Day 35

The first stop today was a hike from Arnarstapi to Hellnar along a 2.5 km path on a cliff over the coast.  It was beautiful to see the sea crashing against the rocks and the vibrant green grass.  There were many birds called Artic Terns which are known for attacking humans’ heads but thankfully I didn’t get attacked by any.  

After the hike we did a cave tour of Vatnshellir a lava cave created from an eruption 8,000 years ago.  We descended into the cave on a long spiral staircase with a guide and were shown the three rooms of the cave accessible from the opening.  I was able to see stalagmite and stalactite formations in the cave.  We were constantly being dripped on in the cave but it was so interesting to walk around in.  The guide had us all turn off our flashlights for a minute to experience complete darkness around us.  I found it very relaxing and enjoyable!

Next we went to Lóndrangar for lunch.  It was a nice area with an information center about the area and a walking path to a lighthouse on the coast.  Everyone made their own sandwiches then we walked around the information center.  Then we visited the lighthouse and got a complete 360° view around us.  

The next stop was Djúpalónssandur a beach that had rocks of different weights which used to be for testing whether someone had the necessary strength to be a fisherman.  I wasn’t able to lift the heaviest rock (154 kg) but I was able to lift the second lightest rock!  After trying to lift the rocks we walked around the beach.  It was a natural black rock beach with a big warning sign telling the danger of standing too close to the shore because the strong rip current and unexpected big waves can pull people out into the ocean. 

Then we continued our drive along the coast of Snæfellsnes peninsula around Snæfellsjökull.  This glacier was the subject in the book Journey to the Center of the Earth and shown in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  Unfortunately, even though the weather changed from an overcast morning to sunny afternoon the glacier remained hidden by fog all day.  After the beach we stopped at Kirkjufellsfoss a beautiful set of waterfalls with a great view from the top.  

Then we continued driving to the hostel where we are staying the night in Stykkishólmur.  We arrived at the hostel around 6 pm.  We are staying in rooms with 3-7 of us per room (I’m in the latter situation).  We ate a dinner of marinara and pasta then went to a nearby school to play football with some local kids and play on the playground.