Iceland day 4

I did not want to get up today!  My hiking tour was cancelled so at the last minute I added a tour to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.  It will be nice to explore the western side of Iceland.  Apparently they filmed a show Game of Thrones in this area.  I have never seen the show, because apparently I live under a rock.  So we start the drive in a downpour of rain . . . hopefully as we get out of the city the rain fades away.  Our first stop it at Ytri Tunga Beach to see the seals and golden sand beach.  The tide prevents us from an up close view of the basking seals, but you can see them in the distance.

We enter the Snaefellsnes National Park and are dropped off to walk above the coast line of a small village which is beautiful!

Half Troll and Half Man . . .  Barður Snæfellsás at Arnarstapi

It was on to Vatnshellir Lava Cave . . . in 1864 Jule Verne wrote his classic novel Journey to the Center of the Earth where professor Otto Lidenbrock, his nephew Alex and their guide Hans descend into Snæfellsjökull volcano and get into to all kinds of adventures.  The cave is locked and only accessible on a tour.  

So down to the underworld . . . I wasn't expecting the spiral stairs . . . not fun for a person scared of heights but at least it was dark.  We went up and down two sets of these magical stairs . . .

You are inside a lava tube so it is dark and rough and hard to see . . . the guide had a super flashlight that helped take a few photos . . .

. . . and then you go back up those spiral stairs and out of the underworld . . .

We stopped for lunch at a cute little town in the middle of nowhere . . . since I had packed a sandwich, I bought a very yummy slice of apple pie dessert . . .

. . . while the rest of the group ate lunch I set out to explore near by . . .

Djupalonssandur Black Beach . . . no sand just pebbles . . .

The rust pieces you see are the remains of the Grimsby fishing trawler Epine that wrecked there on March 13, 1948 .  There are hundreds of pieces spread out all over the beach . . .

Kirkjufellsfoss . . .

Mount Kirkjufell . . . 

. . . and both together . . .

I don't really get too much information from our guide except where we are going.  I sort of like when guides talk a little bit about the area but we just drove from place to place.  It was nice to not be doing the driving though!  Gerduberg Basalt Columns . . . 

More sheep . . .

It was back to Reykjavik as our tour was over.  I dropped my stuff at the hotel and walked next door to MAT Bar for dinner.  It is a small plate tapas place but when you are a party of 1 it is a bit much to order more than a couple plates.  I couldn't decide what to order so went with the 6 course meal . . . chef picks which could be scary so I decided to start with a delicious espresso martini too!  First up was scallops and beef tartar with beets . . . 

. . . both were excellent!  Second course was asparagus (top), baby pak choi (left), and langoustines (right).  Langoustines are somewhat like a lobster and shrimp and amazing!  It was my favorite meal and just melted in my mouth!  

Final course was dessert . . . baked rhubarb with milk ice cream . . .

It was the best meal I have eaten . . . I don't eat fancy food but this meal was perfect!  I was hesitant about not picking what I ate but turned out to be great . . . and then there was nothing!

This meal with a drink cost 8.250 ISK which is about $75 USD.  It was worth every penny!  When you travel alone you don't get to sample many options in one meal so this was fun for me.  As I sat there alone, I realized travel really is more fun with someone else.  Don't get me wrong I had an amazing time traveling alone but dinner time is always fun to have someone to share your day experiences with and to laugh.  Thankfully my hotel is right next door because I am stuffed!  While my tour today wasn't my favorite so far but the ending was excellent!  Iceland is amazingly beautiful so while a tour might have disappointed it really isn't that bad when you look around at the natural beauty!