Before describing the day (our last on the road and the longest — 8 AM to 10 PM), I need to tell you that the Icelandic quack is: brra, brra said in quick succession — the r is rolled like in Spanish. Herdis had to repeat this several times. You know my hearing is not the best. But I think that it was more that I could not believe what I was hearing. I have to admit that I had a very difficult time understanding our Aussie travelers on both of our tours. Tuna is pronounced “chuna,” as an example. I worked hard without subtitles. My apologies to the Aussies if I gave a blank look or responded with a non sequitor to their questions or comments. But brra, brra? Too bad, I didn’t hear any ducks quack to confirm whether Icelandic ducks go — brra, brra.
We were off to the highlands as Herdis called the interior of Southern Iceland. We turned right from Route #1 and were soon on a gravel road. In the US, we might use the term — washboard — to describe a rough road. I thought that wash cycle in a front loader would be a more appropriate phrase given the twists and turns that we experienced even at the slowest speed. Here is another image of our vehicle after we had crossed this stream. During the day, we would cross at least thirty more.
Soon after the turn, I spotted a mountain that stood out almost by itself — Mt Laki. Imagine that we walked in its cauldron the day before. Gives another perspective on the heights that we climbed.
We arrived at Eldgja, a long valley within which was waterfall #152, Ofaurofuss, which once graced the cover of travel brochures for Iceland. This waterfall certainly is dramatic and stunning. Its distinctive natural arch that spanned the midline of the falls fell a decade or so before. Off the covers. I was saddened by this story because we all age and change. But alas, like Ofaeorfoss, people tend to dismiss the beauty that still remains. We climbed to the metal lookout platform where the natural arch once spanned the falls. Judge for yourselves.
Here are some photos of the Eldgja valley at its entrance and our hike to the waterfall (about 4 km round trip). One could hike further to the end of the valley which ends abruptly like a crevice in a glacier. I would have liked to have walked the entire valley. So peaceful and the sky was bright with wonderful clouds. But….. this time, not a waterfall but a volcano was scheduled with the most extensive lava flow in the world.
By noon, we arrived at Landmannslauger, a camping grounds and trailhead to climb the Blahnukur which overlooks the lava field, Laugahraun. We started off walking next to a river that is astride the lava field. We then climbed steeply until we reached the summit. The views were magnificent that were even more so because of the multicolored hues of the surrounding mountains.
Unlike my trepidation on the canyon walk, I pushed to the summit. Physically not a problem, all mental about heights. The panorama at the top was something to behold. The lava field spread in front of us. The mountains had bold outlines in relief. The sequence of photos below starts with the trail sign at the beginning of the final ascent until the last picture showing the mountain from below taken next to the “mother of all gas vents.” Yes, it smelled.
It was almost 5 PM when we made a dash out of the national park in order to make our dinner at the famous tomato restaurant, Frioheimer. On our Golden Circle driving tour, we had tried to find it. We failed. But on this last night, we were there as the last event of our Southern Iceland tour.
What a lovely setting. The dining area is airy and spacious. Next to our table was an enclosed section where lettuce and herbs were growing.
The food and drink? We sampled the tomato beer; we passed on the beer and had spicy Bloody Marys instead made with fresh tomato juice with seeds floating in the liquid. The 500 ml portion of beer came in an impressive glass.
Every dish incorporated tomatoes. Here is a complete set of the dishes that the group ordered. Laird and I agreed that dinner here was the best we had in Iceland. However, I have to include the pizza at Askur’s in Egilsstaoir.
The tomatoes are farmed in mammoth greenhouses. We missed the last tour at 4 PM; we had just finished our descent in Landmannalauger, miles and a gravel road away. But we made dinner.
The final leg of our tour was completed when Herdis dropped us off at the Hotel Cabin in Rekyjavik. Time to say goodbye to Herdis and our fellow travelers. We had met wonderful and curious people on both tours — all strong hikers. We shared experiences that reinforced and heightened our sense of our world’s beauty.
Good night and good luck. (Thank you Edward R Murrow)
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Loved your last day adventure! You did so much
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