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August 4, 2024
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A Day on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula

We arrived at our AirBnB in Grundarfjörður on an amazing evening. We have a beautiful view of the ocean and Kirkjufell mountain right out our window!

After a good nights sleep we spent our saturday in Snaefellsnes peninsula, driving a big loop and taking in lots of sites, stopping for short hikes along the way. The morning began with very sunny weather and the seas outside our window were completely calm.

Our first stop was the town of Hellissandur, the street art capital of Iceland. There are so many different buildings with murals painted on the side. This is probably the most famous of them.

Not too far down the road from is the Saxhóll crater. A small volacano that is easy to climb. Johannes led the way in grand style! The views from the top were great, but it was super windy! One of those winds where you could lean way into it and not fall over.

After an impromptu comfort stop behind one of the many rocks next to the road we continued on our way to Djúpalónssandur Beach We spent a good amount of time here exploring the remains of the Epine GY 7, a British trawler that shipwrecked here in 1948.

We also spent a lot of time getting our feet wet in the North Atlantic, throwing rocks into the ocean, sitting on the beach, and saving many starfish that had washed up on the beach.

It is a great little hike with lots to do. Oh and we all tested our strength by trying to lift a series of rocks, that were part of a test for old sailors. The weight of the rocks ranged from 50 to 340 pounds. You had to be able to lift the 120 pound rock if you wanted to be an oarsman.

After our hike we ate a picnic lunch at one of the picnic tables near the parking lot.

Next up was Arnastapi and statue of Bárdur Snaefellsás, the giant troll man. By this time the youngest ones had had enough touring and were in need of some play time, luckily there was a small playground that was perfect for the situation.

Although there was a real need for some nap time, and yes, by this time it was way past nap time. We had one last stop for the day at Ytri Tunga Beach The main attraction here was to see some seals.

The weather at the beach was really windy, but we did see some seals, so mission accomplished! We had just under an hour to drive back home and it was very quiet in the van.

Dinner this evening was a smorgasbord of what we had leftover for groceries, Icelandic hotdogs, French friends from the fish and chips a few nights ago, and even a few pieces of fish, not to mention the Mac and Cheese that Nana brought with.

Next stop, a short night in Reykjavík and an early morning flight back to Minneapolis.