on a glacier (missiles removed). The ride entered the glacier and took us up to 1,260 meters above sea level. When we arrived at the tunnel entrance, the wind was blowing fiercely and the snow was piercing. We were instructed not to look into the wind as the windswept snow could blind you. Even without looking into the wind, I could feel the side of my left eye getting hit as we quickly entered the cave. The footing was very slippery even with our hiking shoes. At one point we both almost slipped down. A little way into the cave there was a room with ice covered benches to sit and install crampons on our shoes. The crampons allowed us to walk without slipping, mostly. The cave is 1,500 meters long with a heart-shaped loop at the far end. The guide pointed out various layers of different colors on the walls. Several dark stripes were created in 2010 and 2014 from the ash of volcanic eruptions covering the glacier. With four layers of outer garments including our rain gear, two head coverings and gloves we were mostly ok with the 30 degree temperature. There were lots of drips and puddles so the rain gear was invaluable. We spent an hour in the cave and my feet started getting cold towards the end. Next time, two pairs of wool socks not just one. When leaving the cave, the sunglasses went back on otherwise the light was blinding. We got back to the hotel about 3 pm and had our lunch. Then we drove about 8 minutes to two waterfalls, Hraunfossar and Barnafoss. Both falls (very close to each other and to the parking lot) were spectacular. The Barnafoss waterfall even had an area where water was falling through an arch. A fitting ending for the last waterfalls we will view on this trip. We then visited the small village of Reykholt which has the Snorralaug hot spring. The hot spring is not for bathing but is an archeological site. Snorralaug was first mentioned in the 12th century by writer Snorri Sturluson, one of Iceland’s most popular poets and writers. The pool was outside a walled Viking settlement and connected to the settlement by a tunnel. A statue of Snorri is nearby. Dinner at our hotel was cheeseburgers and fries as we opted out of the three fancy selections on a very limited menu. And no other restaurants in the area.
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