Day 3: SKÁLAFELL HORSE FARM TO EYVINDARÁ FARM, EGILSSTAÐIR

Day 3: SKÁLAFELL HORSE FARM TO EYVINDARÁ FARM, EGILSSTAÐIR


Little Girl on Minke Whale Skull

We stayed at the Skálafell Guest House right outside of the fishing village of Höfn.   The accommodations consisted of nice wooded cabins at the front of the farm.  It was quirky.  They have a skull of a minke whale right next to their porch. (Icelandic Fact: sadly, Iceland still hunts whales).   They had all kinds of interesting things laying around the front of their house which added to the charm.




SKÁLAFELL HORSE FARM


The farm itself had a large herd of Icelandic horses.  These are pure bred horses that are calmer, shorter, and sturdier than their American cousins.  Iceland is well known for their rough and tumble equines and today they are used primarily in the fall sheep round up and for tourist trips into the country.   They are a very beautiful breed.  Our daughter fell in love with them.  She really liked petting their long, soft manes.  



 Skálafell Guest House

We ate dinner with the host family in their house.  They set up a table for us in their living room while the father watched TV right next to us.   It is funny how the family just went about their business with a trio of foreign strangers eating a plate full of fish in their living room! They spoke very little English but tried to get on our daughter's good side by bringing out their children's toys for her to play with.  It didn't work.  My daughter was a crank and was tired from our long day. 

 

In the morning we began our trek anew.  We had a long distance (155 miles) to cover so we said good bye to the horses left right after breakfast.  On the way, we saw a sign for Hoffellsjö​kull Glacier and decided to give it a look.  We drove a bit and ended up at (yet another) gate that lead to an off-road path.  This path was nothing more than a pair of tire tracks in the snow that appeared to take you towards the mountains, and presumably, Hoffellsjö​kull Glacier.  Needless to say, we opened the gate and took the path!  It was long, and at times, a tad disorienting.  We passed a herd of reindeer and had to forge across a little river.  This is where 4-wheel drive comes in handy in Iceland.  After stopping several times and wondering if we were lost, we eventually got to the viewing area for the glacier.  The problem was we had to drive up a very steep, rocky and terrifyingly slippery path that ran along a very high cliff.  It was a little nerve wracking.  Rolling our truck off a cliff was not part of our itinerary so we very slowly inched our way up the path and were rewarded with a spectacular view of Hoffellsjö​kull Glacier.  It was all ours too!  It was really neat to be out there all alone.  Now going back down that path...ugh! 



Hoffellsjö​kull Glacier

After our little back country adventure to Hoffellsjö​kull Glacier we drove through the town of Höfn.  This is the largest town in southeast Iceland but still has a population of less than 2000.   There isn't much to say about the town except that we stopped for an early lunch because we read that they are famous for their lobster pizza.  It was really difficult to find a restaurant that was open.  This was a theme.  The towns are small and things are open sporadically.   I am sure it is different in the busier summer months, but while we were there it was barren.  When you find a place that is open, you may want to dine there because you may not soon find another.  By the way, lobster pizza is just ok.  Imagine eating pizza...now add some lobster to that...and there you go. 



The rest of the day consisted of a very scenic drive in and out of the fjords.  One of the most beautiful ones was Fáskrúðsfjörður, but honestly, each and everyone was amazing.  This is one of the few places we have traveled that around every corner or road there is something more amazing than what you have just passed.  Around this time, we made a left and departed the coast and began our inland journey.   Our next farm stay was in a town called Egilsstaði​r.  This town is not worth mentioning except that it is on a huge lake that has a legend that a giant lake worm-monster called the Lagarfljotsormurinn resides in its depths.  We didn't see any monsters but did have a very nice (but very expensive) dinner of reindeer in blueberry sauce at Cafe Nielsen. 



DINNER!



Fáskrúðsfjörður