Guesthouse Kiðafell - June 30 and July 1

This is the view from my guesthouse the first two nights I was here. I only went about 30 or 40 miles north of Reykjavik, which was actually a pretty good call, as you can see. My hosts were Norwegian, as it turned out, and were extremely hospitable.




On my first day in Iceland, I decided to climb Esja, this gigantic mountain. There were actually a lot of others climbing as well, but not so many that I felt crowded. The bad news was that I forgot my GPS, binoculars and hiking boots. So I made it all the way except for the last 30 or 40 feet, where the top of the mountain turned to a series of stone blocks. I was pretty paranoid about getting back down in my second-string running shoes, and for good reason as it turned out. I never fell, but trying to regain my balance one time I almost threw my left arm out of socket. It still hurts a little today, five days later.




Day two, I headed inland to see some lava caves. This is a picture near the entrance. I hiked in six kilometers, did the cave most of the way, then returned, and hiked the six k back.

Yes, I am doing a lot of hiking on this trip!



Day three, I travelled around the Snæfellsness peninsula by car, and ended up in Grundarfjörður. It´s a very laid-back and cool place. This is a picture of Kirkjufell, a giant mountain in the ocean just off the coast.




Just before I got to Stykkishólmur, I took a short detour through madness... Berserkjahraun. This is probably the most alien landscape I´ve seen in this county, and that´s REALLY saying something.

Standard disclaimer: The pictures do not do it justice. You´ll just have to see it for yourself ;)