BigWeather's Blog

I woke up, careful to not disturb Michelle, at 4:15am hoping to see the Aurora Borealis. I walked along the harbor at 5:30am for about an hour. While I didn’t see the Northern Lights I did enjoy the sound of the waves hitting the rocky breaker walls and watching the first hint of dawn tinge the sky. I returned to the hotel and slept another two hours.

We awoke at 8:30am and took our showers then headed downstairs for breakfast around 9am. Returning to the room we packed, I off-loaded pictures and blogged a bit, and I realized we hadn’t watched Icelandic television yet! As it was the middle of the day the only thing interesting on was a the doings at their parliament, the Alþingi (roughly pronounced ‘all-thing-eh’). Didn’t understand a word but it was still neat nonetheless.

We checked out around 11am and sat in the lobby until FlyBus picked us up around noon. There was a short ride to the central bus station and, owing to the nicer weather (of course!) got to see the cathedral practically glowing with the mid-day light. Hopped on a bigger bus to the airport, along the way seeing a rainbow, and enjoying views of the low mountains basking in the sun as well as the tundra-like terrain.

We arrived at the airport around 1pm. It was a confusing place — supposedly automated but due to the Byzantine processes just as many people were standing around helping people through the process as would be required to do the work themselves. That’s the problem with airports, you can’t exactly teach people how to fish and then rely on them to not need help in the future — they’re gone!

By 2pm we had made it through security and hurried through the stupid stinky duty free area and got lunch. Michelle had a bagel with cream cheese and an apple caramel muffin while I had a bacon and egg salad with lettuce croissant and chocolate muffin (which was delicious!).

Our gate, D32, finally displayed on the departure board and we made the long walk to just stand in line a bit before finally getting on the plane around 4:30pm. Took off at 4:45pm. The window seat would’ve been empty (which would’ve been nice) but a nice PhD student at NCSU got bumped to it. It turned out to be not so bad because she was great and the three of us chatted for a couple of hours which made the six hour flight go much faster. She was a dual national US / Swiss.

After eating our pre-ordered ham and cheese baguettes we tried to sleep a bit but I ended up just watching “War Dogs” on the TV (discreetly) across the aisle and up a row.

We landed around 7:45pm. Passport control took a bit longer than usual as there was only one guy working but luggage and customs were a breeze. Addison picked us up around 8:45pm and we headed home, picking up McDonalds along the way, and were in bed around 11pm.

Woke up around 6:30am, showered, got ready for the day’s adventure, and had a very light breakfast (basically just croissants and water) at the hotel. We were outside just before 8:30am to wait for our pick-up by EastWest for our tour of the Snæfellsnes peninsula (henceforth known as “the peninsula”).

The van arrived at just before 8:45am. We piled on to the back of the bus and, after several stops to pick up other people, headed east then north out of Reykjavik. It turns out that sitting in the very back may not have been the best idea as whenever we’d hit a bump we’d bounce fairly high and it could be quite jarring. The bus driver was an older gentleman, and quite direct in his communication and wasn’t afraid to drop the occasional curse word or have a bit of lewdness in his stories.

Michelle and I grew pretty acquainted with two of the people in the row in front of us. One was a gentleman named Thor who grew up on the peninsula and was now employed giving tours. Though his day off he was riding this one to get a sense of how other tours operated. Traveling with him was his buddy from Hamburg, Germany. Sadly we don’t remember his name but he was into metal and dressed appropriately (black clothing including a black leather jacket, tattered jeans, and of course tatoos). Thor had moved to Hamburg for a few years and got to know this guy. Eventually Thor decided to move back to Iceland but needed this guy to help quarantine or move or whatever his pets. As payment he came to Iceland with Thor and was enjoying the sights.

As we drove out of the city the rain became more insistent and the clouds clung to the low mountain peaks to our right. About 10:15am we stopped in Borgarnes at a rest stop (not much different from our own highway gas stations with attached food / groceries) for a bathroom break as well as to buy snacks or whatever. We used the restroom and bought some cookies before setting out again around 10:30am. Borgarnes would be the last major town we’d see, from then on it was mostly rural — either not settled or with some small villages supported by fishing and some ranching.

Around 11:30am we stopped at a small mineral spring just off the road. Our guide parked the bus and we all dutifully piled out. He encouraged us to try the water, noting that it tastes like (big shock here) sparkling water. Though I’ve never been a fan of it I cupped my hands and captured a small amount, giving it a tentative sip. Yep, sparkling water. Blech. Still, interesting and I’m glad I tried it!

We set out for our next stop, the beach at Ytri Tunga, arriving around 11:50am. The beach was beautiful, filled with interesting things like water-rounded pebbles, sea grass, stands of kelp, oh and cute seals!

We were given some time to wander around and enjoy on our own. After the seals we checked out the picked-clean skeleton of a beached whale. Leaving the beach we noticed a rainbow to the north west at the foot of the mountains.

Our next stop, at about 12:30pm, was lunch at a small ranch and restaurant named Lýsuhóll just off the ring road that encircles the peninsula. The food varied day to day but Michelle and I ate some salad and some pasta with tomato sauce. There was some seafood on offer but I passed.

Haven eaten we boarded the bus about 1:30pm and drove a short distance (only about ten minutes) to the small Búðir Church. The first church was built in 1703 but declining population eventually led to the parish being abolished in 1816. The ladies of the parish fought for a new church but the church refused though they did get royal assent. They eventually build the church in 1848 with a quote on the door ring that it was built “without the support of the spiritual fathers”! If that wasn’t enough, they also painted the church black in defiance. Over the years this small black church surrounded by lush, treeless hills and an unforgiving gray sea has become a place for destination weddings and tourists like us!

After about ten minutes of checking out the small landmark we hopped back on the buss for the ten mile or so drive to Arnarstapi, our next stop. Arnarstapi is a picturesque town right on the south coast of the peninsula with a nice harbor. First point of interest was a statue called Bárður Saga Snæfellsás that depicted a half human and half ogre named Bardur. We then walked closer to the cliff top and spotted birds (cormorants, perhaps?) perched atop the sea stacks of volcanic origin.

From there we walked a path that took us past several interesting formations: an amazing sea arch named Gatklettur, sea stacks, and the like. While a very raw and misty day it was still very impressive! I wish we had had better weather but Thor assured us that he enjoyed it much more with mist and the like as it made it feel more mysterious.

To the left of the path (so, the land side) could see the village, a collection of charming houses perched a bit away from the cliffs’ edge with a road down to the harbor. In the distance beyond could be seen a series of waterfalls plunging over the cliffs and into the sea below.

We left Arnarstapi around 3pm and headed to our next destination, Djúpalónssandur beach. Along the 10 mile (20 minute) drive we passed Lóndrangar, a pair of basalt volcanic towers. As the weather was iffy and we were a bit behind schedule we didn’t stop. Imposing, though!

We arrived at Djúpalónssandur beach at 3:20 and had about thirty-five minutes to explore. I walked down a natural cut in the cliff face down to the gorgeous black sand beach. As it was quite steep and a bit slippery Michelle opted to stay atop at the overlook. Luckily there was a handrail of a sort constructed with nylon roping.

Once on the beach the black sand was quite remarkable. Scattered about were also many rusted parts from British fishing trawler that wrecked in March, 1948. Once inhabited with over sixty fishing boats the area is uninhabited today. Four things to remain from those days, however — four stones, ranging in weight from 23kg to 154kg. These were used back in the day to test potential crew for fishing boats. It was necessary to lift at least the third heaviest stone, at 54kg, to hip height in order to qualify.

I continued to walk around the beach and then up the path back to the overlook to meet Michelle. Along the way were beautiful rock formations like a sea stack and some volcanic rock scattered about the top of the cliff.

Climbing back onto the bus we settled in for an hour’s drive to the next major sight. Along the way, however, we passed a couple of interesting things. First was Saxhóll Crater, a crater offering decent views from the top when the weather cooperates. It lay west of Snæfellsjökull, the ancient volcano that the explorers descended into the hollow Earth in Verne’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth”. Next we passed the very tall (1,352ft) Hellissandur longwave radio mast. Finally, a really nice waterfall off in the distance.

We arrived at our second to last major stop, Kirkjufellsfoss, around 5pm. The rain (more like very angry drizzle) had really picked up by the time we arrived and Michelle was feeling worse and worse so I braved the elements myself to get a few photos and walk about a bit. Kirkjufellsfoss is a series of pretty smaller falls in front of a very distinct mountain, Kirkjufell, that was featured as “Arrowhead Mountain” in the series Game of Thrones. Normally very beautiful this wasn’t its best day. When traveling, though, you have to take the days you’re given and it was still quite spectacular.

There was a moderately sloped path going down from the top of the upper falls to the bottom of the (much smaller and more like a rapids) lower falls. It was lined with black rubber matting which normally would be a blessing but in its rain-slicked form made it a bit more dicey. Regardless, got down, enjoyed the view, and made it back up in short order. Shame the weather wasn’t cooperating but my brother later painted this place for me with much better conditions!

We drove a bit more east then turned south toward the center of the peninsula for our last stop. We arrived at about 5:55pm at a “hidden unnamed waterfall” but either the driver was telling a tall tale or it has since been named — Selvallafoss. Regardless, it was beautiful. Michelle stayed in the van for this one as well as she wasn’t feeling great.

I got out and walked a bit, enjoying views of a distant lake. In a country with so few trees the sight distances are incredible! Soon I came to a really narrow, muddy, slippery trail that went behind the waterfall. Safety be damned, I had to try! It was a bit treacherous but luckily I (and my phone!) made it back in one piece.

It was a quick stop, only about 15 minutes, and we were back on our way. It being late September the light was fading fast and it was getting dark when we made it back to that gas station in Borgarnes for another pit stop at around 7:15pm and well dark when we returned to the Grandi hotel at 8:45pm.

As it was so late most eateries were closed. We opted to eat leftover Flatey pizza which was… fine. Michelle continued not feeling well so we were in bed by midnight.

We woke up around 8:30am and tried to figure out the shower. Somehow we got the right temperature water coming out of the right nozzle (it had a rain shower head and a handheld in addition to the normal tub spigot) and, not wanting to mess anything up, left the water running during the brief time (a minute or two at most) between our two showers. Headed downstairs for breakfast at 9:30am and ate some scrambled eggs (not awesome), meats and cheeses (not bad), bacon (decent!), bread (nice hard crust), and tea and coffee (amazing!). We were back in the room at 10am and relaxed and blogged until about 11:30am.

It being nearly lunch we figured we should probably do something more substantial with the day. We headed east towards the center of Reykjavik through a mostly residential area. We stopped at a gift shop or two but didn’t buy anything. Just past the center of town we came upon the road with the rainbow painted on it. At the far end of the road was the very impressive Hallgrímskirkja, Iceland’s center of the Lutheran faith. It looked as if the road was the rainbow Bifrost bridge leading to a very Asgardian-looking building.

We stopped in a Café Babalú, a charming cafe with comfort food for Michelle — tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. I had a grilled ham and cheese with corn chips (basically corn tortilla chips) and a chocolate croissant. All around very yummy. While we were there two American fellows came in to chat with the owner and the three sat at an adjacent table. The owner was also from America but had lived here awhile and it was a treat listening (discreetly!) to him describe the crazy intricacies of the Icelandic language. A noun has many different forms, for example “horse” has different forms depending on whether something is being done with it, for it, on it, etc. He joked (at least I hope he was joking!) that though nouns are gendered if there are five or more the gender is dropped so everyone orders five of everything.

Michelle went to the bathroom as we were getting ready to leave and came back and told me I had to go to the bathroom. I went in and it was something else — Star Wars characters all over the walls, above the toilet was made to look like a porthole to space with TIE Fighters battling X-Wings and the whole time a Star Wars ambient music / sound effect track was playing. On the way out I complimented the owner on the amazing bathroom.

After stopping in another gift shop or two we came upon Hallgrímskirkja, the aforementioned Lutheran church. In front was a statue of Leif Erikson (first European to discover the Americas). Behind was a giant concrete church, absolutely towering over the landscape atop a hill. There were also three art installations of vague male figures facing suits of armor. Inside the church was very sparse but impressive, evoking the interior of medieval European cathedrals. It also had the most “metal” organ I’d ever seen. We bought a magnet in the gift shop as well as a ticket for one to the top of the church (Michelle didn’t want to go up).

While Michelle sat in a pew I took the elevator up to a level behind the clocks. There were a few informational pieces about the history of religion in Iceland that were fascinating. Basically Iceland is unique among European countries in that from the get-go it was Christian — there was no pushing out / conversion of an existing non-Christian population. When the Norse arrived in the early 9th century there were already a couple of anchorites, Irish monks that had sailed farther afield to find even more solitude. The Norse themselves were a 50/50 mix of pagan (mostly Norse) and Christian (at that time Roman Catholic) and many of their slaves were Christian as well. Iceland tried to make a go of having both pagan and Christian and even considered splitting into two but at the first Althing it was proposed by the speaker at the time that by law everyone should just be baptized going forward and that’ll fix it. Crazy that the pagans agreed, but whatever. Iceland remained Roman Catholic until 1540 or so when the Kingdom of Denmark (which included Iceland at the time) decreed that the religion would going forward be Lutheran.

After a short climb of steps I arrived at the top of the tower. I didn’t notice the bells at first but when it rang 2pm I sure did! Loud! Once that was over I went around the tower and enjoyed the 360 degree view of Reykjavik. I headed down and sat briefly with Michelle before we headed out, this time turning north towards the harbour.

First, though, I just had to try what was considered the best hot dog stand in Reykjavik. I ordered a traditional, basically a long hot dog of unknown meat source (again, traditional!). It was in a bun atop some semi-sweet relish and some fried onions (think Durkee Onions). Atop the hot dog itself was a mustard that was on the sweet side. Yummy!

Once finally downhill (stopping only to see a French hospital built for French cod fisherman around 1900) to the harbor we saw the “Sun Voyager”, an impressive modern metal sculpture that evokes both Viking ships and, somehow, whale bones. Took a few pictures and left as a tour bus was puking out tourists. Walked west for a bit in an increasing rain that even included a bit of sleet. We arrived at an impressive glass building perched on the harbor called Harpa. In addition to shops it served as a performing arts center and conference center. On this day it served as a place to go to the restroom and dry off a bit.

As the rain showed no sign of abating we pulled our rain coats’ hoods even tighter and braved on to the west past the harbor. There was a neat series of plaques about the harbor and the role it played in Iceland’s independence (1918) and Britain’s takeover in 1940 (to prevent the Germans from capturing it first). There was also a mini skate park with a very garish basketball court (well, half of a court).

Eventually we made it to the room at about 4pm and napped for a couple of hours before heading to Flatey, a Neapolitan pizza joint. We each got a mushroom and meatball pizza (with the intent of taking home leftovers for dinner on Wednesday should time be of the essence) and I got another one of those delicious Fanta-like Applesin sodas. Returned to the hotel about 7:30pm and asked them to call our room if the Northern Lights presented themselves (you can see them from town, though it isn’t ideal). Originally they wrote down room 546 instead of 446 but I caught it — 546 wouldn’t have appreciated a middle-of-the-night call!

Blogged for a couple of hours and called it a night, needed to get rest prior to the tour of the Snæfellsnes on our last full day of vacation.

We woke up around 6am and finished packing before heading down for breakfast at around 7:30am. As we weren’t going on a tour we indulged a bit more and I took a gamble on some coffee. We then headed back up to our room where I (very reluctantly) had to toss the remaining donut I had failed to eat the night before. Not without first taking a picture, though!

We headed downstairs to the lobby at 8:35am for our 8:45am pickup to find the drive already waiting for us. We piled into his van only to have three other folk ask if they could go to the airport as well as they were late for their flight. The driver said it was up to us, they have an 11am flight and are otherwise screwed, so we figured why not. The ride to the airport was uneventful with talk about Dublin and Garth while the three men in back chatted amongst themselves. The city had a very different feel on a quiet workday compared to the madness of Garth Weekend. It’s a shame we didn’t get to enjoy more of the normalcy. We were dropped off around 9:15am and, as he collected 15E from the other three our 20E + 10E tip worked out cheaper than what we initially planned so we were fine.

We were greeted by a guy with a thick Irish accent that was unlike most of the others we had encountered. This one sounded like it was straight out of Boston. He said “The patches?” and I asked him to repeat himself a couple of times before Michelle took pity on me and said informed me that he’s saying “Departures?”. Haha.

We had to wait in line with others at the alleged Icelandair counter hoping it was the correct line. We occupied the time chatting with a student of Washington State University in Spokane. Finally at around 9:45am the Icelandair agents showed up and we were able to check our baggage. Security wasn’t too bad other than forgetting to remove the Kindle from the backpack and them having to rescan everything.

After a very long walk to the gates — with only some car ads using Irish heroes as entertainment — we were unceremoniously dropped in the duty-free area that reeked of perfume. That seriously should be illegal, it’s a miracle it didn’t set either of our noses off.

After a two hour wait we were finally ready to board by walking downstairs and out onto the tarmac then up the portable stairs to the plane. It was slightly delayed from the scheduled 12:15pm departure but not too much. I spent the flight tagging photos for the blog (current me thanks past me for doing that!). The only unpleasantness is a tall guy in front of me kept leaning his seat back but as he as nearly my height I understood. It sucked, though, but the flight wasn’t too long. We landed around 2:30pm Iceland time (one hour before Irish time).

The process of passport control and customs was seamless. The luggage arrived a little wet (due to rain) but wasn’t too bad. We exited the airport and hopped aboard a FlyBus we had pre-booked for the forty-five minute ride to Reykjavik. Along the way saw a lot of neat volcanic terrain and cool fog banks as well as the angry ocean to our left. During the ride we learned that our Northern Lights cruise for the evening was cancelled due to the rain.

After a transfer to a smaller bus at Reykjavik’s bus station we were dropped off at our hotel around 5pm. We checked in and, after an hour’s rest until 6pm, went out in search of food. We didn’t want to go far so stayed in the harbor area, deciding on the Grandi Foodhall, basically a food court. Michelle had spinach ravioli and water and I had “volk”, a pita with lamb, lettuce, and cucumbers. We also shared fries topped with parmesan and aoli — yummy! To drink I tried a “Appelsin”, basically a Fanta Orange — very tasty, if a bit sweet and in the small bottles Europe seems to offer.

Michelle went back to the room while I went to the Elding office and rescheduled the cancelled cruise for Wednesday. The office was nice, a bit bigger than many of the other “buildings” scattered around the harbor, many basically shipping containers with roofs. I returned to the room around 8pm, offloaded pics, and relaxed a bit before sleep around 10pm.