![]() |
part 4 |
Iceland |
![]() |
Tuesday
19 July 2005
Skaftafell
- Skogar: 201 km (125mi) We
have breakfast in the busy the hotel’s busy restaurant. Today we continue
towards Kirkjubæraklaustur. There we fill up the tank and have a coffee. It is
a tiny village, but it does have a post office and a swimming pool, of course.
After Kirkjubæraklaustur we have to cross a barren plain, where sand storms are
not uncommon. For about 60km there is no sign of human activity whatsoever. On
the right hand we see the mountains in the distance and on the left only sand
and dust. We carry on to Vík, also a small town. Soon after Vik we reach the
southernmost point of Iceland: Dyrholaey. We turn off the main road and drive
for 6km on unsealed
From
Dyrholaey it is a short drive on to Skogar. This turns out to be not more than a
collection of a dozen houses among which a youth hostel, a camp site, an Edda
hotel and a regional museum. The Youth
Hostel is not open yet at this time in the day
and we have lunch at the museum café. After lunch we drive to a village
20km up the road, Seljavellir. There we find a tiny swimming pool, where we
spend an hour or so. It is visited by locals only. There is a small but very hot
hot tub. From the tub the views of the surrounding mountains are priceless.
We
need to do some shopping for tomorrow’s breakfast. From what we hear from our
fellow bathers at the pool, our nearest option turns out to be Hvolsvöllur some
50km up the road. Once there we decide to buy food for dinner as well and a beer
in the Vinbud, the state liquor store. After our luxury dinner (Pytt I panna, a
Swedish specialty) we walk to
the waterfall in Skogar, Skogafoss. You can walk up real close, but then you get
soaked. We also climb to the top. Not an adventurous climb, because a staircase
has been set up, leading up to the top of the mountain. The view is worth seeing.
The sun is still shining and it is a lovely summer evening. Weather has been
great all day. We walk down again and chat a bit with other Icelandic tourists.
When the sun disappears behind the mountain it becomes a bit too cool four us
and we retire to our room
Weather:
sunny 22°C / 71°F.
Wednesday
20 July 2005
Skogar
- Gullfoss - Geysir - Laugarvatn: 179 km (111mi) We
have our own simple breakfast in the Youth Hostel and are off to Gullfoss.
We first stop again in Hvolsvöllur to stock up on
After
lunch we drive to Geysir. A short drive of no more than 10 minutes. Geysir lent
its name to all spraying hot water pools in the world. Unfortunately Geysir has
stopped playing after an earthquake and is limited to a pitiful bubbling. Unlike
Strokur, next to it. That one plays every 5 minutes spitting out 30 meter high
columns of hot water. A beautiful
sight. The visitors cheer out in oh’s and ah’s and some burst out in
applause. Click here
for a Windows Media video
of Strokur. I climb Bjarnafell (727m) for the views of the surrounding
fields and mountains.
We
drive on to Laugarvatn, the location of the youth
hostel for tonight. It is open and there for we take the opportunity to off
load our baggage. We drive on Þingvellir.
In this area Icelandic parliamentary sessions took place from 974 until 1798. In
the 14th century the importance of parliament (Alþing) declined as it had no
power to enforce its decisions. From 1622 Iceland fell under the Danish crown
and the Alþing was reduced to a court of law. Þingvellir played and important
role in the 19th century nationalistic movement campaigning for independence. It
was here that independence was declared in 1944. It is also the location where
the North American and European continental plates touch each other. The move
away from each other by 3 mm every year and the valley floor yearly sinks a
couple of mm. Except in 1789 when, as a result of an earth quake the
We
drive back to the Youth Hostel. I send an e-mail home and we start cooking
dinner. This time pasta Bolognese.
After
dinner we have a coffee in the restaurant opposite and we watch the TV-news
there. Apart from the usual international news there are also some Icelandic
items about the potato harvest that has just started and a malfunctioning
traffic light on a traffic junction in Reykjavik.
Later on we walk around the Laugarvatn lake. On its shore are some hot water
springs.
Weather:
slightly overcast with sunny spells. Max 19°C / 66°F.
Thursday
21 July 2005
Laugarvatn
- Reykjavik: 71 km (44mi) After
our self made breakfast we drive to Reykjavik.
We get there around 10am. The apartment at Room
with a View is not ready of course and we walk into town to have a
coffee at Kaffitar,
Iceland’s version of Starbucks or rather Reykjavik’s. We
From
the church we drive to the Vesturbaejar swimming pool. We swim, sit in the
various hot tubs and make use of the steam room.
At
night we eat at bar 22. Simple but nice enough. Later we go Samtokin 78, the gay
right movement’s head quarter. The bar is very quiet. There is also a lending
library and video rental. After 11pm we move on to
Cozy café on Austurstraeti. Here it is very busy and loud. After a while
we are joined by the director of the Reykjavik Gay Pride. He talks
enthusiastically about the organisation of the event taking place early August.
.
After
midnight we go back to our studio.
Weather:
sunny, 20°C / 68°F max.
Friday
22 July 2005
We
have breakfast outside on our patio. It is lovely in the sun. The we start
exploring the city. First coffee at Kaffitar. They have an internet hotspot and
I send an e-mail with my pocket-pc. We walk on to the oldest building of Iceland
dating back to 1752 and after that to the port. Here we see a couple of whaling
boat who have lying idle for 14 years now. We turn
back We
take the bus back to the centre and eat smørrebrod in a Danish restaurant,
Jomfruin, specializing in that. It is run by a Dane, the first male smørrebrod
specialist in the world.
We
drive out to Höfdi, the house on the waterfront where Reagan and Gorbachov
almost succeed in ridding the world of all medium and short range nuclear
weapons in 1986. Although the summit failed, it did put Iceland on the tourist
map and “they haven't looked back since".
During
the afternoon we enjoy a drink on one of the many outdoor café s on
Austurvollur square. The weather is so good that all the tables are taken
and also the lawn is full of sun worshipping city folks.
At
night we dine at the Lækjarbrekka
restaurant. The food is lovely. I take the Fish feast, Erik the lamb
feast. The service is first
rate with prices to match, but well.. it is our last night in Iceland.
They also have a Puffin feast on the menu.
Puffin,
or so we’re told has a strong liver like taste and we decide to give it a
miss.
We
go to bed early, because we have an early day tomorrow
Saturday
23 July 2005
Reykjavik
- Keflavik - Schiphol – Rotterdam
|