The guesthouse we were staying in didn't serve a breakfast, but they had a kitchen. That didn't help us because we didn't have food. Grocery stores in this area ( maybe all of Iceland) are few and far between. So we went hunting for a grocery store. Yay! There was a Bonus (Icelandic grocery chain) in town. But Booo! It didn't open until 10 am-- on a Saturday? Oh well, Google to the rescue. I found a hostel with a Cafe that served breakfast not too far away, so we navigated there. An unassuming spot, it was inviting, and had a self serve selection of oatmeal, breads, fruit, juices, tea and coffee, hard boiled eggs, and more.
Great breakfast. When we were ready to push off, it was rainy and cold, but the forecast indicated that we'd be moving toward better, warmer weather.
Our destination was Dettifoss and Selfoss falls northwest of Egillstadir. To get there, we crossed what looked like a lunar landscape. Dettifoss is broad (340 feet) and high (150 feet). Once you park in the free (for a change) parking lot, you walk a stony trail to get to the falls. They certainly are impressive and thunderous. The mist from the falls gets blown to a considerable distance away. So our glasses were soaked. I took mine off and put them in my pocket. Unless you go down to the base of the falls, you get a limited view. But taking that trip will guarantee that you and your shoes will get soaked. We opted out, and took the patch to the next falls, Selfoss. The path takes you along the river and you get great views of the basalt ledges that line the riverbanks, and a few black sand beaches. In a few places, the basalt columns have collapsed into the river. The path ends before you get a closeup view, but the distant view is impressive. We really enjoyed this walk.
On to our accommodations for the night at Vogafyjos Guesthouse near Lake Myvatn. This is a family-run working farm, with a pricey restaurant that serves everything farm-to-table. We are here for 2 nights, and chose to treat ourselves to dinner in the restaurant. The beef comes from their cattle, that you can see through a dining room window! Dinner was great, and the view through the floor to ceiling windows in the dining room was superb.
A side note: nowhere in Iceland do they have public trash cans. There are recycling cans in spots, but, what are you supposed to do with apple cores and banana peels, and used tissues?? Also, we noted cairns all along the side of the highway, set in about 30 to 40 yards. I discovered that early travelers set these up to mark a way to travel between places. There aren't really any visible markers, no trees, bushes or rocks for miles and miles, so that was a perfect solution.
After dinner, we opted to drive a short distance to the Dimmuborgir Lava Formations, where pillars, and crazy lava outcrops dominate the landscape. There are trails all through this area. After about an hour here, we headed back to our room for a quiet cup of tea.
A quick note: This area is well known for its midges, and justifiably so. Holy cow! They swarm here! They don't bite, but they fly in your face and ears. They're such a part of life here that they sell head nets in the hotel gift shop. As we sat in the dining room, we could see swarms of them outside. By the way, they also have biting flies here too.
Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/VrNXKvGEVGipR1Kp9
No comments:
Post a Comment