At 08:00 the Viking Jupiter cruise ship arrived. It was on an “Iceland’s Natural Beauty” tour that circumnavigates the island.
I thought about taking that tour sometime in the future just to eat sushi here again, but $2800 for a sushi meal seems excessive. 🙂 Cheaper to fly in and stay for a few days.
At the summit on the way back in to Egilsstaðir we passed the old (now unused) bridge from when it was a one-lane road. Well, actually we passed it on the way out too, but I missed taking a picture then.
In some of the Eastfjords there is fish farming.
For lunch, we stopped at the Hotel Framtíð restaurant in Djúpivogur. I had the Fish Soup, which came with bread and an extra pitcher of soup.
Carol had the catch of the day (salmon in Bearnaise sauce) with onion soup.
After lunch we headed to the famous “black sand reflecting beach”.
Except it wasn’t sand at all (Icelanders do not seem to know what “sand” means), as I found out when I tried to walk on it. It was a mud flat. I sank in up to my ankles.
For dinner, we headed to Kaffi Hornið in Höfn. Carol splurged on the Grilled Lobster (langoustine) platter, while I settled for “just” Lobster Pasta.
The graded gravel road we were supposed to take was blocked by a backhoe and a dump truck. We took this to mean that they really really didn’t want anyone to take it. This is how it is. We found an alternate route.
But Google Maps didn’t know that there was a west-side road, parking lot, or visitor center for Dettifoss. It wanted us to drive an extra hour to get to the east-side access point. We ignored it. The west side was all new-ish and in great condition, so it was a pleasant and easy drive.
A short hike later we were at the falls. It boasts the 2nd-highest flow rate among Icelandic waterfalls.
Dettifoss from the west sideThe mist made a rainbow downstream.
For lunch we stopped at Fjallakaffi, a farm-cafe with a good reputation. They are famous for reindeer steak, but sadly weren’t serving the dinner menu yet.
The restaurant is insulated with turf blocks and a grass roof.Carol had the lamb soup. Have I mentioned that the lamb soup is always good everywhere?I tried the Icelandic Moss soup. Yes, that’s moss. Tasted a bit like seaweed.
For dinner, we had a long drive, right through the largish town of Egilsstaðir and out to the small town of Seyðisfjörður at the end of a narrow fjord. It has an excellent harbor, and Viking cruise ships stop here. It’s perhaps best known for its “Rainbow Street” and “Blue Church”.
We were on a grail quest for Icelandic sushi, and after having our “Viking sushi” tour canceled, this was our best shot. We were not disappointed. The sushi at Norð Austur – Sushi & Bar is all fresh, all local. We started with a “sashimi plus hot rock” plate, where you sear the items as much as you want. The smoked monkfish in particular was a delight.
On rock: smoked Monkfish. On plate: Scallops, Lemon Sole, Salmon belly.
Then we had the large nigiri/sashimi combination:
Nigiri plate: top: Uni, Mackerel, smoked Salmon, Clam, seared Salmon; bottom: Scallop, Salmon, Shrimp, smoked Char, Lemon Sole. Sashimi plate: Scallop, Char, Lemon Sole, Salmon belly. 6500 ISK = US$51.31. But no tipping or tax added to that, so would be about the same as $41 + 8% tax + 15% tip.
This was the best and most memorable meal we had had in Iceland so far, ranging from very good to astonishing. I joked that we should just stay in town for the rest of our trip, and eat here every night. (Note: Reservations are advisable, and some dishes have to be ordered well in advance as they take hours to prepare.)
Energy and Time 