Reykjavík Grapevine - 21.09.2018, Síða 47

sometimes naught y. It ’s fine
with me if the ghost decides to
blow out a candle or two, but let’s
just agree not to mess with the
heater. Warm toes are quite pre-
cious.
Enchanting tranquility
After a night with no super-
natural incidents, we deem the
4.2 km hike to Egilsgil a safe
choice. The beauty of the area
reveals itself in both the grand,
panoramic views and dainty de-
tails. Summertime is still show-
ing off at the side of the trail.
Attractive narrow-leaved cotton
grass, with it ’s gray hair cov-
ered head leaning in the wind,
sits by patches of lamb grass
and creeping purple-flowering
thyme–which, by the way, is a
lovely spice for a roast.
The trail leaves us breathless,
quite literally, going mostly up-
hill, but it’s worth it for the view.
While we don’t see the famous
rainbow-coloured mountains
of Landmannalaugar, the scen-
ery here has a more subtle ap-
peal—an enchanting tranquil-
lity, with flowing and swirling
lines of green and gray, almost
as if someone had lazily stirred
the fields with a giant spoon.
The light glazes everything in a
quiet, almost divine glow, seep-
ing through the soft, grey cloud
cover.
Bleeding fog
I recall what a group of travel-
ling photographers we met ear-
lier that morning said about
this place. It’s the mystery—the
magic of the mountains bleed-
ing into the fog—that makes
Landmannahel lir so special.
The weather makes the sights
more stunning.
Despite being, by now, des-
perate to reach Egilsgil, we’re
forced to turn back when we see
an eerie looking wall of clouds
moving our way. It later turns
out Egilsgil was a discrete fis-
sure we had already passed... so
much for the dramatic, chilling
canyon of my imagination.
Seventh haven
One of the cabin keepers, Fríða,
tells us that she’s spent three
summers working in Landma-
nnahellir after countless weeks
visiting as a kid. There’s no gro-
cery store, no cable TV and no
phone reception. She says it’s the
calm and solitude that keeps her
coming back. It’s a sort of haven.
Starting out home, we stop
at Landmannalaugar for a bowl
of soup, mingling with crowds
of people starting or finishing
their hikes. The mountains are
magnificent, showing off their
colour palette in the fickle after-
noon sun, and we pass by the hot
spring, with its pretty fields of
cottonheads. It’s beautiful, but
very different.
T he H ig h la nd s a re abu n-
dant. There are sights at which
to marvel, and multitudinous
mountain trai ls to test your
stamina and determination.
And in the middle of it all lies
Landmannahellir—a place of
absolute calm.
Friða talks about the area
The Landmannahellir cave
The Fjallabak lavascape
“The scen-
ery has an
enchanting
tranquillity,
with flowing
lines of green
as if some-
one had lazily
stirred the
fields with a
giant spoon.”
Þrastalundur
Þingvellir
National Park
Hveragerði
Geysir
Gullfoss
Kerið
Reykjavík
Your journey
to the Golden
Circle starts at
Þrastalundur
BREAKFAST, BRUNCH, LUNCH, DINNER
SINCE 1928
/thrastalundur
/thrastalundurr
Great place to see
the northern lights!
Lovely Restaurant with a Stunning View! We stopped @
Thrastalundur on our way to Geysir (40 min away). Everything about this
place was just magical - the food, the coffee, the view and the team. Highly
recommend for anyone who wants to rest in a very picturesque scenery
and enjoy truly Icelandic hospitality! – Aga J. – Tripadvisor.
Food was so good, we came back twice! We really enjoyed eating at
Þrastalundur Restaurant. We tried the lamb soup, fresh brook trout, and leg
of lamb. It was a Sunday, and they had a lovely two-piece band playing. The
staff really made us feel at home, and gave us some travel suggestions for
the Golden Circle. We enjoyed it so much, we came back the next night for
pizza, soup, and beer. – Kim H. – Tripadvisor.
More than outstanding pizza Lovely restaurant situated in very
seenic spot on a river bank. In summer one can see people fly fishing.
The service was very good. Food was good and the atmosphere good.
Will definately go there a.s.a.p. Old but renovated in good taste. Brunch
yummie. Thank you. I loved it – Sigga_Hallgr. – Tripadvisor.