Iceland II - South Coast/ Nancy's birthday (Aug 13)

 I should note, these travel posts are mostly a journal for future me, not expecting anyone to read all the detail.

Nancy's 40th birthday today! We had a good breakfast in our little hotel. They even had a intermittently-functioning waffle iron. They also had cucumbers and tomatoes, which is good as fresh vegetables are somewhat hard to find on the menu here at the restaurants we are finding. Smoked meats, fish and cheeses also featured prominently, as did a variety of homemade pastries. 

Just down the road from the hotel is the Kerid Crater. We had planned this for our arrival day but moved it so we could relax in the hot pool on our arrival day instead. The crater is the result of volcanic activity. We walked all the way around the top and bottom.

Our next stop was the Geothermal Exhibition, which for me has both professional and personal interest. Iceland is a leader in geothermal energy because of its location on the techtonic plates, which puts steam and pressure close to the surface. It is drilled to using boreholes similar to an oil or gas well. Geothermal fluid (water mixed with minerals) is brought to the surface and used to boil water to create steam, which spins a turbine, which is attached to a generator. Lower-temperature liquid is also used to heat cold water that is directly used by people for home heating and domestic use. The Geothermal Exhibition is attached to a 303 MW geothermal power plant and they even have windows right into the turbine hall. Hot water is piped directly to the city in above-ground, insulated pipes - no risk of freezing!

On the way to the power plant, we also stopped at a small hot area called Hveradlir. This Mars-like landscape is shaped by the geothermal activity in the area - heated mud can be used for various spa-type purposes. There was a little boardwalk there with some signage - apparently there have been greenhouses in this location using the steam for heat, and early settlers planted potatoes here too. 

Two popular waterfalls followed as we continued our journey east. The first is Seljalandfoss and the second is Gljufrabui (the "hidden" falls). The latter was the first time things felt too overtouristed. The waterfall is located in a cave with narrow access and only one way in or out, so a line formed, and we probably waited 20-30 minutes to get our chance to jostle with the Instagram crew to get our look in. The southern US tourists around us made their feelings on the wait known loudly and often. Seljalandfoss was cool as you can walk up and around the falls. For many others you have to stay farther away. Both were pretty spectacular.

On the way to Skogafoss, we spotted a house built into a cave on the side of the road and pulled in for a look.

Then Skogafoss, a waterfall not quite as busy as the previous stop, as it required a hike to get the best views. We went up farther than most and it looked like the trail continued onto another bridge for 5-20 km, but we weren't sure where it went and wanted to keep moving.

Just down the road is a much less-visited waterfall, Kvernufoss. There were only a couple of groups there and it was nice to get away from the crowds a little. Like Seljalandfoss, you can walk behind this one.

A visit to the Solheimajokull glacier lagoon was next. It is quite "dirty"-looking and it picks up sediment before melting completely. The glacier has receded almost 1 km in the last 20 years; climate change is very evident in Iceland. 

We then headed to a pizza place in the village of Vik, whose claim to fame is a black crust reminiscent of the nearby black sand beaches. I am pretty sure I picked up an expensive speeding ticket on the way into town as the limit drops from 90 to 50km/h on a downhill. No drifting to the correct speed here - lesson learned. 

I got a regular sourdough crust as none of the black crust options appealed to me but Nancy said her spicy tuna black crust tasted the same as mine. We took it to go in order to drive up to the Dyholaey promontory. However, it was getting dark (9:30) and the drive was very foggy up a steep mountain road with blind corners. We made it, but decided not to stay longer and just drove back to town. We couldn't see anything anyway owing to the poor light and fog. We ate our first pieces of pizza in the car to gather strength to move our bags into our small but functional bunk beds in our private hostel room. The hostel was basically all that was available because of the eclipse (without shelling out $1K for the night) but was fine, although we were located next to the shared bathroom on our floor. My only complaint was the steep, curving stairs to our second-floor room that made it hellish to navigate with a large suitcase. 

Very busy but good day.