Upon leaving the Dyrhólaey "wind-fest", we came across an unusual cave which turns out to be the Loftsalahellir Cave. It was apparently where assemblies were held. That path you see if pretty much straight up..and muddy. But it was pretty neat to climb and get a back view of Dyrhólaey . (* go below to see a more disgusting commentary)
A nice view from the cave. I see a troll face on the left. Do you?
Onward to Vik. The most iconic building in Vik was the church. So beautiful in the fog with the red ground-cover in the foreground.
Now to to find a place to eat. A little cafe connected to the gas station afforded the most wonderful Icelandic stew! Doubly delicious and warming after the wind and rain. ($17 for a bowl of soup but SOOO worth it).
So, this was typical of gas station cafes.
Chairs and tables, paper plates and paper cups.
Great view from this one.
And no, I didn't drink Coca Cola. Just water.
We did a little walkabout by the beach after our meal and found another really cool statue: It was made by Icelandic sculptor Steinunn Thorarinsdottir who's inspiration for the aluminium sculpture was the people who make their living at sea and the families who fear they will not return.
We offered to take picture of some tourists and they kindly took a picture of us.
Notice the black volcanic sand.
Growing alongside the path was.. wait.. what? Texas bluebonnets?
It turns out: " In 1945, someone had the brilliant blue idea of introducing Lupinus nootkatensis, Nootka lupine to help with soil erosion. This Alaskan native (most definitely a majestic relative of the Texas bluebonnet) flourished. Lupine plants anchored the soil and enriched it too; the flowers are stunning! But the Nootka lupine’s success has meant the demise of many native plants. In some regions,lupine fields have degenerated after 15-20 years, leaving richer soil behind, but in many other locations, “the comparatively tall lupine creates a canopy over the previously dominant lichens, mosses, and low shrubs, causing these species to decline in the newly formed shade. Ultimately, species diversity among plants declines as the lupine spreads.”
And finally, to our lovely inn in Djupivogur. We were now beginning to work our way up the east coast. Hótel Framtíð is located in a little fishing village with a population of 450. It was a Danish merchant, Gustaf Iversen, who brought the house in sections from Copenhagen and it was built in the winter 1905 to 1906. Gustaf Ivarsen ran a shop in the house until the year 1908.Since then, changed hands many times
And obviously redecorated. It was our loveliest, most unique lodging in Iceland.
The halls and rooms were done with solid wood
Typical bed arrangement: two beds put side by side, two pillows and two comforters
We actually ate at the hotel..but not during dining hours. Only when they served happy hour beer and a pizza. Looking out at the boats. So peaceful.
So unaware of tomorrow morning...
**Sadly, since there aren't enough toilets in Iceland, some visitors decided to use this cave as a full service toilet. YUK! Seriously, it's a BIG problem in Iceland. They just don't have the infrastructure in place for so many tourists. Near this place was a bathroom facility- for $1 in coin, you could use it. But what if you don't have the coin?
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