waking up very early on day eight, leaving out love tent for 3 and stepping out to the duck poop filled grass field. the lake right in front of us looks pretty and the weather seems treacherous , but not raining so far, the strong wind the knocked off the other tent didn't seem to know off any other tent in the camp and this wind has subsided by now. we packed up and drove east a bit then went on a dirt road. this road follows the same river we traversed yesterday, by now that massive river has joined up with 2 other rivers to form Europe's most powerful waterfall, we were heading there next. a short 20 minute hike leads to a huge waterfall, the spray spreads far and wide and the drop looks impressive, we took some fall photos and walked around a bit to the upper falls, slightly up river, smaller in scale but also nice looking, after an hour or so with this hike we kept driving on this dirt road passing greener views from the nearby river. an hour later we reached a place called an island in the grass, Asbyrgi. Asbyrgi is a large canyon that used to be a part of the massive river, but the river moved nearby leaving a tiny trickle here as the only water source, but this protected area with its cliff created a haven for grass with spectacular views. its place has a tent side and a golf course, this can be a nominee for the prettiest golf course in the world. we walked on the grass and headed for one of the sides of the cliff and went up the not high cliff. at this point Shay who held the car keys for the 1st time this trip, said he forgot to lock the car and that the keys were in the car... so we took a little grass nap while shay goes back, spends too much time only to realise that the keys were in his pocket!!! so we kept going along the cliff edges enjoying views from the valleys below. the road passes in low bush land and once in a while we see some mushrooms as the only non plant life, this area has the arctic fox, but they are not visible. at one point we see the perfect mushroom, this island has some large mushrooms, but this one was storybook perfect, large , red and round, i am expecting to see a caterpillar smoking a pipe on it, but i think story book caterpillars only come out at night.
we keep walking and reach the end, this is a horseshoe shaped canyon overlooking the valley of grass below, this valley is strange, perhaps by earthquake a part of this hill was separated and in front of us 2k or so away lies the other side and it looks like an island in the grass, really pretty, we sit on the edge of the cliff on the last real hike of this trip, enjoying the moment.
we head back the way we came, passing by the huge mushroom and no elves in sight. at some point the road splits, we can keep hiking along the cliff edge or uses ropes and ladders to climb down the cliff. this cliff is not high, perhaps 30 meters high, enough to be care full of falling, we descend with the ropes down and walk back in the grass lands. after this amazing 10 k hike we get to the nearby grocery store where no hot dogs are found, this place has a small local wool shop but the expensive stuff are also shedding. not sure why people like it, it sheds like crazy.
at this point we split, moti and mom went back to pack out their hotel and we took the other road along the coast to the fishing town of husavik. the weather became perfect at this point, strong sun and clear blue sky, we found a place advertised as the coolest place in ... i ordered the kids meal. usually kids meal is a burger, plain pasta, chicken strips, but in this place its fresh fish!!! lucky kids, a very tasty dish, we walked the small town a bit enjoying the sunshine and stopping in the occasional souvenir shop. there is something generally wrong with souvenirs, they lost their local appeal. it seems that one factory makes them and with no real appeal i cant find anything i want to buy. we drive on, along the northern Fjords and mountainous areas, night arrives as we reach the 2nd largest city in island, akureyri , 18000 people. the hostel here is right on the main drab , we check in and then head out to select a place for dinner. we choose a recommended sea food place which is kind of fancy. I liked my sea food chowder and my main dish of some fish i never tried before, this place offers seven or eight types of sauces over several kinds of fish. we also enjoy desert. at the end the waiter comes by and tells us that since we are the 1000nd customer, our meal is free!! waves of excitement and shock pas over us for a minute till we realised the moti snuck away and paid the waiter up front and the waiter played along. a nice treat for the almost end of a lovely trip.
the hostel gives one free beer per person, so i passed mine to amit, drank my hot chocolate before going to sleep... thus ends day 8
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