Eimverk Distillery
Seljalandsfoss
April 2017
After landing in Reykjavik, we rented a car to drive out to the small town of Vik. The first stop on the road was Eimverk Distillery, the first and only whiskey distillery in Iceland. They also produce several varieties of gin and a brennivín, Iceland's signature aquavit. Closer to Vik, we stopped to see Seljalandsfoss, the first of many impressive waterfalls in the region.
The next morning, we woke up early to explore Vik. We drove through town and saw the black sand beach and basalt columns at Reynisjara. Next up was a long walk in pouring rain to the site of a crashed DC-3 airplane. The rain continued as we saw the Sólheimajökull Glacier. After a snack in the cafe, we continued to another waterfall, Skógafoss, and then to Seljavallalaug hot spring (though the water wasn't quite warm). Now with fully soaked boots and base layers, we headed to the final waterfall, Gulfoss. We made one more much-needed detour to warm up at Laugarvatn Spa. The rain turned to snow, making for a wintry drive to a cabin at Lake Þingvellir.
For day three we had booked a tour of some sights inside Þingvellir National Park. In the morning, we went snorkeling in Silfra fissure, which is a rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. The current is fed by 2°C water, so we wore dry suits. The suits have rubber seals at the wrists and neck so the majority of the body stays warm and dry. After lunch, we hiked through Gjábakkahellir cave, which was formed by a partially-collapsed lava tube. The cave had not yet thawed after winter, so we needed crampons over our boots to climb up and down the ice.
Next we drove back to Reykjavik to explore Iceland's capital. We saw the city from viewpoints at the top of the Perlan Building and Hallgrímskirkja church. For lunch we had Icelandic hot dogs, then walked to Harpa concert hall.
Before leaving, we took the morning to visit the Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa on the way to the airport. In recent years it has become one of the most popular and well-known attractions in Iceland. The warm water is rich in silica. We used two kinds of face masks and relaxed with a drink at the swim-up bar before heading to the airport for the flight home.
Not shown: dog attacks rental car. Rental car overheats. Avis employee orders pizza while replacing my car.
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© 2017 Will Krieger