20 minutes east of Vik on Hwy 1 is Hjorleifshofdi, a 221m palagonite inselberg created from the interaction of water with volcanic glass, resulting in an isolated hill with chemical composition similar to basalt.
The Gigjagja Cave in the wall of the mesa is affectionately called the ‘Yoda Cave’ (see below photo).
The opening scenes of Star Wars Rogue One were filmed on the black sand beach at the base of the inselberg and Jyn Erso runs into the Gigjagja Cave to hide from Krennic & the Death Troopers.
There was a small film crew and a catering truck just down the beach from the cave today. We’re not sure what they are filming but this is the second time we’ve seen film crews in the south. I can only imagine a location scout coming back with options.
The plan was a steep hike to the top of the mesa to see the burial cairn of Ingolfur Arnarson’s 2nd cousin and blood brother, but it was absolutely pouring rain and a long, exposed hike did not appeal to either of us. So we said farewell to Vik and headed west where the weather promised to be a little less wet.
Keldur is a tiny village with five small turf houses, two more modern buildings and a church. Most of the graves in the churchyard were typically old; one was from 2021.
Dave subscribes to a bunch of travel feeds on Instagram. During the planning of this trip, the photo of a cool glass house popped up on a post. And it turns out it is in Iceland. Kris made sure to fit it into our plans. So Dave has to Instagram a photo of a lodge he found on Instagram. It’s called Panorama Glass Lodge. And yeah, it was that unbelievable.
With the active Hekla volcano being so close you get an automated message as you near the lodge. Turns out it is a generic message, but when you’re driving and this pops up you pay attention!
