Grundarfjordur, Iceland
- Amaris Scipione
- Aug 9
- 7 min read
Our original plan for today was to have a free day and explore on our own. We’ve learned that while the ports are beautiful, many natural wonders exist further away. We signed up for the Wonders of the West tour which is a five-hour bus tour exploring this region of Iceland: Grundarfjordur. The weather today is sunny and relatively warm and it’s the perfect weather to end our trip.
Most of our tours have started in the afternoon giving us slow mornings. This tour has a meeting time of 9am so we wake up earlier than other days. We go to Verandah which is the breakfast buffet, but they also offer a menu if you want to order something fresh. I have English sausage and potatoes with a decaf iced mocha. I love the sausage in Europe. It’s not seasoned with peppers so I can actually eat it!
We meet in the lounge for our tour, and it is full with what seems like everyone from the ship. There are a few tours starting around the same time. The other tours are more adventurous with longer hikes or more difficult terrain. We’re on the easy tour. Soon enough our group is here, and we board our bus with a total of 30 guests. It’s a large coach bus and we claim our usual spot on the bus which is the very last row. This bus is very nice with comfortable seats and panorama windows. There is even a giant window behind us. It’s a perfect match for such a dynamic landscape.
Our first stop is a beautiful view along the side of the road. There is a lake on one side and waterfalls on the other side. I’ve never seen so many waterfalls in one country. They are everywhere. Look out the window at any point of any tour and you’ll probably see at least one waterfall. There is what looks like a house rental near this stop as well. There is a house which is probably where the owners live, and then one of those arctic domes which looks to be a guest house. This would be a beautiful place to sleep!
The next stop is at Snæfellsjökull National Park visitor’s center. It’s an opportunity to use the bathroom or purchase something from the gift shop. The bathrooms in this country have all been very clean. Also, most are individual stalls that are gender neutral. Each stall has a toilet and sink inside and most don’t have that common sink area. I like this setup better than what we have back home. This is a quick stop and then on to the next place.
We arrive at a trailhead for a short hike to the beach. It’s a black sand beach and we’re warned to be careful with the water and to never turn our back to it. The water here is calm compared to the black sand beach we visited earlier on our trip. It’s still beautiful and the hike to it was interesting. You descend down to the beach and it looks like you’ve walked onto a movie set. The scenery doesn’t seem real because it’s so cool. Rocky terrain, mossy green areas, black sand, and massage stone rocks make up our view. There was a portion of the hike on rocks. The kind you would expect to see at the spa. This terrain was challenging for my sprained ankle, but I managed.
We visited another visitor center. There was a little box that said, “taste me.” My eight-year-old spotted it and asked why it said that. We opened the box and inside were two types of dried kelp to taste. My son reaches for the kelp with his hands, and I stop him. “Use the tongs.” He listens and grabs the tongs then proceeds to pull the kelp with the tongs to his mouth like he is using a fork. “No!” I stop him again and tell him to now take the kelp with his fingers and eat it. He eats it and I’m prepared for him to hate it. He says it tastes good. He then tries the other one and says this one tastes even better. This limited eater really likes kelp? Maybe this kelp tastes different, I think. I try a piece. Yep, tastes like kelp which I don’t particularly prefer. I am surprised my son likes it.
Back on the bus to the next hike. This hike brings us high along a cliff to a path defined by a metal grate. The metal has groves and I imagine they provide a nice grip when the weather is colder and the path is covered in ice. The hike gives us panoramic views of beauty with dramatic drops and blue water. It’s amazing how blue the water looks on a sunny day! The weather is perfect for today. Again, another place where my pictures don’t tell the whole story.
Our next stop we have an option of walking about a mile or enjoying one viewpoint and then getting bussed to the end of the walk at the second viewpoint. The options for this were a little vague and didn’t give us much time to decide. We opt for the walk, but the little guy is not okay with this quick transition. It’s a beautiful walk along a cliff and about two minutes into the walk our son goes into meltdown mode. My husband is literally walking on the peaks of an off-trail cliff while this happens. My son and I are on the trail next to a cliff without fencing. It’s not the ideal place for a meltdown and I pick up my son and comfort him. I’m worried about the cliff and his lack of control during a meltdown. His anger vents and I stroke his back while his body accepts the situation. My husband comes back and tells me how I shouldn’t carry him with a sprained ankle. I respond that I am aware, but I’ll take the extra strain on my ankle versus our son over a cliff. We switch carrying him. In a couple minutes, he’s back to himself and we enjoy the rest of the walk together.
We have one more stop. It’s to a black church in the middle of absolute beauty. Our tour guide tells us that he’s excited for this because he has never been inside. Apparently, it’s not normally open and requires special reservations. Yay Windstar for including something extra special on our tour. Our group goes in and out of the church while a representative guards the door. The trail is popular and there are plenty of other people (not in our group) who attempt to see the church but are turned away. It’s literally open only for us.
The church is near a yellow sand beach which the locals call a red sand beach. The sand is definitely yellow so I’m not sure why they call it red. Maybe it looks red on other days? We have time to explore the beach and it’s weird to see normal sand after all the black sand. We have a decent amount of time here as well.
It’s been a beautiful tour and the perfect mix of listening on the bus and walking and exploring off of the bus. It’s a long tour without food so we visit the Verandah for a late lunch when we return to the ship. I’m surprised it’s still open for lunch! The theme for today is Austrian/German. I have a bowl of spaetzle and a bowl of asparagus soup. Both were amazing. I’m really going to miss all this good food when I go home.
It’s a sunny day and the perfect day to be outside. We change into our swimsuits and head to the hot tub. It’s empty and the warm water feels nice. My son is even brave enough to go into the pool as well. Keep in mind it’s in the 50’s so not that warm. The warm water feels nice on my ankle and helps with mobility. I can walk so much better on it when I get out, but once I return to normal temperatures, it stiffens up again. Eventually, I leave the hot tub, and my husband takes my place to stay with our son.
I’m here as a host for a group and I have my office hours today before dinner. I quickly shower and change and setup my desk at the Yacht Club. Office hours are typically done on sea days, but since this sailing doesn’t have sea days, I needed to squeeze it in on a port day. No one comes, but it is a nice kid-free hour for me.
I return to the room to pack. We have two large suitcases and one small suitcase. I’m able to pack one large and one small suitcase before dinner. I’ll pack the other one after dinner. One thing that I really like about this ship is that we do not need to place our bags out tonight! Many cruise ships require that bags are set out the night before departure. This means toiletry bags and pajamas get separated from the main bags. We are asked to set out our bags by 6am tomorrow morning. That does mean I need to wake up early, but I’ll take that for having my bag packed the way I want.
There are two specialty dining restaurants onboard, and they are both included in our cruise fare! Tonight, we are eating at Quadro 44. It’s a Spanish restaurant and its offerings remind me of my time in Seville and Barcelona. I see many classic Spanish dishes. I have Jamon for my appetizer and lamb chops for my main dish. Almond cake for dessert. The food was excellent.
We make one last visit to the Bridge. My son loves this place, and the officers are kind and answer all of his questions. He had a lot of questions! We go back to the room where I finish packing and preparing for tomorrow. We have a late flight, so we have time for one more adventure.
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