Final Day in Iceland

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Some say save the best for last... for our last day here in Iceland we have something really special planned.  The Vatneshellir Cave tour was a "warm-up" for today's experience...

Our plan is to descend nearly 400 feet into a dormant volcano-

The "Inside the Volcano Tour" takes us for a 1 hour hike to Thrihnukagigur volcano. This unique tour company has made this natural phenomena available to the public via an open air elevator system decent into the dormant crater.

True to itself, Iceland gives us wet, windy conditions...

First, the hike to the base of the Volcano

The wind made the hour long hike feel much longer...

Once "geared up", then to the top

Harnessed in to cross the bridge to the elevator

Ready to descend-
it takes 7 minutes to reach the floor of the chamber

All limbs must be kept inside the basket to make it through the narrow opening!
Descending down 120 meters...

Look at the colors...

Our only way back out!!

Head lamps- ON!

We have about half an hour to explore the magma chamber

Really AMAZING to imagine hot molten lava flowing & blowing out the rock in this very space!

What a volcanic eruption can do...

This hole goes down another 80 meters but is not open for exploring by us novices

Up and back out... heading to "base camp" to warm up and have some refreshments

Icelandic Meat Soup warms us after being in the damp cavern that maintains a year round temperature just above freezing.

 On the hike back, we get the opportunity to go inside another lava tube similar to the cave we explored in Snaefellsnes except this one is very close to the surface.  Our guide tells us tales of "outlaws" who used to live in these caves and one very tragic story of a couple who was falsely accused accompanied by a song sung acapella...

Yes, this is snow still on the cave floor 

You can see the "channels" on the cave walls where the hot lava carved the earth

 Back in Reykjavik we had another very special encounter-

We had the wonderful opportunity to sit and talk with this special man who is bringing the true message of Christ to his own Icelandic people-  Gunnar Gunnarsson.

To learn more about his work go to www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/europes-most-godless-country-may-suprise-you

We closed out our time here with one last dipped ice-cream cone, compliments of Ross!

Tomorrow- Faroe Islands

Iceland Day 12- To Reykjavik

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Today we head back south toward the country's capital city of Reykjavik.  It is only about 95 miles (2 hours) away but of course, we have a few stops planned along the way...

Budakirkja- the "little black church"

Gerduberg-a natural formation of columnar basalt

It looks more like ruins of something man made-
reminded us of the Roman ruins we explored in Italy

Raudamelsolkeda- a small spring of naturally carbonated water

We filled our water bottles and drank nature's own La Croix!

The Blue Lagoon & Myvatn Nature Baths are geothermal springs diverted from the source by man-

This natural "hot pot" is AT the source of the geothermal spring... in the middle of a farm... just big enough for 3 boys!  
Our waiter in Stykkisholmur told us how to find it- locals know it as Storahraun. 

Blue skies change the colors of the landscape...

...and make the drive even more pleasurable!


We make a stop for lunch in Borgarnes & then continue to Reykjavik & check in to our downtown hotel, Kvosin Hotel (which means "downtown hotel")-
It is quite a contrast to be back in a proper city after traveling along the Ring Road with it's sparsely populated little fishing villages...

Bricked pedestrian roads & multi-storied buildings...

Hallgrimskirkja Church with statue of Leif Erikkson (Norse explorer from Iceland who discovered North America before Christopher Colombus)

View of Downtown Reykjavik from Hallgrimskirkja Clock tower

Same viewpoint but looking in different direction-
I love the colored roofs!

The inside of the church is beautiful for its simplicity-
these of course are the organ pipes.

Fun painted building with no known historical importance-

Solfar- The Sun Voyager
**Many tourists think this is a Viking longboat because of Iceland's history, but the artist deemed it a "dream boat" and an ode to the sun symbolizing light & hope-

Another rare photo of the 4 of us together

The boys in front of Mt. Elsa-
*Note R's runic necklace- he chose the rune for "wisdom"

Harpa Opera House-
I originally thought the windows looked like a bee's honeycomb but could not make the connection, then realized they are the shape of the columnar basalt formations we saw throughout this volcanic land!

The Laundromat Cafe!

The food was decent here but the MAIN ATTRACTION was the laundry facility in the basement!! I cannot begin to tell how nice it was to enjoy a meal with my guys while the dirty clothes were getting washed...this is a DRASTIC improvement over other coin operated laundromats I have had to use in the various countries we have visited!! This was a real find and special treat for this mom-

Today is also the day we returned our rental car-
WE DROVE A TOTAL OF OVER 1800 miles in Iceland- that's a lot of territory!