Southern Iceland

After exploring the region around Vik, we headed back to Reykjavik for our final day in Iceland, stopping at several locations along the way.

 Our first stop was Skogafoss, a thundering waterfall next to the old village of Skogar.  Legend has it that a large treasure chest is hidden behind the waterfall; when a young boy once tried to drag it out, he ripped the golden ring off the lid of the chest.  The ring is now on display in the museum in nearby Skogar. Nate was captivated by this story, and stared for awhile at the ring.

 We spent a few moments in the windy spray at the bottom and then hiked up an icy staircase to the right of the waterfall, which ended in a platform suspended over the cliff.

 The village of Skogar is composed of tiny, thatched-roof houses that harken back to olden times.

 This hut isn't exactly listed in the tourist guide, but we were amazed at how it was literally built into the rock around it.

Our final stop in the land of water, ice, and wind was Seljalandsfoss.  It was raining/sleeting hard when we got there, so Betsy and Nate stayed in the car and laughed at me as I got soaked clamoring up to the fall.  The other person who was up there had to slide back down on his bottom because the stairs were so icy.  After this stop, we headed into gale-force winds and then had to detour on our way back to Reykjavik to avoid a late winter storm in the mountains.  Iceland was throwing us her best (or worst) the day before we were to leave, making our trip to Paris that much more appealing.

Vik area

After touring the Golden Circle, we traveled south and east toward Vik, where we planned to stay for two days exploring the coastal area.  With a population of about 300, Vik is one of Iceland's larger towns, but its appeal to us was in the black sand beaches and seascapes around the area.

Vik is just south of Eyjafjallajokull, the volcano that erupted in 2010 while we lived in Bulgaria, ruining the travel plans of thousands as ash drifted east toward Europe.  It's also right next to Katla, a volcano that erupts roughly every 70 years, and hasn't erupted since 1918.  Needless to say, we didn't feel the need to stay for too long.  

 Our first stop was Dyrholaey, where the wild surf and fresh snow only added to the contrast between the black sand beach and the rest of the landscape.

Dyrholaey is known for views of this arch, but it's just one of many features of the landscape that captivated us.

 This sea arch was covered in frost as the spray (see below) froze when it hit the arch. In the background of the picture above are "Troll Rocks," which you'll see more closely below.

 Nate loved exploring this area, calling it the "Rocky Mountains," and trying to climb each individual rock.  By the end of our time here, his pants were covered in snow as he climbed, jumped, rolled, and repeated all over the bluff.

 We then went to the next beach over, where Nate enjoyed running (and falling) in the black sand. We ran and fell (and ran and fell and ran and fell) for about 45 minutes. 

 One of the features of this area is the cliff with hexagonal stacks, a popular locale for our little climber.

 Just behind the sea cliff was a cave, from which Nate had a great view out to Troll Rocks (below).

The rocks got their name from a legend in which two trolls were bringing a three-masted ship ashore as the sun rose.  When the sun caught them dragging the ship in, they turned to stone.  Although you can't really see the ship from this angle, if you look at the next photo, you can see it in the distance. Click to enlarge.

 After a full day at the beach, we headed back to our farmstead on this country road.

 We were treated to a magnificent sunset that night, whether you looked east (above and two below) or west (below).

The Golden Circle

We spent Spring Break this year on a tour of Iceland, followed by a trip to Paris (you can guess which was my idea and which was Betsy's).  Though it wasn't exactly spring in Iceland, its starkness was captivating.  The vast landscapes were often reduced to three or even two colors (white, gray and brown), made more powerful by the force of the wind or the cold.  Nate alternated between joyful exuberance and burrowing into our shoulders to avoid the elements.  He was, as always, a super trooper of a traveler, and often had more energy and patience than us.

This first post contains pictures from the Golden Circle, a tourist friendly route through southwest Iceland that stops off at Thingvellir National Park, Geysir (a famous geyser that has essentially become the namesake for all other geysers worldwide) and Gulfoss waterfall.  The beauty, wonder, and strength of nature displayed in these three locations, so close together, filled our first full day in Iceland.

Our first stop, about an hour outside of Reykjavik, was Thingvellir ("Assembly Plains") National Park, a sprawling expanse of fields, lakes, ravines, rivers, and forests. It was the sight of the first Icelandic General Assembly in 930, where the island's entire population of 60,000 people gathered to hear the laws and settle disputes.  Assemblies were held annually until 1798.  

The church and structures above were right across from Logberg ("Law Rock") where the laws were recited.  The Church harkens back to the year 1000, when Iceland adopted Christianity as its religion, against the wishes of its pagan priests.

Though the park has political and historical significance, our primary interest was simply in getting into the Icelandic landscape.

 The roads in Iceland were, surprisingly, not overly manicured in the winter. Snow was often left to drift off or get packed down into ice. After making several stops in Thingvellir, we headed northeast to Geysir.

Strokkur, a part of the Geysir Hot Springs area, erupts every few minutes.  We stayed until we couldn't feel our noses and then went inside the visitor center for pizza.  After warming up, we headed another ten minutes up the road to Gulfoss.

 Gulfoss is the second largest waterfall in Europe (not sure how you measure such a thing -- length, height, water volume?) and packed a wallup.  I don't think Nate even saw the waterfall; the wind was so strong, even from this distance, that he buried his head in my shoulder the whole time we were there.

 On the left side of the picture, you can see the rail of a walkway that offers extended views during summer months.

 We crossed this river on the way to Vik, in southern Iceland, where we would spend the night.