Iceland

Valahnukamol

2021-08-202021-08-17Sherry Felix6 Comments

July 20 continued, We stopped at the Valahnukamol cliffs, a renowned birding spot, on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Southwest Iceland south of Reykjavik. By late afternoon it was getting foggy and stormy. The statue of a Great Auk is a memorial to the extinct bird by Todd McGrain. Part of his Lost Bird project.

The last stop was at the Reykjanes Lighthouse. The first lighthouse in Iceland was built on Valahnúkur in Reykjanes in the year 1878. By 1905 earthquakes and surf had damaged Valahnúkur so much that there was the risk of the lighthouse falling into the sea.

A new lighthouse was therefore built in 1907-1908 on Bæjarfell hill in Reykjanes and the old one was demolished with an explosion on april 16th 1908. A survey which Rögnvaldur Guðmundsson supervised in 2007 for the Icelandic Maritime Administration led to the conclusion that Reykjanes lighthouse was the most popular lighthouse among Icelanders.

The light is 69 meters above sea level the height of the lighthouse is 26 meters. Reykjanes lighthouse also has a radio beacon with a correction signal. There is carved rock and concrete in the lighthouse. Architect Frederik Kjørboe and engineer Thorvald Krabbe designed the lighthouse. The operation of Reykjanes Lighthouse is under the supervision of the Icelandic Maritime Administration. visitreykjanes.is – reykjanes lighthouse

Great Auk by Todd McGrain, Valahnukamol, Iceland 7/20/2021

Kryusavikurbjarg Cliffs

2021-08-192021-08-19Sherry Felix23 Comments

The horses near Kysuvic were a treat. We explored the coastline and stopped at the cliffs of Krýsuvíkurbjarg. The Krýsuvíkurbjarg cliffs are renowned as a birding spot. The weather was a bit rough so we didn’t see many birds. The terns are nesting and they bombarded us when we came near.

Kyusavic church belongs to the Hafnarfiord benefice in the Kjalarnes deanery. It was built in 1857, renovated and reconsecrated in 1964 and handed over to the National Museum.

Arsonists set the church on fire during the night of January 2nd 2010. It burnt totally down. During the last few years, the church was used for services twice a year and was popular among tourists according to its guest book. Krysuvik Church was built again 2020.

Horses in Krysuvik. Hafnarfjordur, Iceland 7/202/2021

Krysuvic

2021-08-182021-08-18Sherry Felix6 Comments

On July 20 the official self-guided trip was over, so I chose where to go. We went to Valahnuamol point. On the way we stopped at Krýsuvík geothermal area. The colors there are magnificent. The solfatara fields of Krýsuvík are near the center of Hafnarfjörður. We saw steaming volcanic vents and boiling hot springs, framed by multi-colored hills. A boardwalk winds through the bubbling and hissing geothermal area, with signage explaining the geology.

Areas like this are national treasures. There are signs saying stay on the paths. It was upsetting to see footprints in some places. Those prints will not go away.

Kryusavik Hot Springs, Iceland 7/20/2021

Hraunfossar and Barnafoss

2021-08-172021-08-17Sherry Felix2 Comments

Also on July 19 we stopped briefly at Hraunfossar and Barnafoss waterfalls.

The Hraunfossar waterfalls (Lava Falls) in Borgarfjordur are a beautiful and unusual natural phenomena. The water seems to magically appear from the lava but is actually a clear cold spring that surges through the ground and runs in rapids down into the Hvita River.

The nearest settlement of significance to Hraunfossar is Reykholt. This tiny village has a huge history, being home to the legendary writer, chieftain, lawspeaker and poet Snorri Sturluson. Without Snorri, huge amounts of Icelandic, Nordic and even British history would be unknown. He catalogued a history of Norwegian kings and their relations with other monarchs in his work Heimskringla, as well as the Norse mythological beliefs in Prose Edda. It is believed that Snorri first wrote many of the sagas still read today.

An Icelandic folk tale associated with Barnafoss, is about two boys from a nearby farm, Hraunsás. One day, the boys’ parents went with their ploughmen to a church. The boys were supposed to stay at home, but as they grew bored they decided to follow their parents. They took a shortcut over a natural stone-bridge above the waterfall. They fell into the water and drowned. When their mother found out what had happened, she put a spell on the bridge saying that nobody would ever cross it without drowning himself. A little while later, the bridge was demolished in an earthquake. There is another stone bridge there now.

We stayed at Hotel Klettur in Reykjavik for the second time. Dinner was at the Sjavargrillid in Reykjavik seafood grill restaurant. We had the lamb dinner there which was one of the best in the trip. The waiter said jokingly that it was best not to tell me how they make lamb so tender in Iceland.

Hraunfossar, Iceland by Marc Felix 7/19/2021

Barnafossar, Iceland by Marc Felix 7/19/2021

Vidgelmir Cave

2021-08-162021-08-11Sherry Felix7 Comments

July 19 was titled landscapes of the ring road in our itinerary. We were booked to tour a lava cave at Vidgelmir Cave at 2:00 PM. The tour was led by a tall British lad. That day we covered 962.9 km (598.3 miles). We had to rush to get to the cave in time and we left out seeing Blonduos birdwatching area, Borarvirki basalt strata and ruins, Hvitserkur Rock Stack, Hvammstangi hot springs before the cave, Reykholt historical sight, and Borg a Myrum church and farm after.

Víðgelmir is a lava tube situated in the Hallmundarhraun lava field (formed around 900 AD) in west Iceland, around 2 km southeast of Fljótstunga farm in Hvítársíða, Borgarfjörður. The roof of the lava tube has collapsed, creating two large openings near its north end which are the only known entrances. Víðgelmir is 1585 m long and the largest part of the cave passage is 15.8 m high and 16.5 m wide, making it by far the largest of its kind in Iceland. The cave has a wide entrance but narrows down in some places. An iron gate was installed at the first constriction in 1991 to preserve those of the delicate lava formations or speleothems which hadn’t already been destroyed. Evidence of human habitation, probably dating to the Viking Age, has been discovered in the cave and is preserved in the National Museum of Iceland. Long stretches of the cave floor are very rough and shouldn’t be navigated without a guide. Access and guided tours are provided at nearby Fljótstunga.

Lava tubes are formed when a low-viscosity lava flow develops a continuous and hard crust which then thickens and forms a roof above the molten lava stream. When the eruption subsides, the still-molten lava moving beneath the crust will continue to drain downhill, leaving an open lava tube.Many other lava tubes have been discovered in Hallmundarhraun, most notably Surtshellir and Stefánshellir. (souce: Víðgelmir – Wikipedia)

At one point the guide asked us to turn off the lights and asked for a minute of silence. A few of the tanagers couldn’t do it for a minute and giggled. Interesting how our brains can still see a non existent shadow of our hands.

I kept seeing round hills with nipples on top. I wonder if that is a natural volcanic feature or did the ancients have an erotic sense of humor and place stones on top of the mounds.

nipple on a hill, Bristopar, Iceland 7/19/2021

Iceland Video Shorts

2021-08-15Sherry Felix11 Comments

Marc took a few videos while we were in Iceland. I published them on my YouTube channel today. I’ll add these to the appropriate posts as well.

Geysir, Iceland by Marc Felix 7/14/2021

Gulfoss, Iceland by Marc Felix 7/14/2021

Seljalandsfoss, Iceland by Marc Felix 7/14/2021

Hofsstadir, Iceland by Marc Felix 7/18/2021

Barnafossar, Iceland by Marc Felix 7/19/2021

Hraunfossar, Iceland by Marc Felix 7/19/2021

Hofsstadir

2021-08-152021-08-15Sherry Felix7 Comments

The highlight of July 18 was the Hoffstadir Country Hotel. I wish we had arrived earlier because our room had a veranda overlooking the most gorgeous scenery and it would have been nice to sit there and soak it in. We have the end room in an outbuilding down the road (see link). We couldn’t find it at first because a tractor was blocking the road and we drove back and forth looking for it. Finally the tractor moved and we saw the road down to the rooms. That was amusing.

The delicious dinner was earlier than usual which was fine with us because we were very tired. There was a lovely little baby wagtail by our dinner table.

Next morning, we walked around the area and scared up some more nesting birds. It really is a gorgeous place, and I would love to go there again. Breakfast was at 8, an hour later than usual, which was inconvenient because we needed an early start. It was a great breakfast buffet though. I like the owners too.

An unusual thing is the bedding for couples in Icelandic Hotels. We each had our own single duvet which isn’t a bad idea. Marc couldn’t complain about me pulling the cover off him.

view from our room with veranda, Hofsstadir Guesthouse, Northwest Iceland 7/18/2021

Hofsstadir, Iceland by Marc Felix 7/18/2021

Holar

2021-08-142021-08-11Sherry Felix8 Comments

At Holar on July 18 we looked at the turf house, the church, and paid to go to the horse museum which was somewhat interesting. I enjoyed this website a lot horsesoficeland.is The tolt gait is very interesting.

I preferred the drive there better than Holar. The café was open, and we had a drink there. About Holar.