Iceland - Day 3 November 12, 2019
Wake up at about 0730am and we proceed to get dressed and ready for the and discuss our plan.
The mission for the day is to head down to the Southern Part of Iceland and for the town of Vik. This was the place that the nice couple from Pennsylvania recommended we go check out when we first arrived on Sunday. For general information, it is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from our hotel in Reykjavik to Vik via Route 1 which is the road that goes around the entire island.
After our breakfast we get our stuff and we begin the drive towards Vik.
Leaving the hotel it is still raining out an the clouds are heavy, although there are a few breaks in the clouds here and there, the weather is generally crappy and I begin to think to myself if the trip is going to be even worth it.
We head back out on to the Icelandic Roadways and eventually come upon Route 1 and we enter the traffic circles of death and get out through the correct exit and begin trek south, but first we have to pass over the mountains. And these mountains have SNOW!!!!. ("Do you know what the street value of this stuff is? - Figure out the movie and you'll know how old I am)
The roads are in really great shape and we drive along Route 1 at a pretty good pace with snow on both side of the Route, the mountains are covered and yet you can still see the black volcanic rock popping through here and there.
As we travel along Route 1 the first town you come too as you come out of the mountains is Floahreppur, a small little town that seems to just pop up out of nowhere. As you are coming down out of the mountains, you can see the Thermal Heat escaping from the ground, it is pretty cool thing to see. The town also has some green houses so I'm assuming that they also grow some plants there (and no not those types of plants).
Continuing down the road, the next big town you come to is the town of Selfoss, it sits right on the Olfusa River and as you cross this river to come into the town you can see the power of the water pushing through. The town isn't too small and only takes a few minutes to drive through and you get too see some of the industry and shops that are utilized by the local economy.
As you drive along route 1 you can't help but be impressed with all of the mountains, open plains and the fact that people have actually made homes out of this tough country side. Again many of the towns and villages you come through and across are just like those you'd see in Mainland Europe.
After driving for quite a bit we finally come across Seljalandsfoss Waterfalls, you can't miss these impressive waterfalls from the road, nor can you miss it as you will end up following most of the tourist traffic (cars/ busses, motorhomes) into the parking lot here to get a view/ look at of this.
One you navigate yourself into the parking lot you MUST purchase a parking pass, how do we know this? Well there are signs there that says you need too, and there are people there that are going to enforce it. My wife saw that first hand, they actually wrote the ticket and put it on peoples cars.
Now keep in mind this place is crowded with people, so make sure you keep an eye on your camera gear and where you stop to take pictures. There is a path way going up to the main waterfall, and this pathway will take you around the entire waterfall to include the back side of it. There are area's that are clearly marked off where they don't want you to walk in, but people do it anyway. I was able to get some pretty decent pictures for the falls yesterday, but when I pushed up the walk way a little bit realize that I needed to have a water proof cover of some sort for my lenses as they were going to get soaked just from the water blowing in on my and it...
While trying to take my pictures I did notice a number of the people from all over the world that were there. I will say that it became rather annoying with one group of people from Asia that if you ask me are very rude and inconsiderate to all those around them. I say on multiple occasions as people would try to take pictures or walk around that these people very rudely would walk through the picture, push you out of the way and of course would ignor the "Do Not Go Into" areas around the falls. Never once did I hear excuse me, pardon me or sorry from these people. I guess we are all beneath them or something.
SO after taking some pictures of the big waterfall area (the main one that everyone goes too) I hiked around to see the two smaller ones and took some more pictures of them before heading back to the car and my wife who was smart enough to stay in it cause it "was Warm".
As I put my stuff away in the car to continue our little road trip, I couldn't help but wonder how people can be so rude and inconsiderate and not care. I mean you always here about the "Ugly Americans". Yes I admit we can be extremely rude and inconsiderate and probably rate that saying quit a bit, but still I can't believe we are that bad.
Once we left the parking lot at "Seljalandsfoss Waterfalls" I decided to go to the right as I saw the mountains and the open area, thinking that this would be a great place to get some pictures. Yeah it wasn't the best idea, as the picture idea kind busted, as it wasn't what I really wanted. Back to Route 1 we go.
ON WARD HO!!!
Once back on Route 1 you notice that the scenery is very picturesque and just down right beautiful, on the left side of the road as you go south you'll see the snow cover mountains, and then you can see where the snow and the green grass combine together. On both sides of the roads you see small communities and single homes with huge fields of land, that are such that nothing but sheep, cattle and horses are out there grazing. It is truly a sight to see.
About 10 miles or so down the road you are going to come to yet another waterfall called the Skogafoss Waterfall. Now you can again follow the traffic or just look for the few signs that call this lovely place out. Once you turn off the main road (Route 1) you will drive about 1 1/2 miles to get to the parking lot. Now once in the parking lot you need to be careful here as it is a rock lot and there are many pot holes and everyone drives like they don't care (I do mean everyone, in every vehicle type). As soon as you find yourself a place to park it is a short walk over to where the water falls are, and if the sun is out you might just get yourself a rainbow too. Keep in mind you are going to have to deal with people, and if you are like me trying to take a picture with a tripod and a shutter release yeah, your going to get hosed as people are going to once again get in your way as you try to take the picture that you want. Off to the far right side (as you look at the water fall) there is a set of stairs that you can climb up to get to the top, it is very busy and I honestly didn't even try to go up. I did get a couple of good pictures and at one point even walked into the shallow part of the stream that flows out from the falls to get that picture.
Alright then, we leave this waterfall behind and continue down the road, at one point you have to cross another river, but beware, there is a bridge here that you must cross and it is only one lane, so you must let the other guys across as well. Just use some common sense here and you'll be alright.
Just after this bridge you are going to come up on the Solheimasandur Plane Wreck, if you get the chance you should go and check it out. A lot of photographers go here at all times of the year and get some great pictures. I didn't realize until after we got back to Reykjavik what this place was as I was look out at the maps. ARGH!!!! Oh well.
About another 20 minutes or so down the road you are going to start to Grand Guesthouse Gardakot on route 218, if you follow this road it will take you to the Dyrolaey Lighthouse. You can drive up to the top of this location if you want, recommend that you have at least the 4x4 type vehicle to do this. We didn't go up as my wife is scared of driving up these types of hills. A little bit further up is the Kirkjufjara Beach, this is a great spot to get some pictures, although when it's raining out not so great. We parked for a few minutes, I walked towards the ocean and what looked to me like an old Radar station from way back when, and as I was walking out to see stuff it started to hail out. Man I can't catch a break.
After walking out to the rocks, you got a really cool look at the angry ocean and the coast line of Iceland. The weather seemed pretty bad out there on the ocean and the waves were hitting the rocks and coast line pretty good. I was able to get a few pictures but tried to be careful cause of the weather and the fact that the rain couldn't make up its mind. If you get to see the beaches here, you'll notice that they are all black and that's cause of the Volcanic Ash that has been pushed down from the mountains (at least that's what I've read and been told).
Walked back to the vehicle where once again my wife was at least smart enough to stay inside and stay warm.. She's the brains of the outfit...
We left Kirkjufjara Beach and proceed back down the road to continue today's mission of getting to Vik.
Almost to Vik you'll see people turning off and a sign for the Black Beach Restaurant, this was the place that my wife really wanted to go to and see, so we did our tourist thing and followed the road (Route 215) to the Black Beach. This again is interesting run as you will come across some small villages, a church in the most unlikely place and then eventually the Black Beach Restaurant. Just like most places this place is a rock parking lot with a ton of vehicles and people walking around not paying attention to anything but themselves.
Parked the car and the wind is howling and the rain is falling, my wife begins to put her gloves on and a wind guest rocks the car pretty good. I look at her and ask her if this sure that she wants to go see the Black Beach. She hesitated but decided "Yes, I want to go". So we get out of the car and begin the slow walk to Black Beach, which as you would imagine is packed with people despite the weather. The ocean here is really angry too, the waves are huge and are crashing into the shoreline with lots of power, can't imagine being out in the water. There is a small café located at the beach, but note that if you need to use the bathroom you will have to pay to do so, gotta make a buck some how right? We didn't stay too long, and proceeded to leave the area after about 15 minutes. Probably would have stayed longer had the weather been better.
After leaving Black Beach, we finally push our way into the town of Vik.
The town of Vik is pretty much like all of the other towns you pass through on your drive down Route 1, it is geared towards the tourist with plenty of shops and places to get a snack.
We make our way over to the one of the local shops and it turns out to be almost like a strip mall, it has the Bonus Grocery store, a couple of restaurants and then it has a sports store that I would say also doubles as a souvenir shop. My wife finally got her wool blanket and it cost about $80 for it, she was happy and of course that keeps me safe and alive for another day.
Once we were done shopping we decide to head back up to Reykjavik, but must top off the gas tank before we head out. Better to be safe than sorry.
Something that you must pay attention to while you are getting fuel here in Iceland.
1, Most vehicles here use Diesel Fuel, so make sure you are pumping that and not the other fuel option.
2. Some gas stations have fuel hoses for the big rig trucks you see on the road, and then they have fuel hoses for cars, yeah who knew.
3. After you put your ATM/ Credit Card in to make the payments, you are given a number of options for how much you want to pay, one of the options it "Fill it up". Keep in mind that you will end up with a hold on your Debit Cards and possibly your credit cards. COSTCO is holding $120 and the OA gas station is hold $200. Something to keep in mind.
Once we got fuel we proceeded back up Route 1 and only stopped one other time and this was to get some pictures of the horses out in the fields. I had seen a group of them while we were headed to Vik and saw someone taking pictures there. SO I decided to do the same on the way back to Reykjavik. When you are stopping to take pictures of these beautiful horses, try not to make a lot of noise and stay away from them, more often than not you could be on private property and I'm sure the owners don't want their horses spooked.
I got my pictures of the horses within a few minutes and we proceed on our journey back to Reykjavik. It's pretty simple just follow the signs that say "Route 1 - Reykjavik" and you'll make it back alright, or use that trusty GPS.
Once back in Reykjavik and back at the hotel, my wife and I decide to get a drink and some dinner in the hotel restaurant. Plus side is that we made it back to the hotel in time for HAPPY HOUR!!!!! It's from 1600 (4pm) until 1800 (6pm). I got my "Christmas Beer" and my wife got her Raspberry drink and we proceeded to order dinner. She got a vegetable type soup and I got a burger. All in all the food was good and of course my company was perfect.
After eating we were done for the night.