Day 4, Monday, September 4th: The Great Divide

There were some violent winds last night and torrential downpours. You can really feel the weather in these tents as the material actually can shake. We checked our watches and it was around 07:30. 7 degrees Celsius and the dome was pretty chilly! Good opportunity to snuggle under the covers and watch the clouds in the sky. Cloudy, then blue skies with minimal winds. Our goal is to leave by 10:00. Our breakfast was simple and things we had purchased previously. The shower became hot very quickly and given the dome was still pretty chilly that was much appreciated. We packed our stuff up and at that point it was a sunny day with only a few clouds. We really enjoyed our 'glamping' experience in the forest in Iceland. Was it worth the $? Given we will probably never do this again then it was a worthy experience.

We drive to Thingvellir Natural Park in order to complete our Golden Circle tour. Many of our friends had described the famous Silfra Fissure which is where two tectonic plates (Mid-Atlantic Range) meet so you can be between two plates. Not sure if that is possible anywhere else in the world although the San Andreas Fault that is open in California may be comparable?

During our 30 minute drive there are many vehicles driving in the opposite direction as the huge Lake Thingvallavatan is a major tourist stop. Also, this is where you can dive on the Silfra Fissure. Not the kind of weather or temperatures I want to dive in so we did not pursue that option. In fact, you can walk on the fissure, visit the Park Information Centre and then do a hike. 

When we arrived at a smaller info centre, we weren't sure where everything was? The person showed us on the map where the larger info centre was located, how to get there and confirmed that was where we would find the fissure. Short drive and then found parking in another large parking lot as this place was very busy! We paid the equivalent of $7.50CAD for parking and zero entry fee so it was a pretty good deal. 

A brief aside about the usual weather patterns during our stay in Iceland. This morning it went from sunny skies to heavy rains to sunny skies and back to rains. You just have to prepare for the weather changing. We wear our rainwear and footwear that can tolerate the rains and cold. Overall, we have been fairly lucky when outside seeing the various sights.

 

Information Board at the National Park

Part of the Fissure which is known as Almannagja. This is a very small opening compared to the actual one we walk through. 

This is the famous Almannagja gorge where you can see the boundaries of the Mid-Atlantic Range above ground and is a place of great historical and cultural importance to Icelandic peoples. As you can see from the photo there are blue skies and some sunshine. Within a few minutes heavy rain hits us.  

Yes, it is a steep pathway through the gorge at this point. Lots of hiking trails in the area as well inclusive of the lake. 

Lana loves taking pictures of the Basalt stacks and they are super interesting with their natural shapes. 

Fascinating folds on the rock faces in the gorge. 

More basalt rock formations within the gorge. 

Lana's panoramic picture of the gorge from across the lake. The sheer length of the fissure is amazing to see. 

Apparently there are many fish in this gigantic lake that borders the gorge. I did not bring my fly rod!

Lana here--below is a picture of a "camper van" you can rent to tour around Iceland. When we were planning this trip, I got the wild idea after doing some research that we might want to rent one of these self contained camper vans. It comes with camp stove, table, chairs, and this one is the kind where the bed pops-up on the roof into a triangular structure (you need a ladder to climb into it). I thought how fun it might be to sleep under the stars and be out in nature for a few nights. When I told Randy about this idea, he looked at me as if I had a third eye-ball and said "no way you are going to want to be camping in something like that". The second photo is the other style of camper van where you sleep in the back of the van and everything is stored underneath the bed platform. 

Lana here: After hearing the pounding rain and fierce winds in both our hotel and dome, I'm SOOO glad Randy talked me out of camping in a van even if just for 1-2 nights. It would have been a nightmare trying to sleep in a vehicle out in the open. I can't imagine being on a car roof-top being pelted by rain and howling winds all night. Not to think of how cold it would have been. The glamping experience was must more enjoyable!! Whewwww--avoided being an UNHAPPY camper this trip :)




We decide to head towards Reykjavik and find a place to eat then visit Blue Lagoon. We cannot check in to our Reykjavik Airbnb apartment until after 15:00. On the drive we encountered all sorts of weather which is no surprise. We figure we should be able to find a restaurant for lunch somewhere in or around the city. Lana locates a casual sandwich place Nonnabiti somewhere in Reykjavik and just off a main drag. We use Google Maps to navigate to this unassuming place in a strip mall. We had to ask for an English menu at the counter which is a first. Randy ordered a sandwich and Lana ordered a burger with some fries and an Icelandic "Mix" pop of lemon lime and orange flavours. Good portion sizes, but the usual outrageous pricing. The place was very busy and we waited quite some time for our order. We both decided to only eat 1/2 of our meals and we'll save the rest for a big hike tomorrow. 

Mural on the wall of Nonnabiti. Here's something you don't see often for artwork in a deli!

Randy's order of a chicken & pepperoni sandwich. Pretty decent, but too much food for me. 

Back on the road to take us south to the very famous Blue Lagoon. Quite a drive on the main road and the wind wasn't so dangerous today. Somehow we drove past the turnoff and found our way back on the freeway and then the turnoff. The parking lot was gigantic and there were many tour buses. When we walked to their reception area there were many people. Very confusing queue lineup and then a number of people simply standing in a large horde. We tried to ask a question at the guest area, but were told to "get in line". Eventually we get to the head of the queue and are told that all Blue Lagoon visits must be made online. They are totally sold out for today. We decide to head back to Reykjavik and check into our Airbnb and figure out our plans for tomorrow and how we could segue into a Blue Lagoon appointment. We will cover Blue Lagoon in tomorrow's blog. 

Beautiful blue water from a lagoon outside of Visitor Centre.

Same lagoon where the water is milky blue from the natural minerals. 

Back on the freeway system and into Reykjavik in about 35 minutes. Google Maps takes us to the apartment building and we find free street parking near the entrance. It appears to be an Industrial area and a working man greets us before we try to enter. He indicates the elevator is not working and not sure when it will be serviced? The apartment is on the 4th floor so it is a long haul with two suitcases up the stairs for Randy. The keys are under the placement in front of the apartment door. It is a roomy studio apartment with a double-sized bed near the windows. Two couches and matching chair. A small table near the kitchen area. Everything looks clean and fairly modern. Our windows face the rear of the building so should be pretty quiet.

After putting our stuff away and getting it organized our first priority is to figure out how to combine a hike with the Blue Lagoon. There was a volcanic eruption south of Reykjavik about six months ago that made the news. Recently the eruption was declared over given no activity in the crater since early August. The eruption is called: Litle-Hrútur and is the most recent volcanic activity on the island. For certain we want to hike into the crater, but the hike is estimated at 18 kms round trip, so will take some time. Fortunately, the parking lot for the hikers is about 20 minutes from the Blue Lagoon. It is an hour drive to the crater hiking parking lot and then estimated at between 6-8 hours total hiking. If we leave around 09:00 tomorrow we can do the hike and get to Blue Lagoon for 17:00.

We go online to reserve a 17:00 appointment for tomorrow for two persons, but are thwarted in the final process of validating our credit cards. Lana calls their customer service and they will reserve two spots for tomorrow and we can pay on our arrival. Phew! Plus, we have an hour grace time in case we don't make it for 17:00 appointments. 

Lana took a picture of fish jerky that was being sold in Bónus Supermarket. She did not buy this product. We did purchase our supplies for breakfasts, some deli meat for sandwiches and a huge container of water. Credit card of course. We have not purchased any Iceland Kroner currency as yet. No need.....

While Lana has a short nap on our new bed, Randy does some loading of photos and other work on this blog. We are both ready for dinner so Lana does her research on restaurants close to our apartment and we are in luck as we have a number of choices. We are eager to begin sampling Icelandic cuisine and there are options. There is a great choice for native cuisine and it is about a five minute walk. 

Skál! is located in Iceland's first food hall at Hlemmur Mathöll. Lana using her Google Maps app to navigate our walk downhill to this food hall. Lana did not enjoy yesterday's food hall experience with the Thai food so was reticent once we arrived. Eventually, she caved in and agreed to give this small restaurant a try. We really want to try local food. We sat at the counter and ordered off the menu. The food prices are still outrageous, but at least somewhat cheaper than a regular restaurant. 

Menu on the counter and in English (of course).

Randy's very delicious order of Arctic Char with mashed potatoes. Amazing fish--Lana asked how they prepared it and it's a three step process. First, cure the fish for 1 hour with salt and sugar. Then to serve, they bake it for 3 mins. Then they use a small torch and sear it on the plate. It is service with capers and smoked onions. So good!

Lana's order of lamb. Tender and rich, The sauce is a fruity, asian flavour and it complimented the lamb perfectly.

There was a gelato place Gaeta Gelato located in the corner of this food hall and we could not resist this for our dessert. Lots of choices and you can put two flavours in one cup if you wish. This photo of licorice flavour is for our friends Lars/Tina and Stéphan who LOVE licorice! Thought of them when we saw this. 

Lana's order on the left is Pistachio & Stracciatella and Randy's order on the right of Cherry. We sat on high top chairs and did some people watching. 

Weather this afternoon after arrival in Reykjavik and right now is decent as it is not super windy and no rain. It is chilly though at 11 degrees Celsius. The expected low tonight will be 6 degrees. Lana loves watching her latest Korean drama series on Netflix called "The Glory". Lots of violence though. We are back in a city though after being in the countryside since Friday. Completely different vibe in the city of course. Pretty quiet in the apartment. 

Statistics:  10,700 steps   &    22 Floors