Iceland Day 8

Our stay in the town of Seydisfjordur was a short one. But before we left the area, visiting a farm was on the agenda. 

Seydisfjordur is the innermost point of the fjord which is big enough for large ship traffic. Today there was a ferry in port which was headed for Norway.  We drove out towards the ocean for quite awhile. Pavement turned to gravel, gravel turned to bigger rocks, then the road disappeared into a fast moving river. Our guide actually got out and had a look at the rushing water to see if crossing it was doable. I was aghast as I was sure it wasn't a good idea. He came to the same conclusion. 

So we went back a bit, parked the van, then set off on foot. It was a 4 kilometre walk to get to the farm. We alternated between a footpath and a rocky road, crossing several fast moving streams in the process.  Some had bridges, some did not. I was so glad of my hiking boots and superwool socks today. 

We walked by thousands upon thousands of purple lupins in bloom. The landscape was gorgeous with the fjord moving out to sea on the left and rocky hills to the right. 

The farm is literally in the middle of nowhere. I have no idea where the nearest neighbour would have been...not close enough to easily borrow a cup of sugar. The farm is actually a kind of research facility. Students are working on soil research and they are trying to be completely self-sustainable. There are chickens, pigs, and a garden. 

We were served a delicious bowl of vegetable soup together with bread and butter. I'm getting quite addicted to Icelandic butter...what a treat! And with all this serious physical activity we've been doing, I don't feel one bit guilty. After we ate, we set off again on a hike across to the ocean cliffs for some bird watching.  

We had to pass by some of their nests which the birds really don't like. They show their displeasure by dive bombing whoever is in front. It's important not to lag behind or you will become the new target. They don't just swoop a little like the barn swallows back home. They are quite capable of doing some real damage. A good way to protect oneself is to hold up something high up on the air. Some people held lupins on top of their heads. Haha!

At the cliffs we saw many nesting birds of one type or another, including puffins. Their wings are short in relation to their bodies and they really seem to work hard when they fly. 

When we returned to the farm, I was so glad we were getting a jeep ride back to the van. It was not so much the distance I objected to but the terrain. The jeep actually went through the raging creek where the van had turned around. 4 x 4 transmission makes a big difference!

We drove back through Seydisfjordur one more time and joined up with the main highway once again. The weather turned rainy as we left east Iceland and headed toward the north country. 

A welcome stop was at Dettifoss and Selfoss. A 15 minute walk brings you to some pretty impressive falls.  Dettifoss is the bigger one while Selfoss is a series of smaller ones. 

The countryside has changed. There are lots of huge rocks close to shore. It's 7 PM and I’m starving. The vegetable soup I had 7 hours ago  is no longer sustaining me. Must. Eat. Soon. 

Iceland Day 7

There was only one activity on the agenda today but what a great day it turned out to be!

It was pouring rain but we were going on a wheeled boat ride to look at glaciers and I thought ‘how wet can I get?’ Ha! Although the boat ride was only about half an hour long, it was pouring, and I mean really pouring! I was wet right through my Gortex jacket and didn’t warm up until hours later.

The boat ride was at Jokulsarlon Lagoon in the southeast of Iceland. The ocean current carries pieces of glacier into the lagoon of various shapes, sizes and colors. It was absolutely breath-taking! (or was that the cold driving rain?) The guide had a piece of 1000 year old ice onboard and chopped it up for us to taste. The ride was over all too fast and I would have liked to go up to the top of the hill and view the lagoon from above. But I wasn’t prepared for the cold and wet today. Rain pants and waterproof boots would have been the wisest choice. Live and learn.

Lunch was at a small authentic little eatery in the town of Hofn. It is known as the lobster capital of Iceland and I had a delicious and reasonably priced lobster baguette. We had a lot more miles to go to our destination in east Iceland so on we went.

I was surprised when we turned off the main road onto gravel but as it turns out, the main road is a gravel one and we hadn’t turned off at all. The coastline began to get real interesting but photos were difficult in the driving rain and it got super foggy. Then we began to see snow (old, not fresh) by the sides of the road – lots of it. Eventually the rain and fog quit. We made a stop for ice cream, then we headed toward the town of Seydisfjordur in the east of Iceland.

Just before we got there we stopped at a pullout by the side of the road to view a raging, waterfall and enjoy the astounding, drop-dead gorgeous views! The town of Seydisfjordur is also a photographers delight and the guesthouse we are in for the night is adorable! Supper was Icelandic lamb served with lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and yogurt in a delicious warm panini type of bun. What fancy restaurant served me this? The food truck across the street!

After supper I went for a walk around the town and up to one of the waterfalls. Seydisfjordur is located at the innermost point of a fjord nestled amongst mountains. Beautiful yellow and pink wildflowers and purple lupins added to the composition of so many photos. There is a harbor here too and ships come in from Scandanavian countries. The wooden buildings are colorful, the architecture is fabulous and I had a ball exploring with my cameras!