Note: This post (Iceland’s South Coast – Day 5) is from my daily journal on our DIY European vacation. You can find an overview of the trip here with links to all the published days. I am publishing each day consecutively so follow along and enjoy!

ICELAND’S SOUTH COAST

Many people visit with only a few days in Iceland’s South Coast. This part of Iceland is warmer, and it also has several things to see and do within a few hours drive. It could easily be a day trip. However, we opted to use Selfoss as our base so we could drive out a bit further and retire earlier.

BOBBY FISCHER MUSEUM

Before I left on vacation a coworker told me I had to check out the Bobby Fischer Museum and that he was a chess champion. I didn’t think anything about it at the time, but I told him if I saw it I would take pictures and send to him.  Well, while checking out the route for the day I came upon the museum and told Stephanie that we had to drop by!

The story of Bobby Fischer, located in Selfoss, is truly amazing and well worth five minutes reading through the wiki page for him. Bobby Fischer is known as the greatest chess champion of all time. He got involved in the cold war games in 1972 when he beat the Russian champion. Later, he was declared a criminal for using an invalid passport defending his title and ended up in exile in Iceland where he died in 2008. An amazing story about a true genius. The museum was closed or I would have loved to go through it.

AEGISSIOUFOSS WATERFALL

As you travel Iceland you will see these signs by the road that look like a Celtic four-leaf clover. These signs represent attractions and you should stop and check them out as they represent both big and small attractions that are noteworthy by the locals.

One such attraction is Aegissioufoss, yet another waterfall. Some waterfalls you can see from a distance and others you can’t. This one we couldn’t.  It was down a dirt road. Never the less, we decided to take a chance and see what it was, so we drove for about 800 yards to a turnoff that leads to a parking lot near a river with a few cars there.  One of the vehicles had fishing poles on it.

We walked a short path to the edge of the river and saw the falls along with some fishermen below the falls. We didn’t stay long, just enough time for some pics and to admire the view and then back to the truck to the next adventure. But it sure was worth a few minutes for the view!

LAVA CENTRE

I initially found the Lava Centre on the internet and thought it looked like an interesting place to visit. This interactive exhibit is extremely well-done and describes the creation of Iceland and the local geology. It also is a great intro into everything volcanoes, lava, and eruptions using the creation of Iceland to illustrate examples.

We first saw a 10-minute movie where Steph and Kaylee slept on the floor.

Then we went to the main exhibit. It described the different types of volcanos and how they shaped Iceland through the years. I think we spent over an hour in it.

NOTE: Link to a more detailed write-up of the Lave Centre.

SELJALANDSFOSS WATERFALL

Seljalandfoss is one of the best waterfalls in Iceland. As you approach on the road from the west you see a ridge with several waterfalls on it.  This one is the first one and closest to the road. We pulled into the parking lot and walked in to see it after donning our raingear, which we needed due to all the mist near the falls.

We joined the crowd of people getting pics and selfies. Then slowly made our way around to the back of the falls.

Then Stephen, Kaylee and I walked down to the falls, which was like being in a shower. 

Afterward, we made our way back up and then around to the steps that led us away from the falls. We could have turned right and walked down to see the other falls, but we felt we needed to make some time to see some more sights. And after all, how many waterfalls can you see in one day? Quite a few in Iceland!

SKOGAFOSS WATERFALL

Like Seljalandsfoss, you can see Skogafoss from the road and it is equally as impressive, but it is different in that the waterfall cuts into the rock so you can’t walk behind it.

The waterfall was recently used in the last season of the Game of Thrones in the episode where Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen ride dragons together and stop for a kiss in front of the waterfall. They did quite a bit of CGI editing on it but it is Skogafoss none-the-less.

You can walk above it though, and you can walk right up to the base of it. Stephen, Kaylee and I did just that, and it was like being in a hurricane with the wind and water blowing all around. This is what Floki did as well in this Vikings episode.

Kirsten and Steph stayed out of the water and took pics. It was fun, though and a great place to check out raingear!  My feet got wet here and so did Kaylee.

NOTE: Link to a more detailed account of Waterfalls of Iceland.

HALSANEFSHELLIR CAVE

One of the highlights of the trip was the black sand beaches, the rock formations, and the Halsanefshellir cave.

This area was one of the first areas settled in Iceland and features black basalt sand, volcanic hexagonal standing rocks, a cool cave and three rock spires standing out in the water.

Legend has it that trolls tried to pull a three-masted ship to shore but the sun came up and turned them into stone. That is how the three rocks and the hexagon stones came to be.

When we first arrived, we saw signs warning us of rogue waves. Our friend Yorick also reminded us of them, so we kept out a vigilant eye. 

The kids wanted to go down by the surf to watch the water disappear in the sand. And after a bit of that, they came up, and we found lots of black skipping stones. Then we went into the cave to check it out. It is shallow, with water dripping from the ceiling. 

Then the kids climbed on the rocks beside the cave and we took some pictures. These are the same rock formations that were the inspiration for the Hallgrimskirkja church in Reykjavik. Then we returned to the car and headed back to the main road.

VIK

We made a quick stop in the town of Vik to go to the grocery store and use the bathroom. They had a store there called Iceland Wear I think that said they had a tour so we were going to do it but after asking around it sounded cheesy so we skipped it.

We did, however find some snacks just for Farmers! Lol

HJORLEIFSHOFDI

Another one of those hidden gems is Hjorleifshofdi. While driving down the road we saw a local attraction sign, so we decided to stop and investigate.

We turned off onto a side road, not knowing where it went, which traveled alongside a mountain ridge with a vast gravel field coming right up to it. A quick Google search told us it used to be an island and also the most Southern tip of Iceland. It was also the filming location for the opening scenes of the 2016 Star Wars movie Rogue One, which got Stephen’s attention!

We stopped and took some pics of the Alaska Lupine and then headed along the mountain until we came to a cave entrance. We walked inside, and Stephen pulled up some scenes of the movie and found a shot on the inside of the cave that looked like the entrance we were in except they did some CGI graphics on the outside view.

Both Steph and Stephen both found coins in the cave. Stephen found Polish and Steph found Euro.

We didn’t stay long though as we had other things to see.

NOTE: Link to a more detailed account of Cape Hjorleifshofdi / Yoda Cave.

LAUFSKALAVARDA

Laufskalavarda was an interesting stop because it was man-made. People for years have been traveling across the desert and stopping at this location to build cairns. People build cairns to mark places. There used to be a farm here back around 900 AD. People built cairns here to bring them good luck on their journey.

We got out and took some pics and of course, Steph had to make one of her own!

SKAFTARELDAHRAUN (Scenic Green Lava Walk)

Another quick but enjoyable stop was one about the moss growing on the lava rock. We stopped to touch the moss a few miles before as it was so intriguing. Even though the rocks are rough below it, the moss grows several inches thick and feels like a mattress.

At this one, however, you could walk up to a vista and take pics of the thick moss all around you. There was also a roped off walkway through a section of the moss that Stephen and Kaylee walked through.

All around the roped off area the moss was dead where people had touched it. Did the oils from their hands kill it? Not sure, but there is an environmental lesson there somewhere.

SYSTRAKAFFI (dinner)

We faced a three-hour drive back to our hotel and it was getting late, so we stopped for dinner at Systrakaffi. We found this little place and ordered pizzas, burgers, and pasta. It was good food, although Kaylee’s pasta was tiny.

SYSTRAFOSS (waterfall)

One last waterfall for the day. We saw Systrafoss from the road and weren’t going to stop but it was so close to our dinner spot that we had to get a few pics. This was a cool waterfall because it split like a long train on a dress.

LESSONS FROM THE DAY

1. Stop and see the local attractions – One of the best ways to see Iceland is to just drive and take in the local attractions. Many are well worth the stop.
2. Plan your trip so you don’t backtrack – We wasted about two and a half hours this day backtracking.

CITATIONS

Gsapnas. YouTube Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen KISS | Game of Thrones (8×1, YouTube, 15 Apr. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqjSYFkmFvY&feature=youtu.be.

Online, Watch Vikings. YouTube Vikings – Floki Found Asgard, YouTube, 30 Nov. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nMCJA9faSw.