Iceland

Northwest Iceland

2021-08-132021-08-11Sherry Felix8 Comments

July 18, we set out from Akureyri. The GPS point was probably meant as a guide not a destination was in the middle of the Troll peninsula. To get there we took a dirt road that definitely needed the 4×4. Some stretches of road are very steep and required us to use truck mode (auto braking for steep inclines) so that it could handle going down the almost 45 degree incline. Some hair-raising stuff! Believe it or not there were a few houses way off in the distance in the valleys.

We eventually made it to the shore road for more driving along the steep cliffs past Siglufjordur, Hofsos with its hexagonal basalt columns, and Holar (next post). Except for some of challenging driving this was a moreover relaxing day. I did some cliff road driving too.

Black-tailed Godwit flying by (lower right),
Northwest Iceland 7/18/2021

Akureyri

2021-08-122021-08-11Sherry Felix10 Comments

In the evening of July 17 we arrived at Hotel Kia in Akureyri – Wikipedia and ate dinner at the hotel. After dinner we went for a short stroll. It is a nice little town. Our hotel room could be accessed from the street in the right in the first picture.

Husavic

2021-08-112021-08-11Sherry Felix14 Comments

Then we high tailed it off to the Gentle Giants whale and puffin tour at Husavic, Northwest Iceland on July 17. I didn’t get to see puffins up close. The boat didn’t approach close to the island with the puffins. I was told that the currents were too fierce that day. We were supposed to head out to see the whales but the but one of the engine’s broke and we had to turn around and head back to harbor very slowly. I managed to get a few shots of Puffins, a Guillemot, and a Skua. They offered a refund or a later tour. We had no time, so we opted for the refund.

Myvatn Baths

2021-08-102021-08-11Sherry Felix4 Comments

I didn’t take any pictures so the link will have to do for pictures and information about the Myvatn Baths. Marc said he didn’t want to go but when we there I think he secretly enjoyed it. We had our bathing suits and had to take naked showers before we went in. The water was gloriously warm but there was a smell of sulfur which was a little off putting. We floated in an Infinity pool overlooking the valley. Many people had alcoholic drinks while soaking. We didn’t bother buying anything there. I had to cut the baths short so we only spent an hour and a half there.

Mývatn – Wikipedia tells about the area’s lake, volcanism, birds and flora. We had no time to see that because we had tickets to a boat trip in Hussavic (next post).

Northeast Iceland

2021-08-092021-08-11Sherry Felix8 Comments

Some scenes along Route 1 and 87 between Egilsstadir and Hussavic on July 17, 2021.

Fljótsdalshérað, Northeast Iceland 7/17/2021

Lagarfljót Lake

2021-08-082021-08-12Sherry Felix9 Comments

The Hotel Hallormsstadur, had room had a lovely view with a strip of Lagarfljót Lake visible. That night, July 16, we dined at the Nielsen. It was a gourmet meal. I highly recommend it if you are ever in Egilsstaðir. There was a lovely sunset that evening.

Lagarfljót is a long lake in the east of Iceland in the Fljótsdalur valley near Egilsstaðir. Its surface measures 53 sq km (20 sq mi) and it is 25 km (16 mi) long; its greatest width is 2.5 km (1.6 mi) and its greatest depth 112 m (367 ft). The River Lagarfljót flows through the lake. The biggest forest in Iceland, Hallormsstaðaskógur is found near the lake as well as a waterfall, Hengifoss. Hengifoss, at 128 m (420 ft), is one of the tallest waterfalls in the country. Below it is another waterfall called Litlanesfoss. Like Loch Ness in Scotland, a serpent, called Lagarfljótsormurinn, is believed by some to live in the depths of Lagarfljót.

Hotel Hallormsstadur, Austurland, Northeast Iceland 7/16/2021

Hallormsstaðaskógur

2021-08-072021-08-11Sherry Felix8 Comments

Hallormsstaðaskógur – Wikipedia is by the lake Lagarfljót. Seeing trees on July 16 was a novelty. The country lost most of its trees more than a thousand years ago, when Viking settlers cut down the forests within 50 years for shipbuilding or to clear the land for farming and pasture. The forests originally covered one-quarter of the Iceland. Icelanders are working to get some of those forests back, to improve and stabilize soils, help agriculture, and fight climate change. Iceland is considered the least forested country in Europe. Forests in Iceland are so rare, or their trees so young, that people joke that those lost in the woods only need to stand up.

Hallormsstadur Forest, Northeast Iceland 7/16/2021

Route 1 East Iceland

2021-08-062021-08-12Sherry Felix9 Comments

The first of day 3’s posts, July 16. Driving on the Ring Road, Route 1 (Iceland) – Wikipedia, was fun and sometimes hair raising. Most of the road is 90 kilometers per hour (56 mph). Some of the road on the cliffs by the sea has no barriers. The highway is two way and narrow. Most of the bridges are one lane. There are lots of roundabouts too, especially in Reykjavik. Marc has a fear of heights so driving along the cliffs next to the sea was not something he enjoyed, especially since there were many sections with no barriers between us and a drop off. When the roads were straight Marc tended to doze off and get hypnotized. This happened so much that I finally got up my courage up and said I going to drive. I did quite a lot of driving while I was in Iceland, and I really did enjoy it. There isn’t much traffic, and the scenery is so lovely. What isn’t fun are the one lane bridges with no traffic lights. I’m also not crazy about the roundabouts.

The weather changes rapidly by the minute. Within and hour it can go back and forth from rain, to fog, to wind and on rare occasions sun. We experienced two days with partial sun.

I photographed the Snipe from our hotel window. There are lots of Icelandic horses and plants to photograph. More to come in later posts…

We drove to a Viking village. Marc didn’t want to pay to see it, so I just had a cup of coffee. It was down a dirt mountain road next to a tunnel by the sea that went through the mountain. I looked at the rest of the drive on Google Maps and had to leave the Bulandsnes bird sanctuary because there was no time. First of many things left out. And I was really ticked that I had to leave out Hengifoss which is one of Iceland’s grandest waterfalls because the hike involved to get to it and lack of time to drive there. We needed to get to where we were staying that night.