Traveling J - Iceland: Day 8 - Seyðisfjörður

Day 8 - Seydisfordjur

Today we had two excursions again. The first was to Skálanes Nature Reserve at the end of the fjord where it met with the sea. The second, a hike up a mountainside to a series of waterfalls, Hengifoss. This was one of my favorite days so far I think. They have all been great, but nature preserves and long hikes are just up my alley.

On the Skálanes excursion, our first stop was at an archaeological site. It was a former church, and based on the dates of graves, using the volcanic remains as is used all around the country for dating things in the past, and with the addition to the position of the bodies over time they could see the transition from the original Vikings onto the ways of Christianity. Pretty neat, and we had an expert on the excursion. He was just another passenger, but he happened to be a researcher or intense hobbiest with regards to this specific site as well as other areas in Iceland.

This day was cold. But not too cold for the reindeer we saw from a distance on the ride. We humans from non-Nordic counties wore lots of layers as it was in the 30s. The reserve included a lovely house where the staff work and where students coming to learn and do research stay for a few weeks at a time. There was a friendly dog who stayed with us the entire tour. He did not run off and chase the birds and apparently offers some protection to the nesting birds as the minx and Arctic Foxes steer clear when he is around

Little flakes of snow fell as we started the tour. It came and went a few times. you had to pay attention to notice. The walk was cold, but beautiful. At the end was an overlook of a cliff many of the birds used for nesting. There were arctic terns, geese, fulmar, kittiwakes and of course, a few puffins floating around in the water. We stayed quite a while, watching and enjoying the birds and the view of the water before heading back for hot beverages, ‘donuts’ and a warm fire.

A short talk about reindeer completed our time there. We listened outside on the deck, the dog running around and many of us taking pictures of the nearby Aider Ducks. Then, off back to town, driving through 3 small rivers, maybe streams. The teenage son of one of the staff hitched a ride into town, only bringing a light jacket while the rest of us were buried in winter gear.

After lunch we drove outside the valley, over the high mountain pass that was a location for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, the scene where he rides the skateboard down the mountain. We started by going up that mountain, past a frozen lake and down into the neighboring valley.

The terrain has really changed from the first stops. This wide, gentle valley had a huge, slow moving river of glacial melt and lots and lots of trees. They are making a reforestation effort to reduce erosion from nearly zero tree cover to now a measly 3.5% forest coverage for the entire country. The added greenery offered a big change.

And at Hengifoss... we hiked, pretty much steeply up the entire way. This was steep and windy and open on the side of the mountain. The falls came over those hexagonal lava formations they have all over the country. It was a nice contrast, flowing unorderly water and neatly 'engineered' angles of the mountain.

After this tour Tara and I headed into Seyðisfjörður to look around. They had some fun art in this city. I only wish the sun hadn't gone behind the mountain when we went as most of the city was in shadow by the time we got out. If I come again, I have some to-dos on my list! Dinner, was a BBQ on the deck. We were still in port, but it was cold, and not really the best idea I suppose. Most people scurried back inside as soon as possible. Nice idea, maybe for July or August.

And to wrap up the evening, they had trivia night in the lounge. I joined late, but as I had sat down with Tara and her team won, she said I was on the team even though I didn't really help much. Grand prize was dinner with the captain the following night.

Skálanes Nature Reserve