Kirkjufellsfoss to Hvítserkur via Hólmavík (Day3)
We were very exhausted from the previous day/night spent wonderstruck with the awesome display of “Aurora borealis “ from the comfort of our beautiful cabin room and we woke up at about 8am.
After getting ready, we enjoyed the view from the cottage while sipping our coffee and having a quick nibble, before starting our drive towards Hólmavík. It was going to be a long drive and we wanted to take the scenic route stopping to enjoy the grand Icelandic landscape at various points. Our whale watching trip with Laki Tours was scheduled for 1.30 pm.
To pick up a quick breakfast, at about 9.30 we stopped at Snaefellsnes hotel whose café was just opening. When there were people to get our orders, we had some cake, muffin and coffees. With full bellies, we continued our drive continually cherishing the views outside, stopping several times to soak it all in.
When we reached at about 1pm, we were delighted to learn that our trip was not canceled. Unfortunately, trips from the previous two days as those scheduled for the next three days had to be scrapped because of the inclement weather and they did not want to take a chance in the open waters. We were lucky to catch the sights of several gray and humpback whales with a stunning rainbow in their background. R commented that it would make some beautiful pictures.
It was a 90 min trip and by half past 3 we were already back to the pier. It was recommended to have lunch at the café of the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft. Even though we did not go into the museum section, the seafood soup and the lamb soup that we had on the cold dull day was completely heartwarming.
From there we slowly started making our two and a half hour drive to Hotel Hvitserkur, a quaint countryside hotel in the town of Hvammstangi in North West Iceland, stopping several times to enjoyed the grand vistas.
The reasons for choosing this hotel were twofold - the first being the location and second was that it had just started taking its first guests since April of that year (2023). It was run by a young couple originally from Germany but were living in Iceland for more than 4 years. Being a not so young couple, we wanted to support their new endeavor of running Hótel Hvítserkur and the farm Þorfinnsstaðir.
As for the location, this hotel was 10 minutes away from the famous landmark Hvítserkur, otherwise known as the Troll of Northwest Iceland, is a 49 ft tall basalt rock stack protruding from Húnaflói Bay. The rock is a nesting ground for seagulls, shag and fulmar, making it appear constantly in motion, further enforcing the idea that Hvítserkur is, in some way, very much alive. R being the landscape photographer had been drawn to Hvítserkur as a subject because of all the photographs he studied before coming and due to the way the sun, moon, and aurora borealis reflect off of the flat water around its distinctive form. Sunsets and sunrises, weather permitting, would simply make some magnificent photographs.
On the way to the hotel, we found a single open restaurant and picked up some burgers from there . After checking in, we quickly made our way to the Hvitserkur beach and hung out there till past sunset, appreciating each other’s company and the stunning view in front of us, joking how Hvítserkur is often referred to as a troll like so many distinctive Icelandic rocks are.
When we got back to the hotel and had our burger dinner, S started feeling a little unwell. But a good night’s sleep was much coveted, so we gave in and called it a day.