Today was our last day in Iceland and we had a lazy start after a long day yesterday. We had our morning coffee and quickly packed our bags. We left the Puffin Hostel to see the sights around Vík and then eventually head back towards the airport. Our first stop was Víkurkirkja, a little Lutheran church situated on top of a small hill, with superb views of the ocean & town. We could even see the rocks in the ocean at Reynisfjall in the distance.
After spending some time there, we drove down to Vikurfjara, the black sand beach. We walked along the water’s edge observing the Atlantic Ocean crashing as waves on the beach.
Next stop was Reynisdrangar. We drove back inland and then across to the other side of the hills to reach there. We got a closer look at the rocks protruding from the ocean. It seemed like landscape from another world.
We also saw the basalt columns at the Reynisdrangar Cliffs and the Hálsanefshellir Cave. I remember seeing similar basalt columns before when we visited the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland many years ago and our tour guide at that time told us that the other end of the Giant’s Causeway was in Iceland. We finally made it here 10 years after seeing that. The waves crashing on the beach gave a glimpse of how rough the Atlantic Ocean was.
It started to rain again and we decided to move towards the Reynisfjara viewpoint. The road took us uphill till we were greeted with magnificent views of the Reynisfjara Beach and Arnardrangur, a single basalt rock stack which stands on the beach.
We then drove onwards to Dyrhólaey, a small hilltop with picturesque views, a lighthouse, and a large arch of volcanic rock in the sea.
Walking around, we could also see The Endless Black Beach on the other side. It just seemed to go on forever. From this height and distance, the waves almost seemed gentle as they caressed the beach. But we knew how rough the water really was.
It was past noon and after looking at options for lunch, we decided to drive back to Vík and go to The Soup Company. My wife decided to have the Icelandic lamb and I went for the sampler in which I got smaller bowls of all 3 soups: Red hot lava, Broccoli Cheddar and Icelandic lamb. We were also served bread and butter along with the soups. There was also the option of getting refills, even of a different soup, so my wife tried the Broccoli Cheddar and I got the Icelandic lamb. The soups were all warm and tasty and overall this was an enjoyable meal.
Feeling nice and full, we left Vik and started driving to our next stop, the Secret Lagoon. Known locally as Gamla Laugin, this was supposed to be the oldest swimming pool in Iceland. They’ve tried to keep it natural and simple for a more authentic Icelandic experience compared to Blue Lagoon or Sky Lagoon. We reached there around 5:00pm and bought the entrance tickets. There was also a walking path around the main pool where we could see a hot water river and also the active geysers which supply the naturally heated water to the pool.
We entered the gender-segregated changing rooms where there were lockers for use. It was also required for individuals to thoroughly shower in the buff before going to the pool to maintain the hygiene and cleanliness. The water was warm, clean, rich in sulfur, at 38-40 Celsius. It was nice to spend time here to relax and unwind at the end of our 4 days in Iceland before we flew out. We were one of the last people to leave as it was almost dark.
The drive back from the Secret Lagoon was long and lonely. It started raining after a while and as we got closer to the airport the rain got very intense. We had to re-fuel the car before returning it. Most petrol pumps we drove to didn’t have any shelter from the rain. I tried to fill in petrol at one such place but it was very tough with the wind and rain. Given how much wind and rain and snow Iceland gets I think they would have planned for most petrol pumps to be covered/sheltered but that wasn’t the case which was surprising to me. We finally found a petrol pump which was covered and I was able to refeul the car.
Driving back towards the airport, I dropped off my wife and our bags at the airport and then drove to return the rental car. The return process was easy. Similar to the USA, I had to park the car in a line behind some other cars and leave the keys inside. The attendant wasn’t there, so I went inside the office and the person at the desk just asked me if I had re-fueled. When I confirmed, he said that they would check the car and send me an email the next day. The rain had luckily stopped so I could walk back to the terminal building.
We changed into fresh clothes and headed to drop off the bags. The check-in agent was able to give us the boarding pass to Frankfurt but not onward to Malta. She asked us to check at Frankfurt. I asked her to call Lufthansa backoffice and find out more. She was eventually able to get through and found out that since our flight from Frankfurt to Malta had been changed by Lufthansa, it had to be re-confirmed or something like that. She was able to issue us the boarding pass to Malta as well. Our last 2 flights were on Turkish Airlines and those boarding passes couldn’t be issued here.
We cleared the security check and then stopped at Mathús for dinner. We ordered a chicken burger and fish & chips. They asked us come back in 10 minutes while they prepared the food. It was nice to have a warm meal and portions were adequate.
After finishing our meal, We walked to the gate and boarded our overnight flight to Frankfurt, trying to get as much sleep as we could.
🚘 Zero Car
🍽️ The Soup Company
🍽️ Mathús