Snaefellsjokull National Park

Occupying the western tip of the Snaefellsnes Penninsula, the Snaefellsjokull National Park is centered around the volcano and glacier of the same name. Sadly, the mountain was still socked in and not visible when we awoke this morning. And it was still raining and breezy. Not the best of days to visit a national park, which is all about the great outdoors.

Last night's dinner at the Hellner was a bit frustrating. There were only three dinner entrees, one had garlic, and the other two didn't appeal to Sally. So she had some tasty fish soup for dinner. I had chicken for the first time this trip, and it was also tasty. There was a local wedding reception going on in the restaurant, with about half the tables occupied by guests. They seemed to be enjoying themselves despite the rain and all. But I guess they're used to it, as they live in Iceland.

After breakfast, I went for a walk along the coast that started right behind the hotel. The rain let up shortly after I left, although everything was very muddy and wet. The scenery was awesome and I had a good time.

Cove, June 2016

 

Cairns on the beach, June 2016

A flower grows in rock-land, June 2016

We checked out and headed into the park. Our plan was to take the road around the park, and stop where it looked interesting. Then head to Reykjavik and find lunch along the way. The estimated driving time for the whole thing was 4.5 hours, plus any stops we took.

Still no sign of a glacier, June 2016

We made a couple of quick stops, where we both got out and walked to a viewpoint, or just I got out.

At the extreme west end of the park (and the penninsula) a small road headed off the main road towards the sea. I had remembered reading about this, and one travel writer said it was a bumpy ride but worth it. So we started down a paved road. A few miles in there was a small parking area and a few signs, so we stopped (of course). Turns out that the buried body of a Viking from the early settlement days was found there, along with a sword and other tools and artifacts. In addition, there was a very pretty white sand beach with some nice rock formations.

We continued down the road, which immediately turned to dirt. Or I should say, rocks. Actually, rutted dirt and rocks. By far the worst road I ever drove on. Walking would be rough on this road. But we stuck it out and got to the end, where there was a terrific lighthouse.

Orange Lighthouse, June 2016

And more rocks, of course.

Hraun Restaurant - good food, June 2016

And that was about it for the park. After picking our way back on the dirt and rock road to the main road, we continued on out of the park. After passing a few towns which had nothing to offer, we found the Hraun Restaurant in Olafsvik. Sally had a burger and fries; I had a pizza. It might have been the best lunch we had on the trip (although the pizza at Daddi's in Myvatn could tie it). Huge menu, friendly service, and very reasonable: we got out for $32, which is great in this country.

We're now back in Reykjavik, at the Alda Hotel, for our last night. We have a 7:45 am pickup to go to the airport and home. After walking a bit in either direction from the hotel, we settled on eating in the hotel restaurant. The owner/chef was there, and insisted Sally could eat almost anything on the menu - so she had barbecue ribs, which is a very rare treat. And they were delicious, despite the absence of garlic.

Before we came, we found out that you can charge anything here, and cash is really not necessary. Being a bit cautious, I bought 10,000 krona (about $80) at the airport when we arrived. Today we used 1,000 kr. for a tunnel toll, and the other 9,000 kr. for dinner. Dinner was actually 9,060 kr., so I charged the extra 60 kr. - about 48 cents. If you're ever here, rest assured that you really don't need any cash anywhere(1).

 

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(1) While we didn't find anything that you couldn't charge, there are a number of places that don't accept American Express, most notably gas stations. We always travel with at least one AmEx and one Visa, just to be sure.

 

Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans