Iceland - Westman Islands - where new islands are created

The next day we left early to drive the Ring Road more to the west. We had in mind to visit the Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar), a group of volcanically formed islands just out of Iceland's centraal south coast. However, given the very uncertain weather, we decided to book our hotel on the mainland, just in case going to the islands would be a waste of time. We would see what the weather would look like tomorrow. Right now it was still cloudy with showers. Our hotel was another one in the middle of nowhere: Welcome hotel Lambafell, not very far from Seljalandfoss at the Ring Road.

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The hotel is located very close to the place where the Eyjafjallajökull erupted in 2010, one of the biggest eruptions in recent decades. The scenery clearly shows the marks. Another reason why we left early was, because we wanted to have lunch on one of our last days in Iceland in an eatery in Stokkseyri that is famous for its lobster soup and langoustine dishes: Fjorubordid Restaurant. Almost all reviews were raving, and we could only agree: the langoustines were (almost) the best we had, and the lobster soup was to die for. The prices are in accordance with the restaurant's fame. It was by far the most expensive restaurant were we ate in Iceland. The service is a bit formal but very correct, and the location is nice with some view, although this day it was a bit grey and we were glad we were sitting inside... We would give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Hotel Lambafell is an "unmanned hotel". There is no reception and no staff but you use a code to check in and get the key from the little locker next to the room. If there is any question, there are phones to call the manager. The hotel has a variety of rooms with own bathroom and with shared ones, and there is a big hot tub outside that can be used day and night. In the morning, breakfast is brought by two staff, and it is all right. Not very lavish, but just right. The breakfast is in a kind of large kitchen and the fridge can be shared by the guests.

The next morning the weather looked good, so the decision was made: we were going to the West man Islands. We had seen the ferry port and the islands from high above earlier during our trip, but now when we drove there we discovered that the whole strip of land between the Ring Road and the ferry port is just one barren desert of black lava. Amazing and a bit intimidating at the same time.

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There is a large parking lot at the ferry port and the island is in principle car-free except for people living there. The crossing to the islands was a bit windy but very nice. After arriving everybody got off the ship, and one thing that struck us was that, yes, this was a port, but no, there was no port activity whatsoever. It looked like everybody had taken a day off. Strange...

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The island where the ferry arrives is called Heimaey (Home Island), and with about 4,500 inhabitants it is the only permanently inhabited island of the 15 islands and 30 rocks that form the archipelago. All the islands are younger than about 12,000 years, and in fact they are all part of one big volcanic system with cones above and below the water. One island, Surtsey, wasn't even there yet until 1963, when an underwater volcano started to erupt. In a period of 4 years, the island was created by lava building up and solidifying. Over the decades plant life and birds have started to live on the island, and this is why it is of extreme interest to biologists. For tourists, the island is totally off-limits. Good thing, there are more than enough other places to see!

On Heimaey, two volcanoes dominate the landscape and it is very clear which of the two is the youngest. In 1973, the Eldfell erupted violently, and the whole island was evacuated for months.

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The island is characterized by high, steep cliffs with all sorts of amazing patterns and cavities showing the powers that have been at work to shape these islands. The cliffs are a birds paradise. We decided to walk to the west end of Heymay, a not too long walk that leads to the golf course, but behind it is a path that you can follow along the cliffs. From here there are also some amazing views over smaller islands and rocks.

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When we walked back to the main street we saw two traditional houses with grass roofs that give an impression of how people lived here in earlier times.

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The way back to the village passes the soccer stadium. You can't miss it, a large football marks the roadside. Of course with the UEFA European Championships still in mind where the Icelanders surprised everybody by making it to the quarter finals, and charmed the world with their "Hakka" ritual, we realized that this was one of the holy spots of nowadays. We even had the chance to sit in the stadium of IBV, the island's major league team.

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We had lunch on the island, and a nice pastry as dessert.

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By the time we finished lunch we saw that clouds started to build up. We had been lucky again. We almost had to go to the ferry anyway, and the major part of the day had been sunny and had given us wonderful views and photo's. In the village we observed some kids walking around with cardboard boxes. They also came asking in shops and even in the restaurant if they had some empty boxes left. It turned out that this was the time that young birds, especially puffins, were supposed to start flying out of the nest. Some of them were clumsy enough to land at the ground near the cliffs and had no chance to make it to more open terrain or the sea, where they could catch fish, catch their breath and get airborne again. The kids picked them up and brought them to the ferry, from where they were put overboard (the puffins, not he kids).

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When we boarded the ferry, the wind had picked up quite a bit, and there was a play between dark clouds and sharp sunlight. Standing on the rear deck, this made the view on the sea and the islands particularly impressive.

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