I knew we wouldn’t manage much driving the day we landed, so day 2 was going to have to make up for it some. We didn’t get on the road until nearly 11. That’s OK (once) – we needed the rest.
We headed north on highway 1 (the “Ring Road”) toward the Vatnsnes Peninsula. Luke is doing all the driving so far since I have exactly 2 hours of stick shift driving experience under my belt, and so he was jazzed when we turned off the decently paved route 1 onto a gravel road. And that gravel road turned into a hilly, washboarded, rutted gravel road. It was like Vermilion Cliffs all over again, except 65 degrees cooler (and thus less concern for dying and becoming desiccated skeletons along the side of the road).
We first stopped at Borgarvirki, an ancient fortress.
It was a decent enough stop, and the sundial at the top was pretty cool, but I can’t say I was wowed. I think perhaps some interest or investment in Icelandic history might be required to find an ancient ruin to be a fascinating stop.
Continuing along the rough road, we next came to Hvítserkur, a rock in the ocean that definitely looks like it had a fabulous origin story. The rock housed a number of gulls who cawed and squawked in a manner both melancholy and enthusiastic at the same time.
A sign at the start to the path out to Hvítserkur (as well as my guide book) strongly recommended the fish soup at a small restaurant called Geitagell. I’m not sure how I feel about fish soup, but I know I don’t enjoy feeling hungry so we decided to give it a try.
I am so glad we stopped!! Our wallet was $75 lighter for the experience, but the seafood soup was AMAZING!! Lightly curried, strongly seasoned, and with the freshest fish imaginable in it, the soup was definitely not over-billed. Delightful!
With full tummies, we then kept heading along the peninsula to try to spot seals. Harbor and Gray seals frequent this coast, and today was no different. After hiking about 15 minutes out, we spotted the seals on some small island/rock formations about 30 years from the coast. The bulk of some of these creatures was impressive, and it was fun to watch these animals try to maneuver themselves around on land. I know they are graceful in the water, but on land they are downright comical!
I tried my hand at driving us from the seal beach to the next town about 20 miles away. Poor Luke had to coach me through getting the camper out of 1st and into 2nd (where I excel at stalling out), but we did eventually get on our way. I even managed to get the car through a tiny town and into a parking lot. Win for me!
We found ourselves in said tiny town as we hunted for provisions. First, we wanted to buy some beer or wine. Since Iceland is a controlled-alcohol country, that means a state-sanctioned liquor store. I’m used to that, but I wasn’t expecting it to be in a combo liquor-hardware store. Huh. Wrenches and wheat beers. Paintbrushes and pinots. Lightbulbs and lagers. We also needed a windshield wiper blade which is sold in a different shop (obviously).
Last stop: a different hot pool. My goal is to pack as many baths and pools in as possible! Tonight was Grettislaug – a much more local pool than the big commercial enterprises like Blue Lagoon and Krauma. This was a rock-lined rectangle with a hot spring and a hose dumping cold ocean water in to it to moderate the temperature. It was incredibly slippery with algae, but it was still cool to feel the raw rock bottom under my feet.
Vacation Days 