Day 1 - Snaefellsnes 

Itinerary:

1. Breakfast at Reykjavik
2. Stykkisholmur
3. Bjarnarhofn shark museum
4. Kirkjufellfoss 

Day 1 involves a trip to the beautiful Snaefellsnes (Snæfellsnes) Peninsula. It is regarded by some as a taste of Iceland, due to its diverse landscapes.

We started off the day at Cafe Paris right in the heart of Reykjavik. It was already raining when we got there. This is expected since September is one of the rainier months in Iceland. Sipping coffee in a cafe while it's raining outside - one of the joys in life. 

Cafe Paris. Simple, hip design. Not that many people on a weekday morning.

Skyr (Icelandic yogurt) for breakfast.

It was a 2 hour + drive north to Stykkisholmur after that. Driving in Iceland is pretty straight forward. There aren't that many roads outside Reykjavik anyways. Furthermore, thanks to T-Mobile's free international roaming, we had the services of Google Maps. 


The rain lingered around till we reached the southern end of Snaefellsnes, where we were greeted with rays of sunshine. It was as though the weather gods at Snaefellsnes were welcoming us. 

Rain stopped, but some low hanging clouds persisted.

From route 54, we took route 56 up over the hills, into the clouds, towards Stykkisholmur. Along the way, there were some impressive vista points. Some of them were locations featured in the Icelandic sagas.

Cute fluffy sheep is a common sight in Iceland

This is at one of the vista points. Also a site of one of the Icelandic sagas. Breathtaking tundra landscape.

We rented a Chevy from Sixt car rental. It wasn't cheap (like all things in Iceland), but it served us well.

Sun beams piercing through the persistent clouds as we approach Stykkisholmur

Stykkisholmur (Stykkishólmur) is the largest town in the Snaefellsnes peninsula. This town stood in as "Greenland" in the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. And no, no Eskimos here. It feels like a small, sleepy, charming fishing village. There is a nice little hill at the northern tip of the town that offers 360 degree views of the area.

Looking south towards the town center. It was chilly and breezy.

This hill is easily accessible from the port parking lot. The parking lot was empty when we were there. There are stairs that lead to this look out point.

The next stop was Bjarnarhofn (Bjarnarhöfn) shark museum, located about 20 minutes west of Stykkisholmur. This is one of the last remaining place where they make the traditional Icelandic dish, the Hákarl (fermented shark meat). The junction off route 54 is marked by a shark sign. The road goes on quite a bit into some farm area.

Cute shark sign at the junction to the shark museum.

Also at the junction to the shark museum

Road leading towards the shark museum.

Entrance to the shark museum, guarded by this fluffy dog.

So cute and fluffy!

For about Kr 1000 entrance fee, the shark museum is definitely worth a stop if you are curious about:

• Life of an Icelandic fisherman
• History about fishing in Iceland
• Fishing tools
• The process of fermenting the shark meat. They have a very nice HD video of the entire process, from getting the shark from the docks to hanging slabs of meat for fermenting.
• How fermented shark meat TASTES like. YES! You get to taste it! I was offered small bits of it on a tooth pick, with a side of pieces of sweet rye bread. To me, it tasted rubbery and bland, with just a tinge of awfulness. The sweet rye bread did the job of covering up the foul after taste. 

Inside the museum

Before we left, we were reminded to check out the shed behind the museum, where they hang the shark meat for fermenting.

This shed houses death. And yet, the location could have easily been used for a 5 star resort. There's just a ridiculous amount of beauty everywhere in Iceland.

As I walked closer and closer to the shed, I could start smelling wafts of the worst possible smell you could imagine. It was quite an experience.

The smell. Oh dear lord.

Our last stop is the photogenic waterfall Kirkjufellfoss, located about another 15 minutes west from the junction to the shark museum. Even though the waterfall is very popular with photographers, it doesn't look like it's a popular tourist attraction. The trailhead leading to the falls was just a dirt lot. Luckily there are paths and a bridge leading to the falls.

The towering Kirkjufell comes into view. The waterfall, Kirkjufellfoss is located across the highway from hill.(See rough location on map above)

From Kirkjufellfoss, you can see people hiking up Kirkjufell

Facing Kirkjufellfoss. It looks very unimpressive if viewed from the front. I was actually more intrigued by the towering formations in the background.

Even from this angle, it doesn't look special at all.

It turns out, this is the spot where you get the money shot.

This is it! The view of Kirkjufellfoss and Kirkjufell. Of course, this is far from the best representation of this view. There are many other amazing shots of this exact same view. My favorite ones are those where the sky is illuminated with the glow of the auroras.

It was another 2.5 hours drive back to the capital. Was Snaefellsnes worth it? I would say do it if you have an extra day to spare if you are staying around Reykjavik. It is perfect for a day trip. It gives a taste of what you will see as you venture further away from the capital.