We saved Reykjavik for last and I’m glad we did as the drive from Selfoss here (only about 65km) was pretty testy with winds at 65km/h and whiteouts with blowing snow at times. We checked in to our lovely hotel Eyja Guldsmeden early and spent the rest of the day in the cosy ambiance of our room and the general seating areas.

We jumped on a bus to ride part of the way to the city centre and then joined one of our beloved Free Walking Tours. Erik (for short) was, as usual, a fabulous guide who took us to some of the interesting spots while informing us of the history and sharing many other anecdotes.

Homes and buildings in the very village-like old part of town. Structures built of wood in the 19th century, but many of them now sided with aluminum to protect against the harsh weather.

Shop windows and other street scenes

A statue of the first Icelander – Ingolfer Arnason who immigrated from Norway in 874.  Over a relatively short period of time during the 10th century there were 20,000 settlers who arrived and claimed farmland in Iceland and it is said that every Icelander today is a descendant of one of those 20,000.

The harbor and lake

Hallgrimskirkja (Hallgrims Church) commissioned in 1937 and designed by Guðjón Samúelsson who is said to have designed it to resemble the trap rocks, mountains and glaciers of Iceland’s landscape. It took 41 years to build with construction starting in 1945 and one of the main features is the huge pipe organ by  German organ builder Johannes Klais.

We’ve had amazing food during this trip – mostly locally produced. The traditional lamb soup/stew with hearty root vegetables, cod, Arctic char, salmon, herring, rhubarb cake, beet salads, hamburgers with bernaise sauce, skyr (Icelandic yogurt), different breads and crisp breads – to name some. All of it very good.

Is this considered sky-blue-pink?

As the sun was rising the reflection on the snowy mountains was like icing on a cake.

Some of the houses and farm buildings along the way.

Lunch stop in Vik at Sudur Vik, a lovely little restaurant in an old and charming house on the hilltop overlooking Vik and the ocean.

The sky and atmosphere was clear and dry, the temperatures between  -6 and -10C, but the ponies are used to it.

At times it was like we were driving on a ribbon through fields of marshmallows! with spectacular mountains in the background.

A 5km drive along a snow packed road took us to Dyrhólaey lighthouse atop a cliff overlooking the miles long black sand beach stretching as far as the eye could see, and dramatic rocks.

The drive up to the lighthouse offered views of the mountains with beautiful reflections in the pools of aqua colored water.

Just before it got dark we arrived at our destination – Lambastadir Guesthouse situated on a farm complete with lovely red barn.

 

 

Today started out very promising with a beautiful sliver of silver moon in the dawn sky.

and a visit to a store in Vik that had lovely woolen items to include nice Viking-style hats that my husband refused to have!

Things swiftly started going south as we got outside Vik and were heading east. The road and driving conditions were getting worse and we had over 200 km to drive to our next destination, Hofn, when we decided to abort and found a room in the small village of Kirkjubaejarklaustur (try saying it!) With 500 inhabitants and a special 4-legged one (later) it is the only place with services between Vik and Hofn, so a good thing that we stopped!

A little history from Wikipedia: Even before the time of the first Norse settlement in Iceland, Irish monks are thought to have lived here. Since 1186, a well known convent of Benedictine nuns,  Kirkjubæjar Abbey, was located in Kirkjubæjarklaustur, until the Reformation in 1550. 

The names of the waterfall Systrafoss (“waterfall of the sisters”) and of the lake Systravatn (“water of the sisters”) on the highland above the village refer to this abbey. Folk tales illustrate the history with stories about good and sinful nuns. The Systrastapi (sister’s rock) is where two of the convent’s nuns were buried after being burned at the stake. One of the nuns was accused of selling her soul to the Devil, carrying Communion bread outside the church, and having carnal knowledge with men; the other was charged with speaking blasphemously of the Pope. After the Reformation, the second sister was vindicated, and flowers are said to bloom on her grave, but not that of the first nun. 

A very special and dear to my heart inhabitant welcomed us at Hotel Laki.

The sun came out and turned the surrounding landscape into a beautiful winter wonderland. No precipitation for tonight so we should be in good shape to continue onwards.

 

We set off with another beautiful sunrise and a good weather forecast for the day. I am so glad that  longish range forecasts are often wrong, because it hadn’t looked good for this week and now we are delighted to have some sunny days! The windows in this farmhouse were aglow with the reflection from the rising sun.

Our first stop was Seljalandfoss (falls). There is a cavern behind the falls that can be accessed – I guess not in winter!

Driving is flat as we head eastward along the southern coast of Iceland with farmland and the Atlantic to our right and mountains and glaciers to the left.

We soon arrived at Skogafoss (falls) – a slightly more impressive fall.

We also visited the Skogar folk museum which houses an eclectic variety of artifacts dating back to the beginning of settlement on Iceland and had a lovely outdoor section with homes, church and school house.

Arriving in Vik, after driving a short distance through the mountains, our first sight was this beautiful view of the simple church atop a hill with snow-covered mountains and the ocean as a backdrop.

Sherry and I trekked down to the black beach in Vik ….

… and a after a short drive back (westwards) we stopped at Reynisfjara beach – another black beach with impressive surf that also has basalt column cliffs.

Onward to Volcano Hotel for the night – a room with a view!

 

We had a fabulous day! It started with a delicious continental breakfast and then a leisurely 10AM start – had to wait for the sun to rise! The parking lot looks pretty treacherous, but the roads weren’t too bad.

We set off along the southern shore of the peninsula with the idea that we might be able to also complete the northern side. Almost next door to our hotel was one of the many greenhouses that Iceland has to produce fresh vegetables year round, despite short growing days.

The scenery of the mountains and the shoreline was spectacular. 

Our first stop was Buoir, and the black church  Buoakirkja. Originally built on this spot in 1703 it was demolished and in 1816 the parish was abolished. Steinunn Sveinsdottir, one of the ladies of the parish fought strongly for a new church, but the national church rejected her request. Eventually Steinunn received a royal permission to build a new church which stood ready in 1848. A quote on the door bell says “this church was built in 1848 without the support of the spiritual fathers“. Between 1984-86 the church was reconstructed and consecrated in 1987. The church bell are from 1672, an altar piece from 1750, and the door bell from 1703. It is protected and one of the oldest wooden churches in Iceland.

More stunning scenery as we continued westward to include many lava fields.

The village of Arnarstapi.

Snaefellsjokull at 1,446 meters.

We decided to turn around and head for tonight’s destination at Laugarvatn – a good 3 hour drive in good conditions, but I could see that snow would be settling in at around 2PM. Our original route was impossible due to impassable roads and we debated between another shorter route or going via Reyjjavik for an extra 30-45 minutes. There is a fabulous website www.road.is that updates the condition of the roads in winter from open to impassable and spots of ice, slippery, snowy in between. We went for the shorter route and drove in white out on snowy roads (perfectly fine with our 4×4 and snow tires). Arriving at our hotel, Hotel Heradskollinn, it was like a winter wonderland.

This was a former boarding school built in 1928 and meticulously converted using many of the old furnishings.

We immediately changed into our swimsuits and set off to walk down the hill to the amazing Fontana Therman Baths (this picture does not do them justice!) There are four or five pools with different temperatures.

a better depiction of how lovely it is on their sign.

As usual with flights from the U.S. to Europe we touched down at about 6AM. It was a surprisingly full flight for the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, but also pleasantly short at just under five hours. Immigration during COVID times went smoothly with all our pre-registrations, certificates and test results in order.

The forecast was for a gloomy, rainy day and as we set off in the dark at about 9:30AM we wondered whether there would even be any day light, but slowly the sky turned from black to pale grey.

We made our way up the west coast making a stop in Borganes to visit The Settlement Center and learned about Iceland’s first Viking settlers in the 10th century.

Onward to our hotel at the gateway to the Snaeffelsnes peninsula. We drove through rain and snow mix, and visibility of the surrounding mountains was limited, but the desolate scenery with occasional grazing flocks of sheep or herds of ponies huddled against the elements was quite beautiful.

Our hotel, Rjukandi, situated on its own at a road junction, is quite lovely and has a warm and cozy cafe and restaurant where we’ll enjoy a good dinner this evening.