The next morning, I got up and had breakfast and the three couchsurfers (a guy from Spain, a girl from Poland, and a girl from Canada) came to pick me up at the hotel). We had all found each other through the website, and realized we would be there around the same time. Iceland can get expensive (especially since I don't drive and usually travel solo), so it made sense for all of us to split the costs of a rental car, gas, and accommodations. The two girls had stayed a few nights together and then the three of them had done some of the Golden Circle the day before while I was out diving. So this was our first time all meeting up. We kind of had a loose plan, in that we had booked accommodations along a route that took us to the southern and eastern parts of Iceland that seemed like drive-able distances within our time frame.
They told me of the plan to meet up for breakfast at the house of some local woman that the Polish girl had met on the plane. The woman lived in Mosfellsbaer, which was beautiful farmland about 15 minutes out of Rekjavik. She apparently runs a tour group called Anna Tours, giving walking tours and meals. I got to see my first sighting of the Icelandic horse. Apparently... Her house was lovely, and she treated us all to a delicious breakfast with Icelandic pastries (I think it was called kleinur and pönnukökur?), cookies, homemade jam, Skyr (Icelandic yogurt) and fresh brewed coffee and tea.
After thanking Anna for her wonderful hospitality, we drove through stretches of black lava fields to reach a geothermal area called Krysuvik in the south Reykjanes peninsula. There were not many other cars on the road, but finally we got to the geothermal area had the smell of sulfur but the earth had lots of pretty colors and we walked to the top of a hill to look down. The view was beautiful of the mountains, lakes, and nearby farm houses. We stopped to visit with some of the famous Icelandic horses (special breed that is smaller than normal horses) that were by the side of the road before venturing on. Some of you know this, but I generally am terrified of horses (and donkeys)... but Icelandic horses are sweet and each seems full of personality, so it is pretty hard to hate them. Along the way, were lots more rainbows... almost to the point that I didn't even think anything of it to see yet another one.
We had booked our first road trip hotel in Hvolsvollur, so continued in that direction. I had heard of a place called Gjain that I wanted to check out, but we weren't sure how to get there. We stopped in a small town to stretch our legs, get coffee. They had a visitors' center, where we picked up a road map and asked about getting to Gjain. We were also told about the Icelandic belief of "little people" by the man behind the counter. Apparently, the belief is so strong that sometimes construction of highways can be diverted around a hill, so as not to disturb the little people. We tried to get to Gjain, but due to rental car restrictions and the unpaved roads, we couldn't make it.
As luck would have it, when trying to find Gjain, we did get to visit a re-created traditional turf house in Stong in Thjorsarsalur valley. The houses were old Viking houses that are covered with grass on the roof. They looked like cute little Hobbit homes! As luck would have it, as we jumped out of the car it started raining. While this meant getting a little wet, it made the most wonderful rainbow right over the turf houses. Maybe it was was the "little people" giving us such good luck? Satisfied and starting to get hungry, we piled back in the car and headed to find Eldsto, our guesthouse in Hvolsvollur. It was super cute, although the room was pretty cozy for all four of us. There was a nice kitchen, but I had a delicious hearty soup in a bread bowl and salad at the art gallery/cafe downstairs. The girls and I took a quick night walk in hopes of seeing the Northern Lights, but we headed back inside quickly, as it was chilly and the chances of catching the Northern lights so early in September were supposedly not that good.
The next morning, we drove to catch a ferry from Landeyjahöfn to Heimaey, part of Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands). The smaller than a ferry in Seattle, but quite nice. The ferry trip is short (about a half hour). It had a beautiful view of the glaciers and black beaches and small little islands along the way. One little island had a huge slope with only one little farmhouse on it, which looked like quite a lovely place to live. We soon pulled into a cute little port town. We all split up with a meet up time to catch a boat back. The island is known for its puffins, but it was the wrong time of year for them. I checked out the colorful little neighborhood, stopping to check out graffiti art on the sides of buildings and cute little stores. I lost track of time, and almost missed the ferry back, running through town and jumping on the boat right as they raised the gate. We realized we forgot to turn in our guesthouse key, so drove back to Hvolsvollur to drop them off before continuing on.
On we drove to Seljafoss waterfall. You could see it in the distance from the road, and even from far away, it was breath taking. When we actually arrived, it was gorgeous. The sun was out, and was really fun to be able to walk behind the waterfall. On the way out, we ran across a flock of fluffy sheep playing on a soccer field and went out to play with them as well. They did not seem to want much to do with any of us. Next, we visited a secluded hot spring pool named Seljavallalaug that I had found on the internet. None of my travel mates had made it to the Blue Lagoon and I had decided to skip it because it was expensive and seemed like too much of a hassle to get to. The pool was built in 1932 and is the oldest existing Icelandic pool. Hidden behind a bend after a quick walk along a river in a valley below the Eyjafjallajökull glacier, it is a quiet little oasis. We happened upon it when no one else was there. The changing room was a little dark and gross, but the pool was nice, hot, and super relaxing! After a quick soak, a family came along and we moved on. We all hopped back in the car and drove to Skogarfoss, another huge waterfall. The waterfall creates a rainbow from the spray, making for beautiful photo opportunities. Though, like many of the Iceland highlights, it was super crowded and full of tour bus after tour bus of unloading herds of people. The girls climbed up to the top of the falls and I stayed below, waiting for the right moment to enjoy the falls in between tour groups and get a few photos without random people in the background.
We continued on our course for our second night's accommodation in a town called Vik. I had read on the internet about a downed old DC 3 US Navy plane from 1973. The wreckage was on the black sand beach of Sólheimasandur, and it looked like a fun little adventure. The Italian guy had hurt his foot, so it was just an adventure for the ladies. Unfortunately, the first instructions on how to get there were not as clear as I hoped, and it was an unsuccessful hike. We made it all the way from the road through a private pasture land, following some pretty raging rivers as the glacier water ran toward the ocean. The person who had the GPS had no more battery power by the time we got out to the ocean. I texted a few friends at home, trying to get help by them looking it up on the internet, to no avail. We looked and looked and could not see it. Defeated, we turned around and headed the hour and a half walk back to the car. On the positive side, the walk back was during a beautiful sunset. I took a few minutes to to enjoy the colors and lay down in the super soft moss (seriously, they should make mattresses out of that stuff) with the little birds chirping and popping out of the grass. Finally back at the car to find our travel companion patiently waiting, we continued on to our homestay in Vik and had to eat at a gas station, the only thing open with food.
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