Iceland: More Waterfalls, Rain, & Hygge!
We started out on the eleventh day of our trip with cloudy skies, but as we drove off Snæfellsnes Peninsula, the clouds parted. We embarked on our last full day on the Ring Road, encouraged by good weather. We allowed our Happy Campers app to make suggestions and let the day unfold.
As we exited the peninsula, we stopped at Brákarsund. According to the Iceland Road Guide website, “Brákarsund, (‘Brák’s channel’) between the town and the island Brákarey (‘Brák’s island’), both named for Brák, a slave of Skallagrímur’s. Fleeing her master’s anger, she tried to swim out to the island but he threw a boulder which hit her between the shoulders and killed her.” Violence drenches Iceland’s stories. If there is a marker at a place, the chances are high that someone killed somebody else there, mother nature killed somebody there, or somebody killed themselves there.
We stopped for lunch at a place called Hverinn Restaurant & Campground in Kleppjárnsreykir outside of Reykholt. What an interesting place! In addition to an apartment and bedrooms for rent, they offer greenhouses where people can set up their tents inside the greenhouses. We settled in for lunch, and we both ordered fish and chips. I drank the Stedji Northern Lights beer, which is a licorice dunkel. The decor of the restaurant even included a creepy doll.
After lunch, we drove to view a pair of waterfalls. What? More Waterfalls? Well, it is Iceland, and despite the fact that we’ve seen probably hundreds of waterfalls in Iceland (yes, hundreds!…several named waterfalls but so many random waterfalls out of every cliff in sight), each one feels fresh and exciting. Hraunfossar and Barnafoss provided a whole new twist on the waterfall theme.
Hraunfossar isn’t just one waterfall. It is a collection of waterfalls spilling out of a lava field. We had never seen anything remotely like it, and we watched the water gushing out of the lava field for a long time. We also experienced the full splendor of Icelandic fall color. It was breathtaking!
Then we hiked up to Barnafoss. Of course, somebody died there. Actually two children died there, and Barnafoss means “Children’s Falls.” Check out Guide to Iceland for the full story.
We decided to stay at Akranes campground by the ocean. This would be our last night in the camper van. As we drove toward the campground, the rain returned.
We pulled into the puddle…I mean campground. Ugh! Puddles, puddles, everywhere! The dreary, gloomy feeling settled in. Graham went to the main building to inquire about check-in while I surfed Airbnb for other options.
When Graham got back to the camper van, he reported that the campground person was not there yet so we’d have to wait to check-in. I reported that I had located the perfect Airbnb for the night, a guest house in Akranes. We looked at each other. We knew what we wanted. Graham immediately booked it! We drove straight to the rental.
Our host Kathrin told us she had just received the cancellation from previous renters just a few hours before we booked the rental. She said the people who had originally rented the guest house miscalculated how much time they needed on the Ring Road. We lucked into a fantastic place for the night!
When we arrived, Kathrin greeted us and showed us around the property. She and her husband Klaus lived in the main house, and we’d be staying in the guest house next door. Both homes overlook Lake Eiðisvatn. A huge bevy of whooper swans floated around the lake. They’re called whooper swans for a reason because they did not stop whooping!
We took a moment to take in our surroundings. I used that moment to lounge on the couch!
We carried our suitcases into the guest house and re-sorted our belongings for our stay in Reykjavík the next two nights. We shuffled everything we wouldn’t be using into our large suitcase, and everything else went into our smaller suitcase and backpacks. Normally, we prefer to travel with minimal luggage, but given the need for layers, fleece, coats, and boots as well as our intentions of purchasing wool sweaters and other woolen goods, we decided that we needed to have two checked suitcases. We could have traveled with less clothing, and we might have trimmed it all down to one check suitcase, but I’m glad we had options.
After organizing everything in our luggage, we went back out to the camper van to clean it up before returning it to Happy Campers the next day. Klaus came out to visit with us. He had never viewed the interior of a camper van rental. We showed him where everything was located inside as well as how the bench seat folds down into a bed. He appreciated the intelligent use of space, and we did too. I cannot recommend Happy Campers enough!
We finally finished off the pasta we purchased on the first day in the camper van! We still had an unopened jar of pasta sauce, but fortunately, Happy Campers lets you leave unused food for other campers. I demolished the last of my box wine.
As we tried to fall asleep, we realized how much we prefer the sound of fans, air-conditioners, rain, oceans, and babbling brooks over whooper swans. Those swans whooped all night long! It must have been a wild party!
