Day 3 - Good God, It’s Godafoss

Today we were treated to breakfast included in the price of our overnight stay. We did our best to make the most of it, with freshly cooked scrambled eggs & bacon, followed by toast with jam & Nutella, followed by pastries, cheese & some fruit, as well as 3 cups of coffee each. We waddled out.

Before our 1st scheduled stop we drove down to the port to get a close up look at the cruise ship, Silver Whisper, that had docked during the night.

We then drove to Akureyri’s Botanical Garden, Lystigarður Akureyrar, which is 50 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle, which makes it the most northerly botanical gardens in the world & it also happens to be Iceland’s first public park. The trouble with it being so northerly is that all the plants and signage were covered in snow. We had a quick march round & returned to our Duster.

We picked up the Route 1 Ring Road & followed it clockwise until we reached a toll to take us through a tunnel under a mountain. We took the alternative cheaper scenic Highways 83 & 84 around the mountain. When we returned to Route 1 it was just a short drive before we arrived at Godafoss.

Godafoss can be read as either “waterfall of the goð (pagan idols)" or "waterfall of the goði (chieftain)." Either way it is an attractive looking waterfall where the water of the river Skjálfandafljót falls from a height of 12 metres over a width of 30 metres. We walked the 1.8-mile hiking trail loops around the waterfall area & took photos from most angles. It was again bitterly cold & I was grateful for my gloves & new woolly hat.

We then headed north on the 85 through lava fields to Húsavík, once a whaling town that now concentrates on whale sightseeing tours. Apparently it is the only place in the world where Blue Whales can be spotted from the shore. We didn’t see one. Instead we visited the town’s Whale Museum which we particularly liked for it’s extensive display of genuine whale skeletons including a Blue Whale, unlike London’s Natural History Museum! The museum had a interesting documentary about whale wisdom, narrated by David Attenborough, but after 45 minutes it was still going, so we left.

After refuelling, over 9,000 krona, we headed back south down the 87 to Mývatn, a 14 square mile nutrient rich volcanic lake that provides a habitat for more duck species than anywhere else in the world. We drove around the lake, but mainly saw just Greylag geese, which have a population of around 60,000 in Iceland.

The Mývatn Basin sits squarely on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge & the violent geographical nature of the area has created a weird landscape, including pseudo-craters & basalt columns.

Having circumnavigated the lake we rejoined Route 1 & very soon chanced upon the alien landscape of Námafjall. At this area, also known as Hverir, we were able to walk around the many smoking fumaroles and boiling mud pots, surrounded by sulphur crystals of different colours. Unfortunately the sulphur gave off a stomach churning smell of rotten egg. After a few photos & a video we were glad to get back in the Duster.

We then drove for the next couple of hours eastwards along Route 1 towards our destination of Fellabær. It was quite a long slog, but the journey was relieved by a short walk up to the impressive 139 metre high Rjúkandi waterfall for a photo opportunity.

Around 6.30pm, we arrived at our accommodation in Fellabær that looks exactly like a scout hut, but is situated on the shore of Lake Lagarfjlót. Lake Lagarfjlót is 25km long, but just 2.5km across at it’s widest & according to legend, it is said to hold a beast called the Lagarfljót Wyrm, a cousin of the Loch Ness Monster. Lagarfjlót Wyrm has been spoken about since 1345.

Fellabær appeared to be purely residential, so we drove across the lake to the larger town of Egilsstaðir & bought some provisions in a Netto Discount Store for our tea. Back at our scout hut, we used the communal kitchen & seating area to heat up our pretty flavourless microwave meals. I had ham & mushroom pasta, whilst Jackie had a Thai chicken curry.

In the communal area were an old couple that didn’t speak other than grudgingly said hello when I forced them & seemed annoyed at us banging around the place. Two younger foreign couples arrived during the evening, but apart from the usual pleasantries we didn’t converse with them.

Jackie & I were the last to bed, having consumed the majority of a litre bottle of Captain Morgan’s dark rum & having planned the following days itinerary.

We drove 356 kilometres today.

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