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| Day 8 Route (Hamarsvöllur to Reykjavík) |
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| Snorrastofa museum in Rekholt |
Day 8 was our final day in Iceland. We stayed the night at the Hamar Hotel in Hamarsvöllur just 79 km (1 hour 10 minutes) away from the Baron Fosshotel in Reykjavík. We began the day in Reykholt by visiting Snorrastofa and its surrounding grounds. It was an interesting place and a good start to the final day.
Next up was the Hraunfossar (Lava Falls). Hraunfossar is a series of waterfalls formed by rivulets streaming out of the Hallmundarhraun lava field that flowed from an eruption of one of the volcanoes lying under the glacier Langjökull.
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| Hraunfossar Falls |
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| Barnafoss on Hvítá River |
Barnafoss is a rapid waterfall and a short walk from the Hraunfossar Falls. Barnafoss translates to the Children’s Falls and has an Icelandic folklore tale associated with it (Barnafoss Legend). The contrast between Barnafoss and Hraunfossar is striking; one is dramatic and angry, and the other one is serene and soothing.
The next stop was Deildartunguhver, the highest-flowing hot spring in Europe, located in Reykholtsdalur. It has a flow rate of 180 litres (380 pints) per second. The water at Deildartunguhver hot spring is a constant 97 degrees Celsius (207 degrees Fahrenheit). Much of the water at Deildartunguhver is used for heating Icelandic homes in the surrounding area.
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| Deildartunguhver Hot Springs |
Due to unscheduled delays while exploring the Snæfellsnes Peninsula the previous day, we returned for another afternoon of exploring. One stop was the Bjarnarfoss Waterfall (Bear Waterfall), a 262-foot (80-meter) waterfall, easily visible from Route 54. As with most Icelandic sites, there are locale legends associated with this beautiful cascading waterfall (Bjarnarfoss Legend).
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| Bjarnarfoss waterfall |
Other stops on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula included the Lóndrangar basalt cliffs (nicknamed the Rocky Castle), an abandoned farmhouse at Dagverðará, various craters and of course another view of Snæfellsjökull. The two pillars at Lóndrangar are all that remains of a volcanic crater due to erosion. The abandoned farmhouse is great stop for photographers so we weren't the only visitors that day. After one last stop for a final view of Snæfellsjökull, we headed into Reykjavík.
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| Lóndrangar basalt cliffs (aka The Rocky Castle) |
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| Abandoned Farmhouse of Dagverðará at Snæfellsnes |
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| Crater on Snaefellsnes Peninsula (near Bjarnarfoss Waterfall) |
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| Final View of Snæfellsjökull |
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A Touch of Frost (near Barnafoss Falls)
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| Deildartunguhver Geothermal Energy Facility |
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| Gamla Kirkjan, Rekholt (ca 1887) |
Our arrival in Reykjavík was late afternoon, so we only had time for was a walk around the area. At least one additional day was required to visit Reykjavík properly. One reason to return in the future! Our final photograph taken in Iceland was of a gyrfalcon (Iceland's national bird) on Laugavegur 70 Street. This beautiful work was done by Örn Tönsberg (better known as Selur One), one of Reykjavík’s most prolific street artists.
Goodbye Iceland, Hello Faroe Islands!
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| Gyrfalcon on Laugavegur 70 Street |
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Blogs in my Iceland Series.
