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Day 11 - Driving by the Crater in the Fog....

From the itinerary: One of the first things that you ́ll notice when you drive on the Snaefellsnes peninsula is the dormant volcanic crater of Eldborg, which can easily be hiked from a nearby parking lot. Enjoy the views from the road, especially when the glacier of Snæfellsjokull comes into view. This still-active volcanic station is the setting of Jules Verne ́s classic novel ́ ́Journey to the center of the earth ́ ́and dominates the landscapes on the peninsula. Explore the villages of Arnarstapi and Hellnar, and stretch your legs in the lava fields around the impressive rock formations of Londrangar. Swing around the peninsula, passing through more small communities, and soon you will come to the most photographed mountain in Iceland, Kirkjufell. There ́s good reason this mountain features on more published postcards than any other in Iceland, so take your time to get that perfect photo and memory of it. Shortly after passing through the townof Grundarfjordur, you can visit the shark museum at Bjarnarhofn and try a piece of fermented shark - a local delicacy. Last but not least, you will visit the charming little town of Stykkisholmur, where you can hike to the top of the little mountain overlooking the harbor, and the small wooden house built in traditional Scandinavian style. Overnight in the region of Stykkisholmur.



Breakfast was rather basic, nothing special. I started rather early towards the crater of Eldborg. According to the sign, Eldborg has erupted twice. I actually missed it and had to turn around a couple times to find the parking. The weather wasn't great - quite foggy - and it was another hike on my bad ankle, but Ibuprofen and braces made it possible. It was a rather easy hike, the end had some chains and stairs. Not a lot to see from there due to the fog, but a bit of an adventure hiking a crater.



I left the parking lot and continued along the road towards Arnastapi. I suppose I did pass the Snæfellsjokull, but it was so foggy I saw nothing.



This is a pity because the original Journey to the Center of the Earth is one of my favorite movies. I did stop around Londrangar to look at the lava formations and saw a rainbow near Kirkjufell.





I also stopped at Hellnar known for its church, originally built in 1883 and had a peat roof.


Unfortunately, I got to the shark museum just after it shut, so just after 5. From here the roads were all gravel and I was really quite concerned as it was empty - if anything had happened, no one was around to help at all. The phone service, when I had one, was only 3G.


Luckily it was summer and stayed light late. I made it to Stykkisholmur while it was still light and did walk up the hill to admire the view and walked along the harbor to admire the boats. There is also a picture of a stamp I bought for a postcard back to Trevor and Logan (Lynn Aden's kids).



Then on to the Fosshotel to spend the night.



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