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Friday, October 21, 2016

Snæfellsnes Peninsula






We are now on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula in the west of Iceland for night 4 and day 5. This peninsula is an extremely special place - cloaked in a magical sunlight that seems to radiate an ethereal presence - you can feel it the moment you drive onto it and that splendor lingers until you leave. 

We arrived to Stykkishólmur and checked into our teeny-tiny but nicely appointed room in the cozy, well designed Hotel Egilsen. We took a stroll to check out the peaceful harbor/town/church, highlighted by an intense teal sky and fluffy clouds tinted pink. Our dinner at Narfeyrarstofa consisted of local seafood - scallops in a maple sauce, arctic char, and the best fish soup I've ever had, all caught in Breiðafjörður Bay. You better believe we drove out of town hoping for Northern Lights, but there were too many clouds. We would never be so lucky as our night in the east.

The next morning we found the local bakari for croissants and donuts and I can now confirm, donuts in Iceland are the best. We drove further west to see Kirkjufell Mountain and Kirkjufellsfoss in the town of Grundarfjörður. Kirkjufell is known for the way it juts out on its own little peninsula, an affirming mark over the town. The small falls were pretty but very crowded. As we continued our drive the tranquil landscapes - especially the reflection of those charcoal and dusty amber mountains over a small pond were astonishing. Then, out of nowhere I spotted the old Reykjavik / Snæfellsnes bus. (I had seen photos and was intrigued. It is on private property with a no trespassing sign posted.) Finally, we had an obligatory middle of the open road photo shoot. So much fun in Snæfellsnes!

Onto Reykjavik we go!

6 comments:

  1. The reflection pictures are absolutely gorgeous!! I love your photos; what do you use to take them??

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    1. Thank you! Nothing fancy, I use a Canon Rebel T3 with a standard 18-55 mm lens that I've had for about 5 years.

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  2. SO gorgeous!! Isn't the seafood in Iceland incredible?

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  3. What cool architecture. So fun to be on this visual tour with you!

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  4. Nice Pictures! Can you tell me where i can find this old red bus? Thnks so much

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    1. Seven years too late, but this is at 64°50'28.5"N 22°35'25.8"W on the small farm Gröf off of 54 as it goes along the south coast of Snaefellsnes. When on turns onto 54 off of 1 in Borgarnes, travel 55.8 km west.

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