Lake Myvatn and Whale Watching

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Day 4 – Today we woke up to good weather again. Such a treat. We were told that this area has had sun for weeks and was actually too dry for the crops to grow properly. This was hard to imagine as we have had so much rain in such a little time, but this part of the island has been unaffected by this weather. So our plan was to drive north around the ring road and get to Husavik in time for a whale watching trip. We did in fact get there, but when we did the weather was terrible. Rainy and cold again. It was actually quite dramatic to see the line where the sun ended and the clouds began. We were not sure if we should go on the whale trip in these conditions or not, but we asked about the weather for the next day and they said it would be sunny and clear. So that decided it for us. We couldn't pass up that opportunity. We went to the whale museum, which was quite well done and then drove another 45 minutes to Lake Myvatn, where we were staying for two nights. We checked into our room, one of three at a campsite. The original plan was to camp, but when we saw the temps and the rain a couple weeks ahead if the trip, we decided not to. I'm happy we chose proper beds. 😊 In Myvatn, we made some dinner and then decided to head out to see a couple of the nearby sites. We went to Krafla, to see the volcanic area with boiling mud pots and steaming vents. We were out from 9pm until 11pm, but there was still plenty of light to see by. We were not the only tourists at this time, but there were not many. One thing that is amazing about Iceland is that even though some things are very expensive (food, hotels), all of the natural sites are free. And always open. It's very nice. But then it was time to go to sleep, since we had to get up early to get on the whale trip in the morning.

Day 5 – Wake up, look outside, blue skies! We are whale watching!! After some skyr, we headed back to Husavik for our whale watching tour. It was great. There were only 10 of us on the boat and it was a beautiful day. It was a three hour tour, a three hour tour. For the first 45 minutes or so, we didn't see any whales and got a little nervous. But then there they were, three Humpback whales feeding together. We followed them the rest of the time, seeing them quite close at times. We could also see whales a little further away, but the boat stayed with these. At one point there was another boat there with us as well. It was crowded, maybe 50 people. I felt even more lucky to be on our boat. It was amazing seeing the whales when they came up for air. I started to feel guilty that we were with the whales for so long, stalking them almost. I talked to our German guide about it, and she was saying that she has thought the same sometimes, but the whales do not seem to mind as they are curious and will come to the boats themselves. Also, they could have left us behind but didn't. So I felt a little better. Overall it was a great experience.

Once the whale trip ended, we headed back to Myvatn and cooked some eggs and bacon for lunch. Then we headed out to see the sites around the lake. We drove around and visited stone structures, pseudocraters, and other natural phenomena. We even stopped at the Cow Shed Cafe and ordered some ice cream. While we ate it, we watched cows being milked through the glass wall, and then drank a small sample of the still-warm milk. Amazing. We also drove back to see the boiling mud pots in a different light, which was great. I got so many shots of mud in cool formations. Love it. Afterwards, I showered while Jeroen cooked up a feast for dinner. We met a woman and her daughter in the kitchen who also live in Basel! What are the chances of that? Such a small world.

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