Iceland: Wintry Days

Our last full day in Iceland, we headed north to explore some of the interior of Iceland. Our main goal was to see the waterfall at Haifoss, but when we found the turn-off to the small road, there were signs that indicated the road was closed due to mud from the warm weather thawing the ground. We also encountered a couple of guys hiking out that road who flagged us down and said their car had gotten stuck and were hoping we could help tow them out. We didn't have a rope (and anyways, didn't want to get stuck ourselves). We offered to let them use our cell phones, as well as to give them a ride, but they declined. They also didn't want to call emergency services because they didn't want to get fined for going down a road they weren't supposed to. So after discussion, they decided to wait and see if someone else willing to give them a tow would come by, and we continued on a few miles.

The landscape was very moonlike -- rocky and barren in most places, with some snow here and there.  We stopped at a hotel/restaurant/gas station combo that was the only place for miles for lunch, called the Highland Center in Hrauneyjar. Afterwards, we divided up: Matt, Allie, and Paul went exploring on their way back, while Mom, Dad, Charlotte, and I headed back to the AirBnb. While exploring, the Danzigs and Paul found an area where they could run around on the peaty soil, which they said felt quite bouncy under their feet! Paul was also excited that when they stopped for gas, they saw a sign advertising a St Louis Sandwich (whatever that means). In related news, we found some chips at a gas station that were Ranch flavored -- but described as "Cool American Flavor!" 

View from our AirBnb

That night was the clearest night we had while we were in Iceland -- so most of the night was spent with all the lights off in the house while Paul, Dad, and Matt attempted to use their various cameras to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights. The distant, small town of Selfoss seemed so bright in the dark night. Paul did get a picture or two with a faint greenish glow in the sky -- but nothing definitively aurora-like. A disappointment for sure, but the rest of the trip made up for the lack of aurora sightings.

The lights of Selfoss at night

The next morning, we awoke to quite a bit of snow that had fallen in the early morning hours! Charlotte convinced Paul, and later Matt, to spend time outside with her in the windy cold to play in the snow. Good troopers, those guys! We spent the rest of the morning packing up, then headed off toward the airport. Luckily we saved a lot of time, because we hit a big snowstorm heading back across the mountain between Selfoss and Reykjavik! It was near white out conditions for awhile, while we followed the tracks of the car in front of us. We saw plenty of cars and buses that had skidded off the road, which wasn't very comforting. But our rental cars (led by the fearless Allie driving the front car) stayed strong and we made it through safely. It was definitely a bit scary.

Charlotte checking out the snowfall

View of the drive to Reykjavik! (yikes)

Getting better visibility now.

Once we got to the airport, we all checked in and ate some lunch while waiting for our flights. Because we all had separate flights (to San Francisco, Baltimore, and London), we had to get there pretty early and then had a relatively long time to wait in the airport. But the time passed surprisingly quickly, and we had time to visit a gift shop and get some souvenirs with our remaining Icelandic krona. Our return trip was uneventful and we were back to England by late evening.

Iceland: Secret Lagoon and Thingfellir National Park

On our third full day in Iceland, we started out by visiting a thermal spring! We decided to pass up on the Blue Lagoon, the most famous hot spring in Iceland, after finding out that it's not really a natural hot spring -- it's runoff from a power plant nearby. It's also a lot more expensive since it's near the airport, and lots of people go there while visiting Iceland on a layover. Instead, we visited the Secret Lagoon in the town of Fludir. Unfortunately, I did not get to enjoy the hot springs because I was pregnant at the time, but everyone else in our crew did, including Charlotte! I got to watch them enjoying the nice hot water and taking breaks in the chilly air. There was a neat walking path around the outside of the swimming area, where you could see the springs and smell the sulfur. We ate lunch after they were finished enjoying the water, then headed out to Thingfellir National Park.

Thingfellir is located in the "Golden Circle" of Iceland, and is on the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. You can actually snorkel in the rift between the two plates! (But we didn't because it was freezing and requires use of dry suits. Not sure what it's like in the summer.) It's also famous in Iceland as it was the location of the yearly parliament meetings of the Icelandic tribes for nearly 800 years (ended just before 1800). It's very visually striking, with waterfalls and beautiful views across the valley. Charlotte enjoyed stepping through the puddles and riding on Granddad's shoulders for the chilly walk up to the viewpoints.

Oxararfoss (Waterfall)

Even though it was cold, Charlotte wanted to dip her hands in the water!
We took turns holding her so she didn't fall in.

Looking along the rift between the tectonic plates

Iceland's flag

View from the top!

After returning to the car, we drove back to Selfoss and enjoyed dinner in town at a pizza place called Kaffi Kruz. We ordered several unusual pizzas and they were all quite good! After returning to the AirBnb, Granddad and Charlotte got a few rounds of Memory in.

That night, after Charlotte and I had gone to bed, the rest of the crew headed out to try to find areas not covered with clouds to attempt to see the Northern Lights. After a couple of hours, they headed back, disappointed. No aurora love to be found -- just lots of fog.

View from the car during the Northern Lights quest

Iceland: The Southern Coast

On our second full day in Iceland, we set off to explore the southwestern coast of Iceland. Our out-and-back car ride took us to Vik, with multiple stops each way. The landscape is beautiful -- very rugged and moonscape-like at times. We saw some Icelandic ponies in fields as well.

Scenes from the drive to Skogafoss

Allie, Matt, and Paul were in one car

We stopped at a viewing spot for Eygafjallajokull, also known as "E15" for the letter 'E' and the 15 letters that follow it! E15 is the name of the volcano that most recently erupted in 2010 and caused lots of disruption of air travel between Europe and North America. 

Hennekes family with E15 in the background (snow-covered).

We then drove a little further to see Skogafoss, one of the beautiful waterfalls along the southern coast. Parking and entrance is free to all of the sites we visited -- although they do request a small donation to use the toilets by the parking lot. Skogafoss was amazing -- the sun made rainbows and double rainbows appear in the mist almost the entire time we were there. Everyone except me and Charlotte made the trek up the cliff to see the falls from above. They reported there were MANY stairs and I wasn't disappointed in my choice to not go up. Charlotte loved the black rocks at the base of the waterfall and she spent a lot of time tossing rocks into the river.

View of the approach to Skogafoss from the parking lot

Charlotte and me at the base of the falls

Throwing rocks

View of Skogafoss from the top of the cliffs 

Looking down toward the parking lot from the top of Skogafoss

After leaving Skogafoss, we continued on all the way to the small town of Vik, which is known for its black sand beaches. We had lunch at one of the only restaurants in town (with a lot of tourists! many of whom were drying their socks with the hand dryers in the bathroom -- ew). After lunch, we walked along the path behind the restaurant to the sea. It was very dramatic seeing the waves crashing on the black sand and feeling the mist from the wind across the water. Charlotte and I found a spot somewhat out of the wind to play in the sand while the rest of the crew walked out toward a jetty for more pictures. The sand was very black and surprisingly silky and soft to the touch. I had anticipated a rough texture since it's from volcanic/pumice stone, but I was definitely wrong.

View of rock formations off the coastline of Vik

Trekking along the sandy path to the beach

Surf at Vik

The sand really is black!

Charlotte enjoyed piling the sand on her legs

Mom and Dad at Vik

After leaving Vik, we headed back west and stopped at Reynisfjara beach, which is very close to Vik. It is known for its hexagonal volcanic columns, known as basalt sea stacks, similar to those at Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. The wind was FIERCE and it was pretty cold! We tried to pay close attention to the surf because the waves were huge and there were signs warning us about "deadly sneaker waves" which are much higher than the normal surf and can "sneak" up on you without warning. (Yikes!) Charlotte loved climbing all over the basalt columns -- like a natural playground for her.

Reynisfjara Beach

Basalt sea stacks -- so cool!

Watch out for deadly sneaker waves!

Hard to judge from photos, but these waves were really huge!

Mom, Charlotte, and me trying to stay out of the wind at the sea stacks

Little climber!

Next, we drove a little further west to Dyrholaey, which is a viewpoint over the ocean near Reynisfjara Beach. There is a large sea arch to be seen there, as well as views down across the beach toward Selfoss. During certain months, puffins roost in the cliffs, but we didn't see any during our stop.

View to the west of Dyrholaey

Sea arch at Dyrholaey

Rock formations in the ocean off Dyrholaey

Our final stop of the day, as it was starting to get a little dark, was at the beautiful Seljalandsfoss. This waterfall is unique because there is a pathway to walk behind the falls. It was quite wet and windy back there, and a little bit of a challenge to walk through -- hard to photograph but definitely worth it! Charlotte had fallen asleep in the car, so we took turns going and walking behind the falls.

Seljalandsfoss

View from behind the falls! Wet and windy!

Afterwards, we headed home and relaxed! It was a long day of exploring but probably my favorite day there.

The Instagramming Danzigs <3