Borgarfjördur, Reykholt, Hraunfossar, Borgarnes - September 4, 2023

At Hraunfossar

Our last day of touring as a group of 18 was centred around the Borgarfjördur region in the west of Iceland. Our first stop was a visit to a new geographical feature for us, craters. The Grábrökargícúm craters are part of the Ljósufjöll volcanic system. They have been protected in Iceland for over 60 years in order to preserve the beautiful scoria cones and the vulnerable vegetation in the area, mostly moss. 

Michelle, Tiffany and Kristian take pics while Jess climbs.

Andrew and Robin pose for Lloyd and Cathy. Paul is behind them on the path. You can see a small crater here.

Visitors to this place must follow the paths laid out for access to the craters. And so, we climbed together to the top, and took lots and lots of pictures as we did so. The ascent was a good morning workout, and the views at the top were well worth the climb.

Tina makes it to the top. 

Cyndy celebrating being at the top. 

As we ascended and again at the summit, we could see two smaller craters, Raudbrók and Smabrók. One of these is in the photo below. The path snakes around the largest crater known as Grábrók. Formed some 3400 years ago, it is quite a sight. Like so many parts of Iceland, this place stands apart from anything I have seen in other countries. I captured Pamela walking inside the carter to provide an idea of its size. 

I took the opportunity while at the top to get my picture taken with the other three grandmothers in the group. Others took group photos too. You can see the love in the one of Michelle, Pamela, Paul, and Jaycee. This was our last day together and we wanted to document our shared experience as much as possible. 

From the height of the crater, there are scenic views over the countryside below. This bucolic vista is in contrast to the moss covered ground in and around the craters. The campus of Bifröst University campus lies in the distance. 

We eventually descended from the heights and returned to the bus. On our second stop of the day, we would see our seventh and eighth Icelandic waterfalls. Was that too many? Not at all, since they were all very different. This first one today, Hraunfossar, had great charm. It comprised a series of small waterfalls formed by rivulets streaming out of the Hallmundarhrau lava field. With its turquoise water, it was very pretty. 

A short distance away along a path by the river, we saw a very different waterfall, Barnafoss, which translated means  "Children's Falls". Because of the the lava formations, it was difficult to photograph this cataract completely. According to local legend, two children attempted to cross a bridge that once spanned this powerful waterfall,  Dizzy from the height, they fell into the water and drowned. As a result, their mother had the bridge destroyed. Another version has her putting a curse on any children crossing the bridge in the future so that they would meet the same fate as her sons. 

Nearby, we stopped for lunch at a new restaurant that specialized in vegan soups. I opted to try all three on offer. I enjoyed all of them but the mushroom soup was my favourite. Our next stop was a brief one. We visited Reykholt, an important place in Iceland. Here lived Snorri Sturluson, a 13th century scholar, lawyer, historian and saga writer. He bathed in the small pool that we saw and sought shelter in the small building close by, as he recorded for posterity the major stories of his country's early days.

We made our way next to a farm, where Icelandic horses are raised. This was a bonus on our tour as it was not mentioned in our itinerary. We were greeted by one of these animals, who sauntered up to us as we arrived. He was trained to do this, for sure. He was very friendly with Jaycee, Pamela, and Rosanna, as you can see.

Next, we assembled inside a small theatre where we watched a film about what makes this breed unique in the world. We could see for ourselves that these horses are small, but we also learned that they are the result of selective breeding over the centuries. They have two more gaits than other horses. They can walk, gallop and trot, but they also have a gait called "tölt" and another, known as "flying pace". Because of their special skills, these horses are often exported to other countries. Once they leave Iceland, however, they can never return; this policy has virtually eliminated all diseases among the breed. 

Next, our guide took us to see several horses in their paddocks. We were able to touch and feed them as we walked past. We also posed with them, of course. You can see Jess, Pamela and Tiffany in the photos below. 

Back outside, we were shown the farm's geothermal energy source. It is a steaming area with a strong smell of sulfur, from which pipes conduct heat to the buildings. All of Iceland's heat is entirely renewable and natural. 80% of the country relies on hydro-electric power generated by the glaciers and rivers inland, while the other 20% uses a system similar to the one we saw on this day. 

Nearby, Jess visited with a pretty spotted horse, and then the black "greeter" horse was led our way for a final photo op. This animal was extremely good-natured as we took turns with it in front of someone's camera. Tina and I can be seen with it below. Our visit to the horse farm culminated in some hot chocolate and homemade rye bread, a lovely touch. 

We had one more stop to make on this day. We visited the Deiltartunguhver hot spring, the most powerful one in Europe, which provides hot water to all the towns and villages in the environs. It was very impressive, creating a great deal of steam, so that as we walked to and from the site we were enveloped in clouds of it. 

Our touring done for the day, we headed to the largest town in the area, Borganes. There the group was split in half. Nine of us were dropped off at the Hotel Borganes, while the other eight travelled with Soly back to Reykjavik. Those leaving had opted for a six day tour while the rest of us had chosen a seventh day. There were lots of hugs, and promises to keep in touch as we said goodbye. In the photo below, the two on the left, Cyndy and Paul, left, while the other four–Rosanna, Pamela, Tina and Jaycee-stayed as we did.

Since it was mid-afternoon, Jess and I decided to take a walk to explore Borganes. It was a sleepy place with very little going on, but we found a mall and filled our time checking out a grocery store. We were especially intrigued by the many sweets for sale, particularly the amount of licorice added to chocolate bars. 

Soly had suggested a local restaurant for dinner rather than the one at the hotel, so we went there with Michelle and Tiffany. Rosanna, Tina, Jaycee and Kristian arrived at the same spot later. This place, Englendingavik, provided us with some of the best food we enjoyed on our trip. The restaurant specialty is fish, and it was very fresh. From our table, we were able to watch the sun set over the Borgarfjôrdur, which provided a lovely end to our day. 

And here is one more horse photo, just because I like it.