We awoke this morning to a wonderful spread of fresh bread, waffles (Autumn’s favorite!), fruit, cereal, meat, cheese and coffee. We had high hopes of going whale watching in Husavik, where 11 different species of whale are seen every summer (including BLUE WHALES!). We called ahead to confirm if there was space on the 11am tour (seems impossible between jetlag and yummy breakfasts to mobilize quickly in the mornings, but that’s alright given that there’s no daylight cutoff at the end of the day)! Both companies we called had space, but warned us of really rough seas (they had to cancel most of yesterday’s tours), which would make it not ideal for adults, let alone a nearly 2 year old! We were bummed, but appreciated their honesty, so we decided instead to backtrack slightly to Myvatn to check out some of the stuff we ran out of time to do yesterday. We did the scenic road around the lake that is home to over 115 species of birdlife, many of which only live in that area. Of particular note were some of the cool duck species and these giant geese/swans that we’ve seen all over the northern portions of the island. We admired the lava fields and hiked up to Hverfjall cone/crater. It was a bit blustery up top, but the 360 degree views of the surrounding Martian landscape were totally worth it!
We then returned to our favorite gas station in town to use the bathrooms (we are on a mission to not have to pay for our bathroom breaks) and Autumn requested a repeat hot dog and ice cream experience, which we happily obliged (it seems like she’s hardly eating this trip, but she downed those two items very quickly!)
Next up, Godafoss, waterfall of the gods. It’s considered by many to be one of the most beautiful waterfalls in all of Iceland. It was pretty neat to see the multiple cascades and be able to walk right up to the falls. The backdrop was also pretty spectacular.
Our path took us through Akureyi, the “capitol of the North.” We stopped for some fuel and groceries and carried on through the mountain pass to Hvammstangi. As we pulled up to our cabin, the sun came out and we couldn’t believe that we were staying in such a beautiful cabin right on the water! We enjoyed visiting with the other guest in the cottage and watched the never-ending sunset from the living room. What a view!!!
