Jordan & Kylar's Wedding Blog

Today we hopped on the morning ferry to Vestmannaeyjabær, a small island town with a big history. Our first stop: a hike up the active volcano Eldfell. If you were around in the 1970s, you might remember hearing about this eruption, it made international headlines. Over 400 homes were burned or buried as lava poured into the town for five straight months.

Hiking up Eldfell felt like walking on another planet! The trail is all volcanic rock, and in some spots, multistory buildings are buried nearly 200 feet below. Locals have placed street signs along the trail showing where roads used to be. It’s surreal to see the still existing roads so far below. 

At the summit, we reached the edge of the crater before descending into what was once the volcano’s mouth, now a quiet gravel pit- and let’s hope it stays that way.

After our hike, we visited the Beluga Whale Sanctuary. There we met Little White and Little Grey (the two belugas) who were rescued from a Russian aquarium. Little White wanted to play by bringing her toy over to us! They’re currently living in a large tank while they adjust before moving to their new home: a protected section of the nearby bay (the first of its kind). These whales can’t be released into the wild, they’ve never learned how to survive on their own, and apparently, they’re even scared of the weather and some things that are supposed to be their prey. They have a wonderful team helping them!

Next, we toured a museum dedicated to the 1973 eruption. It’s built around a house that was excavated almost 40 years after being buried by lava. It was a moving experience, we wont name names but one of us even shed a tear.

To round off the day, we climbed a second volcano, Helgafell, then soaked in the local pool before catching the evening ferry back to our campsite.

Vestmannaeyjabær is a place where nature, history, and resilience collide, and it left us in awe.