I apologize in advance for typos, I don´t have the energy left to read through and make sure it all makes sense.
I have a new favorite part of Iceland, at least for the time being. Ásbyrgi is one of the most fantastic places I´ve seen here yet, and that is saying a lot. It is a canyon sometimes called Iceland´s equivalent of the Grand Canyon. Prettier though, I think, though I have never been to the actual Grand Canyon. Check out the pictures and decide for yourself though.
Bogga, Elvar, Stefan Alex and I left Faskrudsfjordur in a leisurely fashion around noon. The plan the night before had been to camp someplace near Husavik, but shortly into the drive it was decided to camp instead in Ásbyrgi itself. The route was then changed and we got to drive through Vopnafjordur and Þórshöfn. We drove all along that northern coast of the farthest northeast peninsula to see the sights. The roads were better there than a shorter route, and pulling the RV behind the SUV made it necessary to stick to these better roads.
There were a couple of stops for ice creams and sodas, and to take lots of pictures as well. I took plenty of shots through the glass of the car window, but was always happy for a chance to get out and get some really nice shots of the world around me, not to mention stretch my legs. I found once again that the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack is the perfect soundtrack for passing through the Icelandic landscape. At any moment some mystical creature could come flying over the snowcapped mountains or barren lava plains.
The camp site was spectacular, and the camper is top notch. It is fancy camping. No hardship here.
We ate an awesome dinner of grilled lamb and sat chatting for a few minutes. Bogga, Elvar and Stefan Alex gave me some beautiful gifts. I got some music of Icelandic children´s songs and a DVD of an Icelandic fairytale to help me learn some more of the language. Perfect! And then, something so special I don´t think I deserve it, a laufabrauð roller, used to make the traditional Christmas bread. It is so beautiful I think I will feel bad about using it. They even etched my initials into it. It is so nice I can´t believe it.
There was still some daylight left after this surprise gift giving session so we drove to the little hiking path at the end of the canyon to go see the pond that lies at the very base of the cliffs. It couldn´t have been a more perfect evening for a walk, and the light was hitting the cliffs just right to make them glow a golden, rosy sort of shade.
I made s´mores for the family, and for the family next to us that, of course, Bogga knew. I used Icelandic ingredients, (Polo cookies and some greasy marshmallows, which are translates as "sugar pillows," also a term of endearment here). They turned out okay, but I told Stefan Alex I would send him some of the real thing so he could get the true s´more experience. He was most excited about carving the sticks with a sharp knife to spear the marshmallows. Twelve year old boys are pretty much have the same interests in every corner of the world, I think.
The next morning we headed for Hljóðaklettar, a large area of columnar rock formations. We hiked around for three hours of more. It was really strange looking land, but so beautiful. I was still sore from climbing Hoffell, which is a sad reflection on my muscles, more than an accurate reflection of Hoffell´s difficulty I think. Either way, my body cried out against the exercise though I was mentally up for the challenge.
It was a bumpy car ride to Dettifoss. The road was rough, and there were a surprising amount of other cars on the narrow road that had to be slowed down for and worked around before moving on. Dettifoss was as impressive as I imagined. This was one of the sights that I have had on my "Must See" list for awhile. The roar of the water is rather deafening, and a dirty sort of mist hangs in the air, attacking eyes, noses and mouths with the stiff breeze. You can see the dirt splash back up with the water as it goes over the falls. This isn´t one of the beautiful, clear waterfalls like most in Iceland, the kind where you expect fairies to flit around and little golden drops of dew to glisten in the nearby greenery. This one is all about power and intimidation.
A looooong drive back to the campsite followed the Dettifoss visit. I had a little snooze in the back and willed myself not to get carsick from the bumpy roads. There was a last minute decision to move to a different campground in Akureyri so we could do some things around there the next day. It is in the opposite direction of Faskrudsfjordur. Back into the car we went. We drove though Husavik and then onto our destination. A swim in the local pool was first on the agenda that evening. Here´s the thing about Icelandic pools...you have to get extremely naked in order to be allowed in there. Like, publicly so. Public nudity is far beyond the borders of my comfort level, and let me tell you, that the first thing you see walking into an Icelandic swimming pool locker room is not towel clad women. You see everything BUTT. 99.9% of the people in there don´t blink at the nudity, but as the .1% I had the blinking quota met.
The pool was nice, but we were soon enough back in the naked locker room, where you attract more attention trying to cover up than just blending in with all the nakedness. I can´t say I was comfortable with the whole thing, but there is something rather freeing about the whole situation. In case you were wondering, I do not have pictures of this outing.
Our campsite on the outskirts of the city was another really nice one. Bogga and Stefan tried to teach me some Icelandic card games, but I was a hopeless case. The next day was spent in the sunny city of Akureyri shopping for new school clothes for Stefan Alex and a new microwave for Bogga and Elvar since Elvar blew their old one up on Sunday night.
A 5 or 6 hour drive later, we were back in foggy Faskridsfjordur. I had plans to have dinner at Þorhildur´s house. She promised me reindeer steaks, and was good to her word! It was delicious! No food in Iceland is safe from me, no matter how bizarre or adorable! I ate it both raw and grilled and it was super tasty both ways.
There was chocolate mousse for dessert, and then an hour later a late night family dessert party to go to at Lisa and Stebbi´s house. Goodbye skinny jeans.
The party was so nice. There was a good group there, all three of Lisa and Stebbi´s daughters and a good portion of the grandchildren as well. The dessert selection was shockingly huge, and each cake there was too pretty to eat, though eat we did. It was definitely one of those warm, fuzzy moments where I realized how amazing it is that family can be discovered in so many different ways.
The next morning I would be on my way to Reykjavik to stay with my cousin Selma for the second part of my trip. We stayed up late talking and looking at information on Islendingadagurinn since Bogga is interested in seeing it one of these next summers.
It was so nice to get to see all of the Faskrudsfjordur family again. I really missed them, and all the places and was truly thrilled to be back.
