July 13 - Snæfellsness Peninsula: Long but great day. Left about 8:00 AM and didn’t get back until about 7:30 PM. Drove 300+ miles. It was rainy all day. It was cold. It was windy. It was beautiful. It was fun (except for small parts of the day when it was a combination of wind, chill, and rain).
It was about 2.5 hours from our lodgings out onto the peninsula. First stop was a small church in Budir. So nasty and it was no big deal; we didn’t stay long. Then to Arnarstapi with great views, but really the worst part of the day for weather. We walked along the cliffs looking at various lava and rock formations. It’s possible to walk about 2.5 km to where we ended up driving … Hellnar. Had a lovely lunch at Primus Kaffi. Had Plokkfish stew w/potatoes. Really is a mash up of fish and mashed potatoes and cream. Yummy! Had a traditional Icelandic happy marriage cake … oats and rhubarb. Also yummy.
Onward to Malariff Lighthouse. We climbed the wooden steps all the way up ending at a very upright wooden ladder onto the platform where the light itself is. While it was still raining outside, we got nice views. Got up and down safely.
Went further along the coast to Londrangar where we saw the “troll rocks” and other lovely views along the coast. Caught a break in the weather for a short time there. Onward to Svortluloft lighthouse over a long, narrow, and pocked gravel road. Really pretty views onto the rocks and along the coast. On the way there, we stopped in a lava field and had views of a mountain range that includes Snæfellsjökull mountain.
Headed to the north side of the peninsula and viewed Kirkjufell Mountain from both sides. It’s an iconic symbol of the country. Got diesel fuel. Headed back the 2.5 hours to Reykjavik.
Donna stayed in the BnB while Jeff and I went grocery shopping and had a great dinner at Resto. Shared a starter of cured salmon and snow crab salad. This was followed by sautéed cod with langoustine sauce over mashed potatoes and cauliflower. Rich and wonderful.
Back “home” for computer work.
A couple of things to add. First, I was warm and mostly dry (pants got damp) all day. Had on five layers – T-shirt, insulated hoodie, sweatshirt, lightweight down jacket, rain jacket. All good. Second, the scenery was astounding even in the mist and rain. Rocks and lava and coastlines like I’ve never seen before. It was, as I said, a great day.
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