Day 3 – West Iceland & Þingvellir
This morning the breakfast spread was not as good as 22 Hill Hotel. But surprisingly, we found instant noodles at the breakfast buffet. So DSis and I decided to try it. Taste was different from what we are used to, but probably will be ok for those craving Asian food.
First stop this morning is the basalt island Súgandisey. Climbing up the hill, we came to a lighthouse overlooking grand views across Breiðafjörður. It was a windy climb up the hill.
Leaving Sugandisey, we headed to Deildartunguhver Thermal Spring. Deildartunguhver is Europe’s most powerful hot spring. It provides 180 l/sec of 100°C hot water. Standing here taking photos, we can clearly smell sulphur in the air.
Most of the water used for central heating in the towns of Borgarnes and Akranes is taken from Deildartunguhver. The hot water pipeline to Akranes is 64 km long, the longest in Iceland and the water is about 78 – 80 degrees when it reaches Akranes.
Next we headed to Hiraunfossar. Hiraunfossar is a series of waterfalls formed by rivulets streaming over a distance of about 900 metres out of the Hallmundarhraun, a lava field which flowed from an eruption of one of the volcanoes lying under the glacier Langjökull. The waterfalls pour into the river from ledges of less porous rock in the lava. So what we saw was water literally gushing out of the rocks with no surface river feeding it. It was such an unusual waterfall. Really beautiful.
A short walk upstream from Hraunfossar, there is another waterfall called Barnafoss or Children’s waterfall. From its name, I had thought that I was going to see a small water fall. But no, it was a waterfall with fast and strong gushing flow.
The name actualy comes from an accident that had happened here. On a Christmas years back, a family living in a nearby farm headed to church leaving 2 kids at home. When they came home, the kids were missing. There was a natural bridge over the waterfall and the two children had apparently fell to their deaths crossing the river on the bridge. Afterwards, the grief-struck mother had the bridge destroyed. The sad story almost gave this place an eerie feel. It left a shiver up my spine.
It was quite difficult to find a place to eat. As it was winter, some restaurants were close. We ended up at a bakery cafe at Borgarnes. I had a vegetable soup with bread (ISK850), an eclair (ISK420) and a juice (ISK300). DH had a smoked salmon sandwich. DH threw away the receipt before I could stop him, so sorry, I can’t remember the price ??.
On this trip, the drive along the way was fantastic. After lunch we were again driving by vast snow covered fields backed by impressive mountains when we saw horses. Heimir stopped the car to let us get some pictures of these horses. These small and short horses have long hair and are beautiful animals. They make such a beautiful picture against the snowy background.
The Icelandic horse is a breed of horse developed in Iceland. Although the horses are small, at times pony-sized, they are referred as horses. Icelandic horses are long-lived and hardy. In Iceland, they have few diseases; Icelandic law prevents horses from being imported into the country and exported animals are not allowed to return.
We carried on with our drive after this short photo stop, and got to Þingvellir National Park, the Birthplace of a Nation and a Unesco World Heritage Site. Þingvellir National Park is one of the 3 main stops along the popular tourist route touted as the Golden Circle, a 300 kilometres route looping from Reykjavík into the southern uplands of Iceland and back. The other 2 stops are Gullfoss and Geysir which we will see the next day.
Situated on the northern shore of lake Þingvallavatn, Þingvellir is the oldest existing parliament in the world. Chieftains first assembled there in 930 AD, making it effectively the first Parliament in the world. It was chosen for its central position convenient for the chieftains from the various villages to gather. Þingvellir has for this reason been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Besides being a location of historical significance, Þingvellir is also protected as a national park due to its unique geology and natural features. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American tectonic plate and the Eurasian. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.
Almannagjá is a canyon formed between the North American and the Eurasian tectonic plate, a visual representation of continental drift. This place brings to life what I had studied years back in my A levels Geography. It is really a life size text book of geology.
After Þingvellir, we headed to our hotel for the night. Our hotel that night was Vatnsholt, a Guesthouse/B&B near Sellfoss town. Peacefully situated by Lake Villingarholt, Vatnsholt is housed in a renovated farmhouse. With vast farm land surrounding it, when we arrived late that evening, it literally looked like it was in the middle of nowhere.
Vatnsholt offers rooms with private or shared facilities. We had rooms with private facilities which are actually cabins away from the main farmhouse where the restaurant and guest lounge is located. So we had to really dress up and trot in the snow to get to the main farmhouse for our meals. It was no fun though since it was really cold that night ??????.
Despite having to trot in the snow to get to the restaurant, I still liked the idea of staying in a standalone little cabin. So cool! The cabins were well heated. The interior was small, just enough space for a bed and a small bathroom. But it was adequate and clean. Very cosy. The window in the cabin was full length and looked into the vest open never ending fields where we could see the horses. During the day, guests can arrange for horse riding.
Dinner that evening was at Vatnsholt’s restaurant at its rustic farmhouse. The farmhouse also house a guest lounge with pool table and table soccer.
Again we could order what we wanted. Among the four of us, each couple decided to have an app and dessert to share on top of our main course. I had a coke while the guys had their beers. DSis just wanted water.
We were served bread. Then came our app. DH and I had a soup, but DSis and DBIL shared smoked salmon and toast.
For our main course, DH and DSis had the chicken chop while DBIL and I had the smoked lamb. Wow…did we make a mistake! The smoked lamb I actually a cold cut. The smell was strange to us. Not at all like the smell of smoked meat that we are used too. DBIL and I both finished our sides but did it finish our lamb. Heimir wasn’t around when we placed our order. When he notice that we did not finish our lamb, he was not surprise and said he will tell us about smoke lamb the next day. Boy, with his cheeky smile, we knew it was going to be something…..hahaha. The next day, he told us that the Icelandic smoked lamb was smoked over a fire burned with dried horse manure! Ok, that explains it ????
Dessert was normal apple crumble. Whew!
After dinner, it was past 10pm and we headed back yo our cabin. It was really cold that night at -7degrees and with the wind, it felt much colder. I took my shower and went straight to bed, but as it was a clear sky, DH went outside the cabin periodically to check if he could see the lights. Nothing came on and so he went to bed at 12 midnight too. Heimir told us the next morning that the lights came on at 12.30am! ??
This was the coldest day of our entire trip. The rest of the days, temperature ranged from -4 to 2degrees. But it was windy and so most times felt much colder because of wind chill factor.
Next up: Iceland Winter Adventure 2017 – Day 4 (The Golden Circle)