Snaefellsnes Penninsula

We traveled around the Snaefellsnes Penninsula today. The wind was down and the clear except for occasional showers. Our first stop was a beach where some seals were sunning themselves and the Northern Gannet was nesting. Then we hiked to the base of Bjarnarfoss a beautiful waterfall.

Bjarnarfoss

At Anarstapi village we hiked along the cliffs with Common Guillenots nesting. There were a number of blow holes and arches along the path. The best was called Guard Gate. Our hike ended at a sculpture, called the God of Snaefal.

Guard Gate

We had a fish soup lunch at Hellnar in a tiny restaurant. I hiked the trail a little ways and the sun was shining bright on Snaefellsjokul, literally “snow mountain glacier”. Further down the road was the visitor center for this national park and a view of the lava formation Malarrif.

Snaefellsjokul in background

On to black pebble beach Djupalonssandur with the pieces of a shipwreck trawler still remaining. Rounded pebbles covered the beach from the strong surf.surf. We drove the bus into the cone of Holanplar volcano. On the way home we stopped at the Shark Museum to snack on shark. The Greenland shark is the raw material, but its raw meat is toxic because of the amount of urine in the meat that serves as antifreeze for the Shark. They have to let the Shark meat ferment for 6 to 10 days and then let it air dry for 3-4 months to remove the toxin. Shark is considered a snack food, we ate it in a shot glass filled with alcohol. 

Greenland Sharks