Reykjavik

Our final few days were spent in and around Reykjavik.  I had to come back for a covid test in order to fly home, and straight away after that we set off for the volcano which was erupting close by.  You can climb up to see a view of the volcano, though I mostly contented myself with the lava fields.  

The following day we walked around Reykjavik and went up to the top of the Hallgrimskirkja cathedral.  It was a great view out over the city.

We also took a walk around Tjornin, the pool/lake in the city centre - lovely street art and architecture. 

We spent the afternoon and evening at the Blue Lagoon.

Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Our final day on the Ring Road before heading back to Reykjavik was driving Snaefellsnes Peninsula.  The word Snaefellsnes means Snow Mount's Peninsula, an apt name for a long peninsula that's got a volcano crowned with a glacier on its tip.

Snæfellsnes peninsula is often called Iceland in Miniature. It holds both a volcano and a glacier, lava fields, craters, waterfalls, black and white beaches, caves, picturesque mountains, calm fishing hamlets, villages and towns as well as gorgeous views along the coastline with rugged rocks jutting out from the Atlantic waves.

Budir is a small hamlet consisting of a hotel and a black church. Búðir church was first erected in 1703, but it, unfortunately, rotted down. It was rebuilt in 1848 in the form you can see today, although in a different location. In 1984 it was moved in one piece from its former location by the old graveyard to its current location. 

Arnarstapi has beautiful seaside views and interesting rocks in the sea surf, and is surrounded by a large lava field. A colony of Arctic Tern resides in the small hamlet.

Farming in the North East

Moving on anti-clockwise we drive to the North East of Iceland.  This was a remote region but we still managed to see some interesting sights along the way, one of which was the museum about life in the turf farmhouses in the region.  

Another very interesting sight along our route was the rock at Hvitserkur.  The locals have various names for this such as a drinking dragon or a petrified troll - but in any case it seems to be a picturesque place for a wedding.

Art in Akureyri and Whale watching in the Arctic Ocean

Akureyri is the largest city in the north of Iceland and in fact the second largest town in the country.  We thought that this was a lovely place, and went on an art trail in the morning before setting off for the whale watching.  

We also had a walk around the lovely Botanic Gardens.  Even the water fountain here is a work of art.

In the afternoon we drove to Husavik where we boarded a "silent" (electric) boat to head out into the Arctic Ocean to look for whales - we saw two humpback whales.  The journey was a much smoother one that I'd expected and also less cold - though I was well wrapped up.

Mountains, mud pools and more waterfalls

Onwards we went on our trip around Iceland - now turning north and west.  We drove through the Highlands and started the day with a hike to the Dettifoss Waterfall, which is the largest waterfall in Iceland (and also in Europe) by water volume.  

The Highlands themselves were spectacular - with lots of volcanic views and lava fields rising up all around us as we drove across the barren plateau.  Not an animal in sight - we were hoping to see a reindeer but were not lucky.

Our next stop was another geothermal area, Namafjall Hverir, near the Myvatn Lake.  Volcanic activity is high in this area with hot springs, boiling blue mud pits and steaming fumaroles.  

Amid all this activity there are hot bathing pools.

Our final stop of the day was the Godafoss Waterfall.  It's a beautifully shaped falls and gets its name from the time when the old Norse gods were giving way to Christianity and where a local leader threw his god statues into the falls, giving it the local name of the "Waterfall of the Gods".