Reykjavik, 12 Aug 2026
In the morning, we went a bit north of Reykjavík to look at some turf houses and hot springs. Then, in the afternoon, we tried to see the eclipse.
The group has settled into a routine of getting breakfast, loading up the vans, then heading off to the morning destination. For this day, that was Hraunfossar & Barnafoss Waterfalls.
Morning sightseeing
On the drive over, we went through Hvalfjarðargöng (the Hvalfjörður Tunnel) under a fjord. It was 3.5 miles long, so we were in it for a while. Apparently, there are times when they close the tunnel on short notice, which undoubtedly causes traffic chaos.
We arrived at the falls and started walking around. Hraunfossar was very wide, while we could see Barnafoss through a canyon. There were several trails that went around the park so we could get views of the falls from all different angles. It started out being slightly drizzling, but the rain stopped while we were walking around.
The next stop was Snorralaug, the stone-lined geothermic pool where Snorri Sturluson used to bathe. Sturluson was a famous Icelandic historian who helped preserve the Norse mythology. He created an underground tunnel between his farmhouse and the pool so he could discreetly go between the two.
The last morning stop was Deildartunguhver, Europe’s most powerful geothermal hot spring, generating almost 50 gallons of near-boiling water per second. It is piped to towns up to 40 miles away.
We then went into town to try to find lunch, but unfortunately, the restaurant didn’t have space. We backtracked a bit to a food hall where we split up into multiple tables for lunch. Afterwards, Melody and I got some ice cream at the store next door. Once we were all done, it was back to near Reykjavík to look for a place to view the eclipse.
Eclipse
Our group leader had picked out a sculpture garden, Hallsteinsgarður, to view the eclipse. Because it looked like parking would be limited there, we parked at a nearby strip mall. We had arrived a couple of hours in advance to make sure we could park, so Melody and I went to a small bakery to have snacks, hot chocolate, and internet access. Several others joined us, and we took over half the café. Since we would need breakfast for the next day, I went next door to get groceries, then went back to the café while we waited until it was time to head to the park.
Just as the eclipse was starting (but about 45 minutes before totality), we dropped stuff off at the vans, then walked over to the park. The skies looked completely clouded over, so I decided not to take my camera and tripod, especially if it decided to rain.
Once we got to the sculpture park, Melody and I walked around looking at the sculptures, then walked a bit past the park to get a look at the nearby water. We then started heading back, then a group member met up with us saying that the rest of the group went back to the vans in case it was going to rain. It didn’t seem like rain in the park, so the three of us decided to stick around. The cards didn’t clear at all, but the sky did get pretty dark. It wasn’t quite as dark as we saw (with cloud cover) in San Antonio a couple of years before, since we were right on the edge of the path of totality, but it was definitely noticeable. Even though we didn’t see the dctual eclipse, the people around us did applaud once the sky started to lighten up again.
We hustled back to the vans, then we drove a while to the cottages where we would be staying. We were in separate cabins which were quite far apart. Before settling in, we coordinated what to do for dinner. Most people weren’t up for anything else, but one other person and I decided to go to the restaurant to get a small bit to eat. While at the restaurant, I noticed a sign saying that breakfast was available after all, but since Melody and I had already gotten things to eat, we will probably just do that.
After I got back to the cabin, we settled in and relaxed for the rest of the night.
