We set out from Hofn and snaked our way along the coast, into and out of cove after cove (I’ll reserve the word fjiord for when we finally hit the big ones on the east coast. We saw a couple of neat waterfalls along the way (what would warrant a road side attraction complete with snack bar and gift shop in the states doesn’t even have a sign or a name in this country – there are just TOO many waterfalls!!!).
We stopped for lunch in this sweet little village named Djup??? – definitely a stopover for many a tour bus, but the old wooden fishing cottages were adorable. We had some fish soup and traditional Icelandic bread and butter plus coffee… much needed since it was a blustery 40F! Autumn enjoyed the opportunity to stretch her legs down by the fishing docks before we continued on to Seydisfjirdour.
For a while the main Hwy (around the entire country) turned into a gravel road, then took us through a 6km long tunnel through the side of a mountain. Impressive infrastructure for an otherwise remote area. (The internet and 4G cell coverage is also shockingly good here!)
We wanted to get to our destination early for a change because I had heard great things about the local artisans and shops, as well as hoped to check out some of the great hiking outlined in my travel book, but alas, we hit a SNOWSTORM (today is June 6th, for the record) as we climbed the mountain pass into Seydisfjirdour. Thankfully it wasn’t sticking to the roads, but visibility was terrible and the cold, damp air was not our idea of a good time.
We checked into our charming B&B, a 100+ year old house, right in the middle of downtown. Autumn enjoyed being able to be a happy toddler and color and play with stickers in our cozy loft while dad caught up on trip photos and mom checked out the local wares. Our host, Lucinda, was so incredibly welcoming and made us some delicious coffee, and her granddaughter took a liking to Autumn and brought out some toys to share.
We had a light dinner of soup and sandwiches in our room then took out Gabriella for some ice cream and a trip to the playground. Her English was so impressive and she taught us some Icelandic phrases as well! We got to admire the old homes, giant ferry from Norway/Denmark that was in port, and marvel at the towering snow-capped peaks that rise up on either side of this hamlet of 650 residents. It was such a lovely (and unexpected) evening to relax and recharge a bit, and take in the local charm. We all managed to go to bed at a more “normal” time and sleep well thanks to the comfy bed and dark curtains in our room (waking up at 2am to use the bathroom and have it look like twilight is still really disorientating from a time perspective.)
