Iceland Day 11- The Cave and the Gorge!

Tuesday, May 30th, 2107

Because of our audible book experience, there has been much build-up and also some unfounded dread about this little piece of the trip for the boys.  Today began with the announcement from Matt, "Welcome to Snaefellsnes!!"  We set out immediately after breakfast for the Vatnshellir Caving Tour.


Side bar about the weather-  MUCH less wind today as noted by the photos of this waterfall:

Taken yesterday as we drove in- 

Exact same waterfall taken today!
Amazing what the wind can do!

So here begins our own "Journey to the Center of the Earth"-
Snaefellsnes Glacier &  Stapafell Mountain just to the right

Helmets & torches- Check!
(The helmets fit some better than others...)

Our guide "Gummy" (short for an Icelandic name we could not pronounce) explained that we would be visiting 3 different chambers cut into the earth by flowing magma.  
Hollow lava tubes were created as the top of the hot magma cooled more quickly than the center which continued to flow, leaving the holes we get to explore.

Down, down, down we go...

"Frozen" drips

Colors created by the iron content in the rock

The route that Professor Lindenbrock and his nephew Axel took...
(straight out of Jules Verne's novel!)

Gummy has us turn off our flashlights...
With the flashlights off, we were in complete blackness...the total absence of light!

Back into the light we visited two small towns, Hellner and Arnastapi, along the coast with beautiful formations along the beach between them.  The boys and I stopped to view a few of them, then drove to lunch while Matt walked the full 2.5K to meet us. 

Arnastapi also has a natural harbor which makes it a great fishing port-

Only part of the day's catch

Songhellir Cave-
once inside the acoustics are perfect for making beautiful melodies...or just loud echoing noise!

See the split in the mountain...this leads to Raudfeldsgia (Red Gorge)...
We want to go there!

Once inside the split, there is a small stream flowing through that leads up to the gorge- you must follow, i.e. climb, the steam to reach the view-
We are prepared with all our waterproof gear and an extra measure of adventure-

It is steep and narrow...
and raining!

Following the light...

We trekked as far as we could go...
It is difficult to tell from this photo but the rope was out of reach & I decided that it was a bit too frayed looking to test...it was a long & rocky way back down!

Maybe next time Raudfeldsgia!

All of our efforts weren't for naught... Nash became this woman's hero when he fetched her glasses from the mountian!

Londrangar Volcanic Plug & Pufubjarg Cliffs

The church at Ingjaldsholl-
the oldest concrete church in Iceland

All of the beaches we have seen in Iceland have been black...
This beach at Skardsvik is called the "white" beach.

**At the beginning of this post I mentioned that the weather was better today...scratch that.  This afternoon the gale force winds and rain moved back in!

This lighthouse marks the most western point of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula-

The black & white birds are Brunnich's Guillemot-
This cliff in Iceland is the most southerly place you will see them. They do not make nests but lay their eggs on the bare ledge!

Stone bridge...

We drive back to the guesthouse because we have had a FULL day but also because the weather is just yucky...
...but I guess not bad enough for these crazy golfers staying with us!

Iceland Day 10- To Snaefellsnes!

Monday, May 29, 2017

In preparation for this next destination, we have been listening to Jules Verne's "Journey to the Center of the Earth" in the car during the long stretches of road.  For our travels, I have always tried to find books or stories that I hope would help the boys connect with our destination in a way beyond learning just the facts & was excited to find Verne's classic science fiction novel about traveling into the depths of a volcanic crater- which we will have the opportunity to do on this trip!  

Let me just say that it has been much to the boys' chagrin that I was able to link my iPad to the rental car's bluetooth...  This classic story, while it is an adventure tale written from the perspective of a young man and takes place in Snaefellsnes, Iceland,  it is full of archaic vocabulary and very long and detailed scientific accounts of geology & other various sciences that override the action.  After nearly 5 hours of listening we are only 42% through the story and just inside the glacier... no real nail-biting, exciting encounters...yet...

On our way towards Snaefellsnes Peninsula we try to have some exciting encounters of our own...

First stop: Icelandic Seal Center
 to learn about the kinds of seals we might see and a bit about the history of sealing here

Complete fog-
decide to head south & hope for seals in Snaefellsnes

**We also opt to forgo the longer scenic route through the West Fjords as the weather would not provide a scenic drive... the driver is disappointed, the riders...not so much-

Nash & His Blue Tractor-
When we saw this farmer working, it was a sweet reminder of the Christmas when Nash was only 2 years old and all he wanted was a "blue tractor"

The long and bumpy road... unable to see what is on either side-

Not tired of spotting these majestic animals in this beautiful setting-

We finally drove onto the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and pulled up to Helgafell mountain where once a temple in honor of the Norse god Thor was built by one of the first settlers in this area and the gravesite of a character in the Sagas.  It is only a small mountain, really just a hill, but is still considered by some to be a "holy" place.  Legend says that if you can climb it without looking back or speaking a word then you will have 3 wishes come true...

More fascinating to us than trying to climb the hill in the cold windy rain was watching this collie herd his sheep and keep them safe from wandering outide their  border-
He sure was persistent and perseverant!

We've seen A LOT of sheep, but not one with horns like this- 

Either riding makes one very hungry or requesting lunch is a way to escape from listening to "Journey to the Center of the Earth"...hmmm...

Whichever the reason, our meal in this beautiful old house in Stykkisholmur was delicious!

Stykkisholmur is a fishing village on the northern part of the peninsula
 right on the Breidafjordur Bay which links this part of the country to the West Fjords via ferry boat

It must be lunch time for the birds too-

This town's natural harbor made it an important trading post early in Iceland's history

Fishing boat bringing in the day's catch

Iced fish come off the boat...

and re-crated to go to the processing plant.

Once again we come into the lava fields as we near the volcano

and other strange volcanic landscape phenomena.

Near the town Grundarfjordur is the oft photographed,
Kirkjufell Mountain- (translates to Church Mountain)
As you can see the weather was not cooperating to allow for the perfect picture, I think the wind may have taken Nash's coat if his hands had not been in his pockets!

One more view of Kirkjufell, sans boys

The wind was so strong that it was blowing the water from this fall UP!!

Finally. The seals that we began the day looking for!

I think these must be the "scouts" ...

Less than 10 minutes from our guesthouse is the beach at Ytri Tunga where a seal colony makes its home.
We were fortunate enough to arrive near the time of low tide and watch them swim in to take a rest on the rocks and sand.

"Here's looking at you kid!"

The Langaholt Guesthouse- our stay for the next 2 nights-
Complete with golf course.  Hard to believe but we passed a guy on a golf cart trying his best to play against the wind...