Adventures with Julia

July 20, 2017

We stopped for the day at 4:30 in a small place called Silfurberg Country Resort in the Breiddalur valley in eastern Iceland. The setting is lovely and the place spotless, but very small. There is no room for our bags and no chair to sit in. Strictly a sleeping space and a small bathroom. Fortunately there is a living room sitting area and an outdoor hot tub near our room. I want to write about today before I forget things. I will write about the 19th when I can.

This morning we left the Smyrlabjorg Hotel and drove east into the east Iceland Fjords. The day started out a pleasant 14c under a pale blue sky. We even felt comfortably warm, especially after the deluge we suffered all day yesterday. Except for yesterday, we have had reasonably good weather in the low to mid 50’s with clear to overcast skies and little precipitation. However, light to heavy breezes seem to follow us everywhere. So in addition to along sleeved shirt, a vest and, often, a fleece, I have needed my wind breaker. Mark is wearing long pants everyday, not his usual get up, as well as a vest and sometimes his wind breaker. As usual, I brought way too many things. If I ever return to the same place, I will know what to do next time.

Th soil left from a receding glacier makes for good farm land.

A farm in an ideal setting.

Shortly after leaving the hotel, we saw more glaciers.  At one point we could count 4 at a glance.  All  are in retreat with lush pastures and farmhouses between them and the sea.

We drove to the small, ocean side town of Hofn to find a post office. After sending a few post cards, we drove out to the point and enjoyed the view and the calm air. From there we drove 250km through the scarcely populated, stark, yet beautiful, even spectacular scenes along the East Fjords of Iceland. As we drove along the wind picked up and the clouds rolled in. So much for our sunny day. We were grateful there was only a few sprinkles. The clouds made for some interesting photos.

About 11am we drove off the highway to a place called Viking Cafe. They sold coffee and tickets to visit a nearby aging film set for a “sometime in the future” Hollywood movie about the Vikings. The ticket was also an entry fee for the private reserve and black sand beach. The Viking film set was curiously interesting as it was quite different than the reconstructed Viking home we saw earlier.

Viking Cafe. Have a coffee and pay to see the film set for a Viking movie to be made sometime in the future.

Movie set buildings for an intended future film about Vikings.  Hope it happens.  Id like to see it.

Then we drove out to a lighthouse overlooking a long black sand beach to take photos and nearly got swept away, with gusts up to 30-35mph. Our picnic lunch was an ocean side, in-the-car affair with cheese, crackers, sardines and water. Really exiting. Cracker crumbs everywhere.   At least we did not spill the sardines. I suggested we buy something different for the next lunch and Mark suggested we stop at a restaurant. Novel idea, if we can find one on these lonely roads. At one point we drove through a tunnel that made a constant turn to the left for about 1km. We stopped several times for stunning scenery.  Occasional farms along the coast were photogenic too.

A huge black sand beach during a windy day.

Fog on the mountain looks live a crashing wave.

An awesome scene from our day on the East Coast of Iceland.

Mid-afternoon we reached a small village called Breiddalsvik. As we drove around the village, we realized that the wind had died down and the sky was clearing. A lady in a local hotel, gave us directions to a waterfall we wanted to see before reaching our hotel for the night. She told us the the East Coast often has high winds.

Mid-afternoon we reached a small village called Breiddalsvik. As we drove around the village, we realized that the wind had died down and the sky was clearing.

Beljandi Waterfall. Not so grand, but very pretty with lupine growing along its banks. Near our hotel for the night.

A lady in a local hotel, gave us directions to a waterfall we wanted to see before reaching our hotel for the night. She told us the the East Coast often has high winds and to look for better weather tomorrow.  Hope she is right.

The Beljandi Waterfall was in the middle of nowhere on a dirt road. Good thing we had directions. It was very different from the other falls we have seen in Iceland, but very sweet. No high hills, just a broad low land waterfall. A half hour later we pulled into the Silfurberg Country Resort. Once a large sheep farm, it has been converted into a 5 unit guest house. The couple who own it are very friendly and answered a number of my questions about Icelandic farms. We learned that all horses in Iceland are Icelandic horses. No new horses are allowed into the country and no horse that leaves, can come back. Apparently the horses stay healthy that way. They originally arrived as small horses with the Vikings in the 8th and 9th centuries and have been bred to be strong and long lived, Icelandic sheep are also very hardy. They get sheared twice a year regardless of the weather and do fine. By the way, winter in Iceland is not as cold as you might expect. It rarely gets below freezing and animals do very well outdoors. Now for the truth about the bales of hay. Our first informer was a 16 year old boy. Now we have the word from an elderly seasoned farmer. The color of the plastic around the bale makes no difference in the hay. Yes, pink and blue represent charitable donations. Otherwise, the grss is cut and spread on the ground for a day or two to dry out. Then it is baled and wrapped with plastic in one operation. The baled and wrapped hay remains fresh for up to two years.

Before dinner we had some Oban scotch Mark had purchased at the Duty Free.  Been nipping on it most every evening.  Enjoyed a delightful home made lamb dinner. Sat in the outdoor hot tub for awhile and are now in bed writing and reading.  The WiFi here is very slow.  Hope this get to you soon.  God bless you all,  Julia