Iceland 2: The Snuffalufugus Peninsula

We woke up bright and early today so I could get myself into shape to have a good day.  We received a text early, confirming that the tour was on.  Yesterday, many tours were canceled because of a big storm.  We walked a few minutes to a popular bus stop, where a whole crowd gathered.  After a few buses and minibuses came and went, a small minivan parked and called out our name.

We were very lucky in that only two other people were on this tour with us, a young couple from Hong Kong.  I asked them if they were pro-independence or welcomed mainland china.  They informed me that they participate in protests, albeit from the back.  They knew a surprising amount of English.

Today was spent traveling to and around the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.  Our tour guide Zaho, said the name out loud, but I didn't ask him to slow it down long enough to fully comprehend it.  I've been calling it the Snuffalufugus Peninsula.  The Peninsula, situated about two hours north of Reykjavik, is supposed to represent a little bit of everything that Iceland has to offer.   I have been looking forward to seeing it more than anything else this trip.


As we entered the Peninsula, I began seeing many commonalities with what I saw in the Scottish Highlands.  Our first stop was to see Kirkjufell mountain and its nearby falls.  It had rained the whole drive up, and continued to drizzle here.  I grabbed my camera rain cover, which I had never used up until this point, and began walking with Miles up the hill, with him carrying my tripod for me.  We had limited time and it wasn't particularly comfortable to walk around in that temperature, so I took some pictures knowing that there would be people in the background anyway.  The area was magnificent.  I wish I had more time to stay.  The nearby town of Grundarfjörður reportedly has many birds during the summer, along with whale watching.



We drove a few minutes farther down the road, before stopping for lunch.  I had bread, red hummus, and wild mushroom soup.  The prices were extraordinary, as is all food in Iceland!  Luckily, the food was very good.  We passed an incredibly beautiful black crater, but it was not on the itinerary so we didn't stop.  Our guide informed us that people hike to the top.  I must return there in the future!



We entered the Snæfellsnes National Park on the west side of the island.  Zaho pointed out that there were no trees here.  The land here was a mixture of volcano overflow and moss growing on top of it.  Making a footprint would cause it to remain permanently.  The area was exquisite.  I noticed that there were no areas to pull over and take pictures, likely in an effort to keep people moving rather than spoil the beauty with litter or by walking where they shouldn't.  We stopped about halfway through the park in a small parking lot, to walk down and see the beach at Beruvíkurbæir.  The rocks were insane, the views of the lava fields were ridiculous, and the crashing waves were higher than any place I've ever seen.  Twice Miles and I had to make a run for it because the water shot across the ground much farther than it previously was.  I remained mercifully dry.



A short drive and we were at the small fishing village of Arnarstapi.  At this point I had begun sitting in the front seat and asking Zaho an endless amount of questions about Iceland and life in Iceland.  Iceland's main economy was based around fishing until the tourist boom began not long ago.  We made two stops here, allowing us to see the fantastic rock archway of Gatklettur which hung over the sea.



As the light grew darker, we doubled back to the entrance to the only lava tunnel on Iceland.  Unlike the one we saw in South Korea, this one is only shown in small groups and has no lighting set up inside.  We were each given flashlights and descended into the cavern on a long spiral staircase.  The guide told us stories about trolls and tried to make a lot of jokes.  One of my favorite parts was toward the end when he had us all shut off our flashlights and we were in complete darkness, punctuated by the water dripping from the ceiling.



We gathered in the bus and made one final quick stop at one of the three black churches in Iceland.  It was lit up beautifully.



Our hotel is very nice and had a very good, albeit very expensive dinner.  We sat at a table next to our guide, with no one else in the entire restaurant.  I continued asking him questions.  For dessert, he recommended skyr, a type of yogurt with fruit on top.  It was very creamy and quite good.  Tomorrow will be the second half of this first tour.