Day 2 in Iceland has ended and it was yet another success, even with the 50 mph winds. We started off today early. I was up at 6:30 to get ready for a full day of being outside. Thank god for thermals! We had breakfast and headed out to Hraunfossar, a series of waterfalls in the highland outfields. It was absolutely breathtaking and a great way to start the morning strong, especially since the crazy weather hadn’t hit yet.
After the falls, we hopped back on the bus for a long ride to the Snæfellsnes peninsula which includes the Snæfellsjökull glacier. We first started at Ytri Tunga, a beach on the peninsula with seals and jagged volcanic rock. The coasts of Iceland are the oldest parts of the land due to the volcanic formation beginning at the tectonic plate line running through the island. It started out nice and sunny, then quickly turned to high winds and hail. We escaped back to the bus with a new understanding of how the weather works around here. It would continue to switch form sunny and nice to crazy winds and a snowy, hail mix.
From the beach, we went to a local restaurant and had some very good tomato soup and cranberry bread. While there, we heard about the couple who owns it and how they built the house with their family. They also have a greenhouse that they produce items for themselves and other restaurants around the area, such as flowers. Overall, a very cozy stop.
We returned down the peninsula to see Armarstapi and Hellnar, a series of cliffs overlooking the sea and a dock below. Once again, the winds were insane, but the view was incredible. We all couldn’t stop laughing from the wind pushing us all forward. There were giant waves crashing on the coast and launching into the air from the wind, almost looking like a geyser. This was probably my favorite stop of the day. We got to enjoy a bit of a walk while the 50mph winds pushed us forward.
Final stop in the peninsula, we went to the Malariff lighthouse to walk the coast there as well. They had a small museum inside the information center showing off old Icelandic clothing, boats, and even dried seaweed we could try. Safe to say seaweed isn’t my thing.
On the way back to the hotel we stopped in Borgarnes for dinner of our choice. A few others and I went to a burger and rib place. On the way back to the bus, we were hit with yet another windstorm. The weather truly does change on a dime!
When we reached the hotel, Ólöf brought us some traditional Icelandic cuisine to try. We had skyr, sheep head, shark, rye bread, and an Hraun (an Icelandic candy). The skyr, rye bread, and Hraun was incredible. The sheep head was good but the texture and thought of it being a sheep’s head made it rough. The shark smelled and tasted strongly of ammonia and was incredibly salty, so safe to say I didn’t like it.
I got to truly see the vast differences of the Icelandic landscape today. Standing on a rocky beach backed up by lava fields and steep glacier mountains. Compared the Reykjavik, this is a wide variety of landscapes. It’s also incredible how people have managed to adapt to these conditions and live all over the coast. This is truly an impressive country, and I am excited to see more of it!
Swanson School of Engineering 