We awoke in Saudarkrokur and realized at breakfast why it was so desolate at night - we were the youngest people staying at the guest house by 4 decades! I would venture a guess that our fellow travelers were in bed by 9pm.
We filled up on a darn good breakfast and headed out. We drove back through horse country (we stopped to get Katie some face time with our equine pals) and stopped a couple of hours later at a roadside cafe.
Kaffi Munadarnes was on a path off the main road, facing a valley between snowcapped mountains. We were greeted by two 7-11 year old blond haired, blue eyed girls. They gave us a menu and we sat outside in the sun. We then realized that the entire menu was in Icelandic. I went inside to ask someone to "explanitate" it to me (Katie's new word). The woman of the house (it was a family-run operation) translated the crepes portion of the menu - that was all we needed. We ordered two and they were delicious! The chef (man of the house) brought out our meals then advised us on the remaining portion of our trip. He was a handsome man with a laugh that harkened to his Viking forefathers.
Then we started talking with a couple who were there with their three small kids. The father is from Illinois, the mother from Iceland and they are all living in Burbank, California now. They were kind and generous with their stories and advice. She regaled us with stories about trolls and elves. This is a good time to tell you that more than half the Icelandic people believe in trolls or elves. Roads are routed around their communities. Rocks that are obstacles to government projects remain undisturbed by civil engineers. When humans don't work around elf communities, there is always trouble - bad luck, repeated car accidents, etc.
She was also kind enough to explain what the massive rock piles were originally intended for - they were markers before the roadways were built. Otherwise, in an intense snow storm, you would NEVER find your way back!
We left with happy bellies and heads full of fun stories. Our final stop was Borgarnes. Having not researched the last half of the trip, it was done by sight and our Lonely Planet Guide to Iceland. We found a great place called Bjarta. It used to be a farm and is now a clean, elegant guesthouse that is efficiently run by two women. It is situated on the bay amongst wildflowers, with views of snowcaps. It was a wonderful place - we highly recommend it!
Our dinner at the Settlement House restaurant was great, topped off by Dillon cake with caramel sauce - reminiscent of sticky toffee pudding - yum!
It may sound odd, but one of our most treasured moments of the day was when Katie drew the light-block curtains at the guesthouse - it was truly dark - we hadn't had a traditional dark night's sleep all trip. What a treat! We celebrated the dark - reveled in it, really - like thirsty hikers finding a glacial lagoon. I am sure we were both dancing, though I couldn't see Katie...
The moment we got into bed, I heard a click, then the brightest light imaginable shone from Katie's headlamp - she opened her book and began to read by a light brighter than the sun.
Oh well...
We filled up on a darn good breakfast and headed out. We drove back through horse country (we stopped to get Katie some face time with our equine pals) and stopped a couple of hours later at a roadside cafe.
Kaffi Munadarnes was on a path off the main road, facing a valley between snowcapped mountains. We were greeted by two 7-11 year old blond haired, blue eyed girls. They gave us a menu and we sat outside in the sun. We then realized that the entire menu was in Icelandic. I went inside to ask someone to "explanitate" it to me (Katie's new word). The woman of the house (it was a family-run operation) translated the crepes portion of the menu - that was all we needed. We ordered two and they were delicious! The chef (man of the house) brought out our meals then advised us on the remaining portion of our trip. He was a handsome man with a laugh that harkened to his Viking forefathers.
Then we started talking with a couple who were there with their three small kids. The father is from Illinois, the mother from Iceland and they are all living in Burbank, California now. They were kind and generous with their stories and advice. She regaled us with stories about trolls and elves. This is a good time to tell you that more than half the Icelandic people believe in trolls or elves. Roads are routed around their communities. Rocks that are obstacles to government projects remain undisturbed by civil engineers. When humans don't work around elf communities, there is always trouble - bad luck, repeated car accidents, etc.
She was also kind enough to explain what the massive rock piles were originally intended for - they were markers before the roadways were built. Otherwise, in an intense snow storm, you would NEVER find your way back!
We left with happy bellies and heads full of fun stories. Our final stop was Borgarnes. Having not researched the last half of the trip, it was done by sight and our Lonely Planet Guide to Iceland. We found a great place called Bjarta. It used to be a farm and is now a clean, elegant guesthouse that is efficiently run by two women. It is situated on the bay amongst wildflowers, with views of snowcaps. It was a wonderful place - we highly recommend it!
Our dinner at the Settlement House restaurant was great, topped off by Dillon cake with caramel sauce - reminiscent of sticky toffee pudding - yum!
It may sound odd, but one of our most treasured moments of the day was when Katie drew the light-block curtains at the guesthouse - it was truly dark - we hadn't had a traditional dark night's sleep all trip. What a treat! We celebrated the dark - reveled in it, really - like thirsty hikers finding a glacial lagoon. I am sure we were both dancing, though I couldn't see Katie...
The moment we got into bed, I heard a click, then the brightest light imaginable shone from Katie's headlamp - she opened her book and began to read by a light brighter than the sun.
Oh well...
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