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Fire & Ice: a pandemic escape to Iceland - part 8 - the last days

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The last two days and our departure The following day we returned to Keflavik, went to the Oryggis Rapid Antigen Covid-19 test centre, adjacent to the airport, dropped the car, and were then driven by Örl to the ION Nesjavellir hotel, where we spent our last two nights in Iceland, enjoying wild scenery, good food, interesting cocktails using Icelandic ingredients and Söl, and the h ot pool. Our last morning was spent in the hot pool, then to Keflavik to catch our flight out of Iceland. We had, by virtue of several phone calls, succeeded in booking a flight to Heathrow, and succeeded in checking in (among crowds of others negotiating long lines created by extensive pandemic management procedures, no doubt) with the help of friendly and helpgul Icelandair staff, who managed the fact that our original return flight had been to New York and we were now heading for London.   We took advantage of this unplanned route to spend a couple of weeks in the UK, visiting fri
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Fire & Ice: a pandemic escape to Iceland - part 7 - South Iceland

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  South Iceland   Höfn is probably the point at which one reaches South Iceland. We headed along the south coast, progressively working our way westwards, with a couple of loops along the way. The coast is dominated by high cliffs in same areas, and glaciers which approach the coast more closely than in the rest of Iceland.   We visited Hoffelsjökull, Fláajökull, and Heinabergsjökull, all of which were relatively quiet, unlike the popular Fjallsárlón lagoon, which we visited the following day and which is clearly a major tourist stop. It’s easy to see why since the lagoon is filled with floating ice from the glacier behind it.            We stayed at the Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon, once again to have good internet access for work obligations. As mentioned, we visited Fjallsárlón the following day, then made our way to Múlagljúfur Canyon, a really beautiful canyon with high waterfalls in the canyon walls. We were fortunate in terms of weather on our ascent,
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Fire & Ice: a pandemic escape to Iceland - part 6 - the East Fjords

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The East Fjords   Initially we headed for Seyðisfjörður, featured in the recent Walter Mitty film, with a long winding descent into the fjord. This is where the ferry from mainland Europe arrives and so is frequented by visitors heading into Iceland, or on their way home again. The campsite was full, however we set up at the edge of the access road, which was reasonably close to the ablutions. We dined at the good restaurant in the Hotel Aldan. The following day we walked around the town after coffee and croissants at Aldan. On our exploration we found that it was a National Holiday, however we were able to visit the Skaftell Art Gallery.    We then headed for Stuðlagil Canyon, which has amazing columnar basalt as the walls of the canyon. We spent a short time, in the rain, on the west bank, and then found our way to the car   park on the east bank, from which we walked to the canyon and back, fortunately in good weather. From here we took F910 over the mountain
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Fire & Ice: a pandemic escape to Iceland - part 5 - North Iceland

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  North Iceland   The transition to North Iceland is at (more or less) Borðeyri where we camped. The following day we headed to Hvammistangi where we wanted to visit the Iceland Seal Centre. This visit ended up in our participation in the annual seal count, which was a very enjoyable opportunity to walk the coastline in our designated count area. We returned to the Centre to submit our seal count form, finding that we were the first back (principally owing to our having misunderstood the start time, however the officials were happy with the result).   From here we made our way into the Highlands for the first time, via F35 (for which 4x4 is required), and reached Hveravellir Lodge in high winds and rain. Camping was out of the question however we were able to rent a cubicle in the Hut (shipping Container 4) and after setting up in this tiny space went to the geysers to enjoy the hot springs.   Our next port of call was the excellent Icelandic Textile Centre at Blönduós, af
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Fire & Ice: a pandemic escape to Iceland - part 4 - The Westfjords

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  The Westfjords   This region is similar to the west coast of Norway, although the fjords are less steep rising from the sea. Even so it was fascinating to travel the length of each one of the fjords with the road on the opposite shore visible and knowing that it might take an hour or three to reach the other side. We enjoyed this remoter area a great deal, visiting deserted beaches and walking below steep cliffs. We saw Brekkuvellir Beach and the Kleifaheiði monument on our way to the cliffs at Latrabjarg where we had been assured that we would see puffins, which we found easily, along with razorbills, fulmars, and gulls - various). Latrabjarg is the westernmost point in Iceland – after that it’s Greenland and Canada. We camped at Breiðavik campsite and enjoyed local beers at the Hotel. From here we explored the Hnjótur Museum, Rauðisandur & Melanes Beach, Patreksfjördur, and spent some time at the Sea Monster Museum in Bíldadalir. The hot pool at Reykjafjar
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Fire & Ice: a pandemic escape to Iceland - part 3 - Snæfellsnes Peninsula

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Snæfellsnes Peninsula   Proved to be as worthwhile as the recommendation of Palli led us to believe. The many beaches, coves, and steep ranges were stunning, and we found many treasures to appreciate, from the walk to the Elsborg crater, through the tiny café at Ytri Tunga beach, Gerðuberg Cliffs , Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge , the black beach at Djúpalónssandur, Hellissandur murals, Öndverðarnes point, Skarðsvík beach, and up to the highest point at the glacier-topped Snæfellsjökull . From here we explored   Kirkjufellsfoss on our way east and left the peninsula on our way to the Westfjords – perceived as the remotest area of Iceland.                  Alan & Marce, 2021 July/August
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Fire & Ice: a pandemic escape to Iceland - part 2 - South West Iceland

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The trip : We made our way to Iceland via New York, where we visited our friends JoAnn and Irwin, staying at Irwin’s apartment (many thanks again for your kind hospitality). Our brief stay included a wander around the Columbia University district, a walk the length of Central Park, a visit to MoMA, and picking up a few items we would need in the following month. Our arrival at Keflavik, which had worried us somewhat in terms of the requirements for Covid-19 vaccination certificates which would be acceptable, was uneventful (although a potential concern with respect to our future return plans arose - more on which we’ll mention later…). When it had been required to isolate following a Covid-19 test we had booked a hotel adjacent to the airport for our first night (in reality our first morning since the flight arrived at 0600h) and we later extended the booking for a second night, so we had an afternoon and a full day to explore the area.  Southwest Iceland : The Viking World Mus
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