Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Iceland

On day #2 of the Gate 1 tour, we headed by bus to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Our first stop was Ytri Tunga where we saw a few seals, then continued on to Arnarstapi. In Arnarstapi, we walked along the elevated coastline before enjoying lunch at a local restaurant.

The sculpture of troll Bardur Snaefellsnes in Arnarstapi

After lunch, our next stop was the black sand beach of Djupalonssandur. This beach contains the 4 lifting stones that are used by Icelanders to prove their strength.

It was a bit rainy and windy when we were there, and the waves were huge!

Looking back at the pathway to the beach

Next, we went to Kirkjufell also known as Church Mountain. 

The last stop of the day before heading to our hotel at Stykkisholmur was the shark museum. We had a short presentation that explained the shark meat industry. There were samples of fermented shark, and we saw the hanging/drying shark meat.

Drying shark meat

 

Reykjavik, Iceland - Day #1

Getting to Iceland proved to be a challenge. We were originally scheduled to arrive in Reykjavik a day before the start of our Gate1 tour, however, our flight from Chicago to Reykjavik was cancelled. So, after being rerouted from Chicago to Houston to Newark, we finally arrived in Reykjavik just in time to join our tour guide, Margret, for a city tour.

The Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat in Reykjavik

Hallgrimskirkja church - the largest church in Iceland

Inside the Hallgrimskirkja church

The last stop on the city tour was the Blue Lagoon where we enjoyed the blue thermal bath.

Walking up to the Blue Lagoon between chunks of lava