Iceland- Day 8

We briefly thought the forecasters might be wrong, but the wind and rain (not as heavy to start) continued.  This morning we had an indoor activity planned; crawling down into an 8,000 year old lava tube, the Vatneshellir Cave.

The Snæffelsnesjokull (glacier) sits atop a 5,400 ft mountain, the tallest in Iceland within Snæffelsnesjokull National Park.  

During prior volcanic eruptions, rivers of lava flowed to the ocean.  As the surface lava cooled, it solidified with molten lava flowing beneath it until the source was expended.  At that point, a hollow tube remained.  We walked through similar tubes in Hawaii (and will again in January).  We descended a 100 ft. spiral staircase to the depth of the tube wearing lights and climbing helmets.  

                                       

Good thing since I whacked my head several times on the jagged walls.  We spent about 45 minutes exploring the caves.  At one point, we all turned out our lights.  You couldn’t see your hand on your nose. Really dark!

                                        

Arctic fox remains.  rapped in cave

We came back to the surface, and the rain had stopped for now.  We had tried to find the visitor’s center before the cave tour, but the road signs told us it was 2 km to the visitor’s center and we went much more than this ­­­(including exiting the N.P).  We came to find out that the national park never told the sign people they moved!  Finally found a nice new center with good exhibits, and a short hike to the rocket-shaped lighthouse at Malaria 

along the cliffs above the black sand beach and the ocean.  

The wind was whipping up some great swells that crashed on the rocks.  

Not far from here was a really cool rock formation, the pillars of Londragar.  Local myth claims that the elves use these lava formations as a church. There was also a cabin with whale ribs adorning the exterior.

As we left the Visitor’s Center the rain started up again in earnest.  The cold, wind, and rain made us elect to not attempt any additional outdoor activities today (we had hoped to ride Icelandic horses-as long as they didn’t have any Donald Trump look-alikes, but the weather saved us), but rather hit a museum.  We opted for the Icelandic National Museum on the University of Iceland campus.  The museum is quite new and tells the story of Iceland from early settlement to today.  It was very well done, and we now are experts in Icelandic history (but still can’t pronounce any of the language).

                                          

                         

Our hotel for the last night was strategically placed about 2 miles from the airport and right on the harbor at Keflavik.  

We had one last great dinner in Iceland at a seafood and Indian restaurant.  The chef is Indian, so they had a full Indian menu, and fantastic seafood.  We shared a seafood mixed grill appetizer and cod tikka masala, then all had monkfish with langoustines and a light curry sauce. 

Up tomorrow early for our flight home.

Some final thoughts and observations about Iceland:

1.      People very friendly and helpful

2.     Without a doubt, the best tap water anywhere in the world (that we’ve been to)

3.     Weather is highly changeable.  Sunny one minute, raining the next.

4.     Hiking trails in the national parks are superbly maintained.

5.     Never saw any litter, anywhere (I guess it helps to have a population 1/3 the size of Vermont in an area the size of Virginia)

6.     Every public restroom was immaculate.

7.     If you drive there, get a 4-wheel drive vehicle with adequate clearance.  Subaru Outback was fine, but if you want to drive on some of the mountain roads (like the road to Laki), you should consider something like a Land Rover.  Many of the gravel roads go through streams and the depth can vary.  More clearance , better chance of not getting stuck.

8.     There is good cell service nearly everywhere.  Recommend getting a GPS and mobile hot spot for your vehicle.  Mobile hot spots have unlimited use.  Most hotels have decent WIFI.

9.     The airport is fairly small and easy to get in and out of.  There is a hotel (Hotel Smari, a.k.a. the Aurora Star) that is a 5 minute walk from the airport if you arrive late at night. Otherwise, the hotel we stayed at on our last night is less expensive, nicer, and a 10 minute drive.

10.  There is a gas station on Rt. 45 just before rental car return.

11.  Make sure you have credit cards with chips and preferably with a PIN. Most places take Visa, MC, and Amex (a few don’t take AMEX). Don’t really need much cash Some gas stations require a PIN with the credit card to pay outside.  If you are stuck, you can buy a gas card and put on it any denomination of Icelandic Kroners.  You then use it as a debit card until it is exhausted.

12.  There a stores called Vinbud which are liquor stores.  Some have better wine selections than others.  Also the groceries are great with pretty good variety (Netto).

13.  You can see Northern Lights in the fall, winter and spring (we didn’t due to weather, but we met others who did).  There is a website that can predict the likelihood of seeing the Aurora Borealis.  It increases about 3 days after a solar flare, so as long as the weather is clear, you have a good shot.

14.  In the past 2 years tourism has skyrocketed. The infrastructure, especially outside of Reykjavik, hasn’t caught up.  Most nicer hotels are in the 3-star category. Also, there are not large numbers of restaurants to choose from.  But the food was, overall, excellent.

15.  Everywhere the dress was hiker casual.  I would leave the tux and evening dress at home.

16.  Most of the major tourist sites are easily accessed by car and usually a short walk.  To get to some of the less travelled areas requires some degree of hiking.

17.  If you are going to do anything other than minimal walking, I would recommend a good sturdy hiking boot. I wore my lightweight low hikers, and could feel every single rock underfoot.  Lava is everywhere, and it tends to be quite jagged.  I wished I had my sturdy  leather Asolos.