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Woke up at 630AM and made breakfast before heading out. $7 eggs (aiya) but the Skyr was interesting. it’s actually a soft cheese with texture in between yogurt and cream cheese; I got Apple. We hopped into the car and it was still dark out Around 9AM, the sun started to rise and it was magnificent. There is only one highway – Hwy 1 that goes around entire island.
Our first stop off the day was Seljalandsfoss, which is the waterfall you can walk behind. It was an awesome experience and we were midway through before we saw the first signs of tour buses. Next stop was to Eyjafjallajökull volcano which after visiting the centre were told that we can’t access the volcano because there are huge craters. The last time this volcano erupted was 2010. She did say however that when it is around Easter time, when the snow falls then you are most able to access it. Or if we had a really good car and drove the North Eest or North East points, we can access via glaciers.
Skogafoss falls was out next destination. A hike to the top was well worth it but I do recommend proper shoes as it’s muddy. Once you reach the top, climb over the ladder and continue down. If you are adventurous, venture down towards the water. A 10 minute drive East, you can goto Solheimajokull glaciers if you follow an unpaved path in. It’s black sand beaches but there is a sign that said you should not pass… We did. We climbed, jumped and ran through the sand, rocks and glaciers and found a small stream that we all drank from. Too bad we all left our water bottles back the car. As we were leaving around 1PM, the sun was perfect – golden light if i say so myself or at least perfect lighting. NOTE- the sun rises around 930AM and it’s dark by 430PM and rainy/foggy this time year in Iceland. But strange thing is its not pitch black but rather the skies are very dark with an actual sunset. Average temperature is 8 degrees.
We drove towards the town of Vik and had lunch at this little restaurant in a hotel called Halldorskaffi (Víkurbraut, Vík) which has great reviews. They only served everything made from Iceland and it’s land. I got the lamb sandwich 2000isk with fries and it was absolutely delicious and juicy. I also got the homemade ice cream made from a farm in Myrdalur for 1400isk and could definitely taste the freshness of the dairy.
After lunch we drove about 10 minutes away to Reynisfjara beach and cliffs. It’s surreal there. Black sand beach, gnarly waves, caves with rocks that are edged but have corners similar to what people have imagined at the fortress of solitude in Superman or Game of Thrones. There is one side that looks like pillars that can be climbed. If you look up on the mountain, you can see sheep just hanging up there. Across the waters, it’s Iceland’s largest lighthouse but no one is allowed to that island as its a bird sanctuary.
We went to Fish Market – Fiskmarkadurinn (Adalstraeti 12, Reykjavik) for dinner and got the tasting menu which was 9900isk – $99CAD. The menu went like this: Tempura Rock shrimp with melon and wakame salad. Whale with horse raddish cream and berries – smoky. Langoustine shrimp with edamame puree and cauliflower. Icelandic mussels in lobster broth with Seward base with seaweed tea. Scallop nigiri and volcano maki with lobster tail. Lightly Salted cod with celery and cranberries with potato puree. Grilled salmon with fennel and Apple chutney with crispy lotus root. Icelandic lamb with beets and mushrooms. Cheesecake, chocolate molten lava with raspberry licorice sauce, passion fruit, strawberry, raspberry, coconut ice cream.
