Just taking our time
A little rain, but not too bad!
I started the day with something I needed to do before I left home, but was too busy to find the time. I got a haircut. I got a haircut in Spain 18 months ago and now I have a haircut in Iceland. Laurie seems to think this is a much better “thing” than visiting foreign emergency rooms something I have done more than once. I must agree.
Even I'll admit I look a lot better
The barber in Isafjordur went by “Frenchie” as he was from France. With EU rules, he can go anywhere in the EU and work without all the technicalities….which is pretty nice. He lived in the states for four years playing professional soccer(football to them) and then a few other countries and finally settling in Iceland.
An EXCELLENT barber
He no longer plays but still coaches (heading out to dinner we saw him at the soccer field coaching). He has a girlfriend here and likes Iceland. He had worked cutting hair for most of his life when he wasn’t playing football and as he got older he decided to step away from being an active player. Instead, he coaches players, and opened a barber shop. He did a splendid job and was such a nice guy. The name of it is Vestri Barbershop. One of the best haircuts I've ever had.
View down the valley near Bolafjall
I head back to the apartment, pick up Laurie and we ride down the fjord from where we were staying. I had read about a place with amazing views and decided to go there. It is called Bolafjall and used to be a NATO radar station. It’s perched high on a cliff above the ocean.
A misty view from Bolafjall
Before we got there we went through a small coastal town, we stopped at the gas station and had wonderful coffee (for me) and tea (for Laurie). We get coffee. From a gas station. It’s a properly made latte and comes with a small piece of chocolate. In a cup that’s not paper or styrofoam. Pretty nice.
A lighthouse along the way
We head up the mountain to Bolafjall. They recently built a special viewing platform which made the views even better….not to mention safer. It cantilevers over the cliff and you can look all the way down to the sea, without going to the edge of a cliff and risking it falling away with you. Pretty good plan if you ask me.
The ends of the earth.....sorta.
From there we head to “The ends of the earth”, which is in reality just the end of this fjord. It has a beach and beautiful views. I fly the drone some, we take photos, and eat a nice picnic lunch. After that we head back into town.
Fishing village from the early 1900's
We planned on going to a special restaurant on our last night called Tjöruhúsið. The word means “Tar House”. It is run by a family and the food is served buffet style. At around 70 bucks a person we knew it wouldn’t be cheap but this was a special dinner, and we didn’t mind.
Dinner at Tjöruhúsið
You start with a fish soup that was amazing. This included fresh made breads, and drinks. This was followed by a buffet with over 8 different types of fish dishes, salads, vegetables, and so many different kinds of Icelandic food. It was simply amazing….and the cost was a bargain. Wow. We were so impressed.
We head back to the apartment, I do some photo editing and we try to sleep off our meal. It was a great day and I love experiencing things like this with Laurie. She’s such a wonderful traveling companion.
More tomorrow.
We head back to the apartment, I do some photo editing and we try to sleep off our meal. It was a great day and I love experiencing things like this with Laurie. She’s such a wonderful traveling companion.
More tomorrow.
Tomorrow (actually today)
Just a spot along the road
On to day two of this post, where we pick up and leave our lovely little apartment in Isafjordur and head east down the coast. We pack our bags, load the car, and start our journey.
This was such a great place to stay, very close to everything in town but quiet. The hosts were wonderful and chatty and lived upstairs. We just loved our stay at Sólheimar Apartments and cannot recommend it highly enough. Stay there if you’re up this way.
This was such a great place to stay, very close to everything in town but quiet. The hosts were wonderful and chatty and lived upstairs. We just loved our stay at Sólheimar Apartments and cannot recommend it highly enough. Stay there if you’re up this way.
Route 61, Westfjords
t was a simple day, mostly just traveling the 240 kilometers (about 150 miles)to our next stay. Along the way we stopped at an authentic Icelandic sod house for coffee and a waffle. It was as Laurie says “so cute”! The waffle wasn’t bad either.
When you say it’s a sod house, they’re sometimes built into the earth, sometimes made of wood or stone. But both types have sod roofs. This was a wood house with a sod roof. Ceilings inside were a little over 6 feet tall.
When you say it’s a sod house, they’re sometimes built into the earth, sometimes made of wood or stone. But both types have sod roofs. This was a wood house with a sod roof. Ceilings inside were a little over 6 feet tall.
Tea, waffle, rhubarb and blueberry jam
We move on down the fjord, taking in the views, checking out old abandoned houses, and just enjoying our journey. We arrive at our new stay, an apartment on a farm, in the middle of nowhere. The owners also live next door and have done a wonderful job putting together such a great accommodation.
Our apartment on the farm
They have 3 apartments on the farm in addition to their apartment and a house for one of the farm hands and his family as best I can tell. The accommodations are part of the farm business and seem to be full tonight from the number of cars outside. Rightfully so…..it’s a great place.
Off to bed, to rest for more adventures with the one I love the most. Goodnight everyone. Now a bit from Laurie
Off to bed, to rest for more adventures with the one I love the most. Goodnight everyone. Now a bit from Laurie
Hi from Laurie!
We are winding our trip down. Hard to believe we only have one more full day here in the WestFjords. It has been such a great trip with many photos to help remember. In fact I’m really glad my phone dates things because it helps me recall what we did which day.
We went whale watching 2 days ago and I was very pleased that I did not get sea sick at all. I stayed out on deck even though it was pretty brisk. I brought several layers with me and put on everything I had. I will say, the REI rain gear I bought before coming did the trick of cutting the wind out.
We went whale watching 2 days ago and I was very pleased that I did not get sea sick at all. I stayed out on deck even though it was pretty brisk. I brought several layers with me and put on everything I had. I will say, the REI rain gear I bought before coming did the trick of cutting the wind out.
One of the non-rainy times
We glimpsed a few Minke whales as they surfaced to take a breath before diving to bottom feed. Whale watching requires a great deal of patience. Everyone looks out and then suddenly someone spots one, everyone rushes over, exclaiming in delight and then it is over in less than 30 seconds. But that’s ok. We saw some and it was nice getting out on a boat.
We have had the gamut of weather this trip. The brief intervals of sunshine were blissful and warm but the weather never stays the same very long. I have gotten a system down for putting on and taking off layers so I haven’t really been uncomfortable. But I also haven’t been willing to strip down to a bathing suit and walk any distance to a hot spring yet.
We have had the gamut of weather this trip. The brief intervals of sunshine were blissful and warm but the weather never stays the same very long. I have gotten a system down for putting on and taking off layers so I haven’t really been uncomfortable. But I also haven’t been willing to strip down to a bathing suit and walk any distance to a hot spring yet.
Iceland's version of Waffle House
Our accommodations have gotten increasingly spacious and this last apartment is the biggest. Hotel rooms are fine for a while but it is really nice to be able to spread out some. It is interesting how people have gotten on board with the influx of tourists and built, or renovated, spaces to make money off the outsider influx. Can’t fault them for that.
This apartment is the most remotely located we have stayed in. A very small sign points the way off the road to a farm with new apartments that I’m sure Bill will post pictures of. There are 2 very large greenhouses, and a pasture area. It is beautiful and peaceful.
This apartment is the most remotely located we have stayed in. A very small sign points the way off the road to a farm with new apartments that I’m sure Bill will post pictures of. There are 2 very large greenhouses, and a pasture area. It is beautiful and peaceful.
An unattended N-1 single pump
Once again we have traveled through tiny towns nestled along the shore with the usual school, N1 gas station, at least one place to eat, a public pool and some sort of grocery store. Every town has a huge bouncy thing for the kids outside a school or a park. I am impressed over and over how clean and well thought out they seem to be.
On the other hand I can imagine that teens would have a hard time dealing with boredom living in these tiny communities. Or adults too. There seems to be nothing to do but go to hot springs, swim, and be outside. Farming and fishing are the main sources of livelihood. And, of course, working in the service industries. It appears that everything revolves around family life and from what I can tell, people in these towns have probably been here for generations.
On the other hand I can imagine that teens would have a hard time dealing with boredom living in these tiny communities. Or adults too. There seems to be nothing to do but go to hot springs, swim, and be outside. Farming and fishing are the main sources of livelihood. And, of course, working in the service industries. It appears that everything revolves around family life and from what I can tell, people in these towns have probably been here for generations.
Remote abandoned farms along the way
Last night we ate in a family style restaurant that served nothing but fish dishes. It was amazing. I am not usually a big fish eater but everywhere serves the catch of the day. It was literally swimming in the ocean a few hours before landing on a plate. The food here has been so much better than anything we can get in Cookeville. It’s not cheap, but so much more value for the money.
Today we traveled further west and the terrain changed. No longer the sweeping mountains rising steeply from the ocean, we are now more in tundra territory. There are still mountains but they are flat topped because they got sheared off by glaciers.
Today we traveled further west and the terrain changed. No longer the sweeping mountains rising steeply from the ocean, we are now more in tundra territory. There are still mountains but they are flat topped because they got sheared off by glaciers.
A more flat coastline
It is just as impressive but in a more subdued way. There is limited land here to build on because of the topography, so wherever it appears to be arable and flattens out, there are farms scattered in seemingly random arrays. All the towns are directly on the coast.
One thing I have found interesting is the number of abandoned structures everywhere. Houses are simply left to collapse and they are everywhere. I wonder what stories they would tell if they could. It is not easy to live here. Flatyeri had been flattened by an avalanche in 1996. Then there are the long harsh winters with no sun and bitter storms. It is very different here in the Westfjords than the rest of Iceland’s coastal regions.
One thing I have found interesting is the number of abandoned structures everywhere. Houses are simply left to collapse and they are everywhere. I wonder what stories they would tell if they could. It is not easy to live here. Flatyeri had been flattened by an avalanche in 1996. Then there are the long harsh winters with no sun and bitter storms. It is very different here in the Westfjords than the rest of Iceland’s coastal regions.
Everything is blooming!
Here there are 2 types of old. There is the old from the Viking times way back in the 900s, and there is the old from the 19th century when European folks came. While many houses are abandoned throughout the countryside, there is also a sense of history. In Flateyri the main street was lined with structures that have been renovated and preserved from the early European settlers in the 1800s.
That’s enough for now. Tomorrow we travel up the coast one more time and then make our way south to get ready to fly out on Sunday. I have tried very hard to bury my head in vacation mode and let the world spin on its own axis. I am not ready to go back.
That’s enough for now. Tomorrow we travel up the coast one more time and then make our way south to get ready to fly out on Sunday. I have tried very hard to bury my head in vacation mode and let the world spin on its own axis. I am not ready to go back.
