Day Seven - Grass Houses, Elusive Puffins, and the Snęfellsnes Peninsula
After chatting with the charming young Icelandic girl at the front desk, I learned that it would probably take about 4 hours to drive to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula if I drove straight through. I had a couple detours in mind, so I was out on the road by 8:00am and heading west on Route 1 once again.
My quest to find the quirky Puffins was renewed, with knowledge of a coastal town called Saušįrkrókur, not too far off my intended path, where Puffin excursions were common.
On my way there I happened upon an old turf-covered house complex, which has now become the Glaumbęr Folk Museum. There aren't many trees in Iceland and in the early days, homes were often constructed with turf roofs and walls, keeping wood use to a minimum. Scattered about Iceland you can still find a few standing.
Old Turf House
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Windows in Turf House
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Farmhouse on Snęfellsnes Peninsula
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Reaching Sauðárkrókur, I learned once again that it was not a good time to see Puffins, at least not there. The detour was worthwhile, though, finding the turf-covered houses along the way.
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(Click to Enlarge)Once I reached the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, I traveled north to a small village called Grundarfjörður, where the Suður-Bár guesthouse was located. This farmhouse had several rooms upstairs and was run by a very nice family. The view of the mountains and ocean were outstanding. As is tradition in Iceland, you remove your shoes at the door when entering a home. It was nice to get a feel for an actual Icelandic home, rather than all hotels.
After dinner I asked if I could arrange a ride on an Icelandic horse. Erna was more than happy to oblige. She introduced me to Faldur, who I would be riding. First we groomed the horses, then we saddled them and walked them out of the fenced area. Being a complete novice to horse riding, she went over the basics with me and we practiced walking around a bit before venturing out. We rode down by the ocean, through some streams, and up and down some hills. It was really an amazing experience. Not only riding a unique horse in Iceland, but also with the ocean and mountains to either side of us. After a few hours we came back and groomed the horses after they rolled in the mud and grass to dry off. Riding Faldur was definitely another one of the big highlights of the trip.
