When: May 22, 2017. Where: Selfoss, Seljalandsfoss, Keldur, Hella.
Weather: Drizzling/Cloudy . Temperature :8°C. Feels like : – 3°C for me.
Drive Route: KEF>SELFOSS>SELJALANDSFOSS>KELDUR> HELLA(farmhouse stay)
After 6 months of anticipation and planning, we are finally here. We took easyJet from London boarding via Luton. Our flight is at 6 am and we arrive at 8.05 am local time. We took our time at the airport and have our first of many expensive breakfast eats at ISK1000 (MYR40) for 1 sandwich, 1 packet chocolate drink and 1 packet of juice.
After getting dressed appropriately for the colder weather (it was drizzling) we took a short shuttle to pick up our rental 9 seater Renault passenger van from carsiceland.com By 930am we are all ready to go.
So our initial planned route is KEF>SELFOSS>SELJALANDSFOSS>HELLA (Farmhouse stay) as I was worried we will be really sleepy from the early flight. But as it turns out, we are pretty full of energy plus the no traffic condition at Iceland helps. We decided then to go see 1 site that was planned for another day.
SELFOSS
Our first stop is Selfoss (only 50mins drive from Keflavik vs my initial estimate of 1hr20mins drive), we stop by Bonus supermarket (a local supermarket chain to buy foodstuff for our dinner for the night & breakfast for the next day). A picture of the 2 youngest ladies of our group with the supermarket’s Mascot.
Cutesy pic of 2 youngest ladies
After spending over appx ISK80,000 (things are pricey here in Iceland), we go in search for the Pylsuvagninn hotdogs. The stall is right next to the Olfusa river, next to the bridge. Thank God for google maps, we didn’t have much problem looking for the stall. The hot dogs were good! I had the fried sausage with doritos & cheese (Hotdogs cost appx ISK420-500 depending on the different types of toppings that one chooses). There are outdoor seats if one is not afraid of the cold wind, for me – I am good with standing IN the shed/stall & eating the hot dogs. The view just next to the stall are just breathtaking with the local church in the background.
SELJALANDSFOSS
After our hotdogs break, we are off to Seljalandsfoss. After just 45mins drive, we reach Seljalandsfoss! It was beautiful even from afar but the real special view is from the ‘inside’ of the waterfall. The walk to the waterfall is not far but it sure was cold & expect to get wet due to the huge splash of the waterfall as you walked up to the inside of the waterfall. There are stairs & my 5 year old managed to climb up to the picturesque spot so it is not difficult at all if one is dressed properly & trek carefully.
Here’s that pic (my camera didn’t do justice to the actual site)
It was so cold due to the water splashed on us that we were willing to pay ISK500 for a cup of lousy hot chocolate from a stall set up near the waterfalls.
KELDUR
The Keldur museum is only open in summer (June-Sept) which we were aware of but that also means that there are no other tourist other than us enjoying Keldur. It is located right next to a farm (with a barnhouse, goats, tractors & all) with its own picket fences which are latched but unlocked.
Keldur itself is a very small area with the turf roof tops & a church. For such a small area, we actually spent an hour there – just enjoying the view, lying on the grass with the goats watching us from across a small stream & while the horses were busy with their grazing.
HELLA / HEKLA Mountain View (Turf Farmhouse Stay)
It was almost 3:30pm when we decided to drive to our first stay in Iceland – a Turf house at a farm next to the Hekla mountain.We are super excited & the house did not disappoint us at all. It is however quite a deep drive into the farmhouse so if one is worried about staying really far out of nowhere – it is not recommended. Else – I would recommend staying here, because it is one of our favourite stay here in Iceland.
The house could sleep at least 16 people – as they have 2 attic abode with mattresses, 2 separate bedrooms with bunk beds – open concept for the other beds. Their kitchen is big with a nice long dining table. There is only 1 shower & 1 WC attached in the farmhouse, but there are several WC & another shower that is located just outside of the farmhouse (also with turf roofing). Not to mention the large lawn with a trampoline & a swing. The owner stayed right next door, so we didn’t feel ‘alone’ at all. (In fact, we country bumpkins don’t know how the door locks work so we didn’t lock the front door, kitchen door or the side door at all when we retire for the night).
We were all wide awake by 530am the next day, which gives us a lot of time to do a quick morning run, short qigong class, some trampoline jumps & lots of tummy rubs for the farm’s sheep dog (although I think he is retired seeing him always looking for us for company).
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