Borgarnes to Stykkisholmur - August 28, 2019

What a glorious night’s sleep!  The temperature is perfect, the beds are just soft enough, and the duvet is the ideal weight!  I sleep straight through until morning, and Marilyn does, too!  There was a slight scare last night when the power blipped and her CPAP shut down!  Luckily she had bought a battery pack for the plane trip and so she connected that, in case there was another outage.  There wasn’t, but you never know!

In the morning I have time to do my yoga before she is really functional and we go down to a leisurely breakfast around nine.  The spread is very European, with meats, cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh-baked bread, spreads, lots of cereal choices, and fresh apple and orange slices.  The coffee is fresh and hot and there is hot water for tea or hot chocolate.  After breakfast we chat with Dugar and learn that the photos on the wall are all the people who have owned the property, including the RIVER!, since 1884!  Turns out he is actually part of the family that currently owns it and the guy we met yesterday, whose name we’ll never be able to pronounce, is the current owner.  We also learn about the ins and outs of sheep farming in Iceland, and are specially interested to learn that, rather than spray painting their sheep, each sheep has an earring that denotes its ownership.  Also, most of the “Icelandic” sweaters aren’t really made here.  Buyer beware!  Of course, we probably won’t be buying any sweaters!!

We learn that Ensku Husin means English Houses, which makes sense now that we know its history, and that Dugar means Day.  That makes sense, too, although I don’t know how his parents knew he would be a bright as a sunny day!

We’ve got our system figured out, so we don’t have to schlep everything in from the car each night, and did a pretty good job of it last night.  Tonight will be even smoother!  As soon as Marilyn finishes her post cards, we’re off!

Today we’re heading north on 54 to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and will travel west to the end, where the National Park is located, the back east, along the north side to our guest house in Stykkisholmur.  The town’s name is often abbreviated to Stykkish!

You just never know when they're going to decide to cross the road!

As we enter the peninsula we were supposed to see the Eldborg crater, but there aren’t any signs and I guess we breezed right past it!  There will be lots more craters, so no major loss, especially since there are so many other things to see today!  Our next stop is Bjarnarfoss, a magnificent waterfall!  It falls down a basalt cliff formed by the extinct volcano Maelifell.  The waterfall and the adjacent columnar basalt are on the Nature Conservation Register, according to the map we got from the TI yesterday!

Our next stop is the tiny town of Arnarstapi.  They have a little coffee shop with a free WC, is you’re a customer!  Marilyn needs hot chocolate, in that case!  Then it on to visit the statue of the demi-troll Bardur Snaefellsas, the mythical protector of the peninsula.  There is also a viewpoint from which you can see the amazing basalt columns and grottos and some of the shore birds that inhabit the area.

This reminds me of the Cliffs of Moher

Onward to Djupalonssandur, the Black Lava Pearl Beach.  This is quite a sight!!  Every where you look are the black, porous volcanics which have formed most of Iceland;  but here they have also formed a black sand beach.  And it is littered with the debris from a shipwrecked trawler.  There is a walk to an overlook, and then you can actually walk all the way to the water’s edge.  There is a great amount of seaweed which looks like nothing we have at home.

The lava fields are just amazing!

It’s hard to believe that it’s already after four o’clock!  We’ve been so entranced with all the gorgeousness, that we never bothered to check the time - or even to eat anything!  We’re at the west end of the peninsula, but have to go back almost as far as we’ve come!  Somthings will just have to be skipped!  But we definitely won’t miss Hellissandur!  This little town is home to thirty wall murals that have been painted by international artists!  Happily the town is quite small and we easily find about half of them!  That will have to do!  We also have our first experience with buying gas!  It is automated;  but you still have to know what to do!  For instance, you have to tell is how much money you want to spend!  The lady there suggested giving it a larger amount than you think you’ll need.  Then, when you’re done, it will charge your card for what you bought, not what you guessed.  If you’re under, you’ll just have to do it all again, or go away with less than a full tank.  There aren’t many gas stations, so you don’t want to do that!!  Also, if you want a receipt, you have to wait until you’re through pumping and then re-insert your card!  Always something new to learn!

Now we’re off to Svoufoss (foss means waterfall) and this one, too, is definitely worth the time and effort!!  It’s our first trip down a gravel road, and it’s fine as long as you go slowly.  Our maps tells us we will reach “a resting place” which turns out to be a parking lot, and it’s a short hike to a place from which the falls can be seen easily.  There are a few sheep (where aren’t there sheep!!) and some horses in the distance, as well.  Not for the first time we comment that we are so glad we aren’t here in the high season, jostling for space with all the other tourists!  The wind has picked up and the temps are pretty cool;  but it’s so worth it!!

We didn’t intent to stop at Olafsvik;  but the waves crashed over the road and Marilyn found a place to pull over.  When we get closer to the retaining wall we realize that not only are the waves crashing;  but there are a ton of birds floating on the water.  Every time a wave comes in, they jump up into the air and then resettle!  Such fun!!

We’re now looking for “the most beautiful mountain in Iceland”, Kirkjufell.  You’d think there’d be a sign!  Not so!  We take a guess at which mountain it might be.  Who knows?  Instead we go to Kirkjufellsfoss (yep, you’ve got it - it’s a waterfall!) and it’s magnificent!  It’s pretty late and we really need to get to our “resting place, Holmur Inn, and get settled.  Our directions are just right and we ring the bell.

Our hostess tells us to go out on the road and make four left turns!  We’re on the third floor, which doesn’t sound great, but after all the turns and parking we find that we can walk straight into the third floor from the parking lot!  We remove our boots and she shows us the kitchen and our room.  There is coffee and tea available for us, and the bathroom is very modern with a separate shower and tub.  Everything has a sign in both Icelandic and English.  She tells us that she lives downstairs and if we need anything to just go down the stairs and get her.

We’re having PBJ for dinner, with apples and lava beans for dessert.  Marilyn makes coffee and I have lemon, ginger, Manuka honey tea.  Quite tasty!

There is another family on our floor and the young man asks if we plan to use the bathroom right now or if he can take a shower!  How polite!  Later we chat with the father, who is from Spain, but has lived in Florida for a year and a half!  The family will be riding the ferry with us in the morning!

While they are out to dinner we get our showers so as to be out of their way later, and when they come back we coordinate our morning schedules, since we’ll all be leaving at the same time.  After dinner and showers we stay in the kitchen/dining area to write and play with our pictures.  It will be an early morning, since breakfast is at 7:30 and we have to report to the ferry before 8:30!  The accommodations are very nice;  but the experience is nothing like our joyful one last night!  Each day is different and brings it’s own adventures!