My last full day in Iceland
Updated: Aug 20, 2023
I actually didn't travel very far today. Vik is only about 120 miles from Reykjavik, and I've got 2 days to go that distance. I made a stop at the Black Sand Beach, but decided it wasn't any better than any of the other black sand beaches I've seen here. There were some really cool rocks down the shore though.
On the way back through town, some ravens looked on. There are lots of ravens here. Ravens and swans.
My next target was Seljalandsfoss, a large waterfall that you can walk behind. It was pretty crowded (everything is more crowded this close to Reykjavik) but worth the stop. I donned my rain gear and joined the line. You definitely need full rain gear, because the force of the water creates a lot of mist.
It is a beautiful waterfall.
Then I bought hot chocolate to warm up, and hit the road. I decided to go to the Secret Lagoon for one last thermal experience. Secret Lagoon is the oldest of the pools in Iceland, and off the beaten path. It was sort of cool that the hot springs that feed it are right there, feet away from the pool. In fact, if you get over to that part of the pool, the water is decidedly warmer! It felt wonderful. They had pool noodles you could use, so I just floated around. I met two nice women from Michigan, and we talked about travel.
I walked around the thermal area, and it's very active, including a small geyser.
The area around the Secret Lagoon has many greenhouses. They are brightly lighted, so much so that you can see the glow on the horizon at night from miles away. I know that some are used for tomatoes and peppers, and some for mushrooms, though I guess those aren't lighted. I ate at a restaurant named Farmers Bistro, where almost everything is made with the mushrooms they grow. And you can buy mushrooms. I got their buffet, which was mushroom soup, bread (three choices), butter (plain, mushroom, or garlic-herb), sautéed mushrooms, marinated mushrooms, and a bruschetta type spread. It was so good! I would like to have tried the mushroom ice cream too, but I was too full of soup, sourdough bread with mushroom butter, sautéed mushrooms, and marinated mushrooms.
I made one more stop, at Geyser, which I had skipped when I was in this area last time. It's a small geyser field, which is why I'd skipped it. When you've seen Yellowstone, this is not very impressive. But still, a geyser is a geyser.
From there, I headed to the Thingvellir (aka Þingvellir) National Park to camp for the night. The rain has stopped, but the wind is rocking the campervan.
Tomorrow I have to pack (groan), but I'm not sure what else I'm going to do. My flight doesn't leave until 5 PM, so I don't need to return the camper until about 1 PM, and I'm about an hour away from the airport. Heck, it may take me all morning to get my suitcase to close. I think I'm going to have to expand it, and it was already overweight. As long as they'll take the bag, I don't care if I have to pay extra.
Looks like a great last day !!