The Traveling Widower

Tag: Waterfalls

  • Iceland Historical Sites – Easy Walking

    A scenic view of traditional Icelandic turf houses and a church with a red steeple, set against a cloudy sky and green grass.

    June 27th, 2026

    This is the other story I did not post while in Iceland. 

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    It has now been a week since I left home….seems like I’ve been running non-stop for a month! I’m not complaining (for once) – there are just so many things to see here, and our trip lead is doing his best to cover as much as he can. Today is the first easy day I’ve had since arriving – I had a good night’s rest, a good breakfast and an unhurried departure from the hotel. And it was raining again. Blah.

    We had a long bus ride ahead, so I planned to catch up on my writing (I’m doing that right now). We did have a stop planned early on – another waterfall. Hard to believe that there are some we have not seen yet. Just kidding. 

    But before we hit the waterfall, we did a quick stop at a hot water generating plant, where hot water is pumped from a geothermal spring (Deildartunguhver). The water is literally boiling out of the ground – the spring area is fenced off since regardless of the many warning signs, there is always some idiot who has to see how hot the water really is. It’s actually boiling…no kidding, it’s really hot. Don’t do it!

    A geyser erupting water and steam in a misty landscape with rocky terrain and sparse vegetation.
    Steam rising from a rocky hillside, with water splashing against the rocks in a geothermal area.

    The next stop was the Hraunfossar waterfall and as advertised, the trail was short and easy. And yeah, the waterfall was absolutely beautiful. There are no mediocre waterfalls in Iceland. Too bad it was raining again. It was a quick stop, snap a few photos with the phone, and then we were off to the North coast. During the ride, our trip lead spent time to immerse our group in Icelandic music, most of which I muted by wearing my ear buds. Not that it was not interesting – I just wanted to enjoy the incredible scenery and maybe catch a few winks. Which I did. 

    A scenic view of a river cascading over rocky formations, with lush greenery and hills in the background.

    Our stop for lunch was for a bit more than food and a bathroom break. This area was known for a famous outlaw from the Iceland highlands who lived in a cave. The second floor of the restaurant (B&S Restaurant) had a replica of the cave with cave-like displays. Really. We toured that before lunch. Sort of like Casa Bonita in Denver, without the cliff divers, dancers and music. But the food was pretty good.

    An interior view of a rustic dining area with wooden tables and chairs, surrounded by rock-like walls. The ceiling has a natural stone appearance, and there are small plants on the tables. Soft lighting illuminates the space, creating a cozy atmosphere.
    A narrow cave-like passage with rocky walls, featuring a white fox positioned near a rock, illuminated by a soft light from the left.
    A cozy living room with a brown leather sofa adorned with fluffy throws, a decorative vase filled with dried flowers, and wooden walls. A rustic wooden table sits in front with a candle.

    I have this strange habit of photographing interesting bathroom signs or interiors. This one caught my eye.

    A wooden sign featuring a stylized figure with a sad expression, holding itself in a desperate posture, indicating a restroom.

    We continued our drive on to the next stop, the Glaumbær Folk Museum – sounds boring but it exceeded my expectations. The settlement dates back to the 1800’s, and the turf (sod) houses were in pristine condition, with each room filled with original items from the period. The buildings were very large, with thick turf walls and roof. They were probably nice and warm in the winter. Not that I want to live in one. A very interesting stop. 

    A scenic pathway lined with grass and stone, leading towards mountains under a cloudy sky, with a tree partially framing the view.
    Traditional turf houses with grass roofs, set against a backdrop of rolling hills and cloudy skies in Iceland.
    Interior view of a rustic kitchen with wooden beams, a table with pottery, and shelves displaying plates and cups.
    A scenic landscape featuring rolling green fields, mountains in the background, a weathered stone monument, an old wooden cart, and a bench for viewing the surroundings under a cloudy sky.
    A long, narrow hallway made of earth and wooden beams, featuring a dirt floor and a thatched roof, leading to a lighted entrance.
    An old rustic interior of a storage room with wooden shelves filled with various kitchen and farm tools, including barrels, a grinder, and lanterns.
    Interior view of a room featuring a window, framed by historical portraits on the walls, overlooking a green landscape with mountains in the distance.

    The buildings do look a little like hobbit homes. 

    There was one more stop at a famous old cathedral in Holar – built in the 1700’s. I’m burned out on visiting old churches after a couple of visits to Italy, but the history of this one was interesting , and the location was beyond gorgeous. We motored on to our hotel in the beautiful little village of Siglufjordur. Home of the Herring Museum. And a normal meal for dinner – pizza. Definitely an easy day.

    A scenic harbor view featuring colorful buildings in red and yellow, moored boats, and a calm water surface, set against a backdrop of mountains under a partly cloudy sky.
    Harbor scene with several boats docked at the water's edge, surrounded by a steep mountain covered in snow and mist.
    Scenic view of a harbor with a white fishing boat docked beside green and white buildings, surrounded by mountains with patches of snow and cloudy skies.

    There’s a local artist who makes strange wooden status of people – some of his work was scattered around town, and turned up in another stop as well.

    A wooden sculpture of a seated figure with arms crossed, made from various pieces of wood, set against a bright yellow wall.
    A wooden sculpture depicting a figure sitting on a bench, made from various pieces of reclaimed wood, set against a bright yellow wall.
    Three metal sculptures of women interacting around a barrel on a wooden pier with a ship in the background.
    A wooden sculpture of a woman in an orange dress and blue headscarf, seated beside a barrel of fish, displayed in a maritime setting.

    That last one was from the Herring Museum – a Herring Girl

    Peace

  • The Last Waterfall (and Hike)

    A serene landscape featuring a river flowing through rocky terrain, flanked by tall cliffs under a partly cloudy blue sky.

    June 30th, 2026

    All things must come to an end, and that was today  – we boarded the bus this morning for a day of hiking, and then heading to Akureyri for our last two nights in Iceland. Tomorrow we visit a whale museum and then go on a whale tour. Woo hoo. Just what I need. Maybe I’ll see some breaching or lunge feeding this time. So today we are heading off to a huge waterfall, requiring a long hike to see it, followed by a hike to see some interesting volcanic features and cliffs, followed by a picnic lunch, followed by another hike to see a huge horseshoe valley. All this before 2PM, since we have a long drive to the hotel. I’d better speed up my hikes to 2nd gear.

    We are currently in the Iceland Highlands, which are not as heavily visited by tourists as Southern and Western Iceland, so the roads were fairly empty, and there were fewer tourist buses  to deal with. Unfortunately, the midges were still there in force. But, the weather was the best we had all week, with enough wind to drive the bugs away. I asked our naturalist where the midges go when it’s not windy. I’m probably the only person who has ever asked that – my mind works in very strange ways.

    The first stop was for the Dettifoss falls (foss by the way, means waterfall in Icelandic, so that was the Detti waterfall waterfall) – one of the largest based on the volume of water that flows through it. The viewing points are reached by another 2km hike, which gets you to a point close to the top of the falls. There is a trail going down to the water edge, which has been closed since a large fault was discovered running through this area. It may eventually collapse into the river. And of course, there were idiots who went down there anyway. It looks safe, so what could happen?

    The next viewpoint required a bit of careful hiking up and down a rocky stretch, which eventually leads to a boardwalk under construction. It did not look too hard, so I VERY CAREFULLY tipsy-toed through it – it was a fantastic view, so I’m glad I did that.

    A wide view of a powerful waterfall cascading over rocky cliffs, surrounded by a rugged landscape and dramatic cloud-filled sky.
    A barren landscape featuring large rocks and patches of grass under a partly cloudy blue sky.
    A dramatic view of a waterfall cascading over a cliff, surrounded by rocky terrain and green moss. The sky is partly cloudy with sunlight reflecting off the water mist.

    The second photo shows a black basalt layer that the trail climbed – it was not that high, but was still impressive.

    The next stop was a cliff hike, to see some amazing basalt cliffs and rock formation. This hike was a bit shorter, but also with a tricky section to negotiate. I”m getting pretty good at hiking through the rocky trails – the new Black Diamond collapsible hiking sticks are fantastic. Very slender, but very strong. The big volcanic feature was a lot like Devils Tower, but the basalt columns were bent and horizontal – looked like a bee hive honeycomb. Definitely worth the hike.

    A rocky mountain peak under a blue sky with scattered clouds, surrounded by rugged terrain and green vegetation.
    Scenic view of a large rock formation beside a river, surrounded by green vegetation and a blue sky with fluffy clouds.
    A serene stream flowing through a lush green landscape with scattered shrubs and trees, under a partly cloudy blue sky.

    The next stop was a picnic lunch (very small hike) – a nice sandwich, seasoned with more midges. It’s hard eating with mosquito netting covering your head but we all managed. The site also had very nice restrooms….that were free. A welcome change from the day before.

    The very last stop, Asbyrgi Canyon, is a huge, horse shoe shaped valley surrounded by gigantic basaltic cliffs, which according to legend, were created by a hoof print of Oden’s horse. Must have been really big. The trail head had an Icelandic name that is not pronounceable by an English speaking person. Utsynisstadur.

    I think it means viewing point. The hike was fairly easy and did lead to a boardwalk viewing area. Absolutely stunning. This valley at one point had a huge river flowing through it, and the end of the valley was a waterfall. So this I guess would our last waterfall for the trip. A fossilized one. There was also an huge island in the middle of the valley. Well, it was an island. Very strange geology. We walked up the trail to a second view point, also very nice, and had options for one a bit higher up the trail. There were caution signs at the start of this section which warned of dangerous rock fall. I decided to heed the warnings and headed back down on a beautiful flower lined forest trail back to the parking lot with most of the group. I figured I made it through 11 day of hiking without injuring myself. That’s almost a record for me. Time to call it quits while I’m ahead.

    A serene landscape featuring a calm, greenish lake surrounded by rocky cliffs and lush vegetation under a blue sky with clouds.
    A rocky cliff with a small waterfall, surrounded by green moss and a clear pool of water at the base, under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

    The ride back to Akureyri was beautiful, running along the coast. We were just short of the Arctic Circle. Amazing glacier covered mountains across the fjord. The town is fairly large, with a small airport (we fly out to Reykjavik from here), and a lot of shopping, bars and restaurants.

    A large, humanoid puppet resembling an elderly woman stands outside a souvenir shop, with a shaggy fur coat and tattered clothing, looking down as if in thought.
    I’m not really sure what this was…

    A nice place to visit for a few days. I got to see some of it on a very long walk to buy some cough drops. I had a choice of walking up hill for a half mile, including a 100 step staircase which starts in front of the hotel, or take a leisurely stroll to a shopping mall, also a half mile away. I chose leisurely over steep. I’ve done enough of that the past 11 days.

    I probably will not post anything else until I get home….hopefully, I will have some photos of whales breaching and lunge feeding, but my expectations are low for the trip. I’ll just be happy to be out in what technically is the Arctic Ocean. 

    Peace.