As Mentioned in my first Iceland blog installment, I realized traveling with Dominic and his father would be a different experience than expected. The first few days of our trip went normally without any noticeable “german” quirks, but as we drove towards Snæfellsnes peninsula the adventurous desire to explore really took possession of both men. I know an urge to explore doesn’t sound like a bad quirk, but for me, being a bit conservative and not wanting to step on local toes, I thought some of the carelessness/perhaps not completely legal adventures were uncomfortable. Both men were the drivers of our escapade which gave me plenty of time in the back seat with travel books, maps, and driving laws. So I had a better understanding of what our limitations should be as well as making me more nervous than necessary.
Recognized Tourist Sites
Snæfellsnes peninsula is full with varying national sights: crevices, waterfalls, volcanic craters, beaches, ragged cliffs and home to the glacier volcano Snæfellsjökull, resulting in the nick name of Iceland in Miniature. It’s also a popular day trip from Reykjavik and many sight stops can be seen from the main road.
Gerduberg Basalt Columns
One doesn’t have to drive specifically to this sight to see Basalt columns developed from basaltic lava rapidly cooling. The end product or the 6 sided columns, are actually scattered throughout Iceland. This just happened to be an excellent/large formation where one could get really close and take the time for photos.
Yuri Tunga
Yuri Tunga is a rocky beach known for its sun bathing seals. Dominic and I were incredibly lucky to spot several pairs of mothers and pups before I scared them into the water. It’s hard to blend in with your surroundings wearing bright pink and turquoise.
Raudfeldargjá Canyon
From a distance Raudfeldargjä Canyon was already impressive and even more so when we neared the base of this monstrosity. The legend of the canyon is interesting if not a bit extreme, but hey Iceland is after all an island founded on thieving murderous slavers. The legend goes that a half-man half troll Bárdur had beautiful daughters. One day as his nephews and daughters were playing together, his daughter Helga was placed on an iceberg and landed on Greenland. Helga was unharmed but Bárdur was so upset that he killed his nephews. He pushed his nephew Raudfeldur into the canyon and his nephew Sölvi off a nearby cliff, pretty extreme punishments if you ask me.
Lóndrangar Cliffs
Bird infested rock formations with a strong smell of sea and s**t. This was a very accessible location and was pretty full with tour groups. One had the option of walking down closer to the beach but we decided to just jump back in the car and avoid the crowd in other locations.
Saxhóll
Is a large volcanic crater without water at its base. It was pretty convenient to get to the top thanks to the help of the stairs, but for some who aren’t somewhat fit, it could be strenuous. Personally for me it was a sight good to stretch the legs but not very interesting for the eyes.
Kirkjufell
Kirkjufell is probably one of the iconic mountains of Iceland, often photographed in the backdrop of a waterfall that is also nearby. To avoid the crowd we decided to view this stair stacked mountain from a less famous view point. Surprisingly this mountain is hikable but I think I will leave that to more extreme hikers than myself.
Questionable Tourist Sights
Along, this part of our trip we took several detours, one was a legal road that headed to the Glacier, but it was sadly blocked with a large mound of icy snow. The two other side trips are of questionable legality. The first tour we took was off from the Gerduberg Basalt Columns. The road had continued on but ended up being a dead end. Instead of turning back the men decided to branch out. I stayed in the car not wanting to disturb the “fragile” plant life that I kept reading about in the travel guides. Whereas Dominic climbed a nearby hill for a better view, and his dad wondered somewhere in the opposite direction. They explored while I stressed out in the car, thinking they’re killing all the moss. It probably wasn’t that serious and I overreacted to the situation but I still didn’t want to risk breaking a law or upsetting the locals.
The second questionable side trip ended up being an absolutely stunning view of the coastline as well as Snaefellsjökull, but to get there I think we drove on an access road, which as a tourist isn’t very legal and could have actually caused the car to no longer be insured if we were caught along with a fine (fines in Iceland can reach a hefty 1000 euro). As I mentioned before Iceland is a country where people enter at their own risk and are assumed to possess common sense. For me taking a risk to drive up to this advantage point, not knowing the land, where it would take us, or even if we would see anything worthwhile, wasn’t worth the risks. So it’s perfect I didn’t have control of the wheel or I would have missed a private view of Snæfellsnes peninsula.