Iceland, Pt. 6

We ate breakfast in the hotel dining room, then, ensconced in our thermal and rainproof gear, we began our self-guided adventure on Iceland’s southern coast. There had been some sunshine early in the morning as I watched flyfishermen on the Ranga river, but conditions had become misty.

Seljalandsfoss

Even so, we could see the silver ribbon of Seljalandsfoss tumbling over the cliffs from miles away. We snagged a parking spot close to the path. In the next space, a family was preparing to go to the waterfall, except one was in heels and a gown, and another in a tuxedo. Presumably they were taking wedding party photos.

The waterfall was picturesque, but the real treat was getting to walk around behind it. The sound was thunderous as we watched the water plunge into a cold, dark pool. Further down the path was Gljúfrabúi, a smaller waterfall but unique in that we had to walk between enormous boulders to access it (it is known as the hidden waterfall). Inside, light and water streamed in from above. We were very glad to have our rain gear and took turns scrambling up onto the big rock in front of the waterfall.

Skógafoss

Not far down Route 1 was another large waterfall, but so different in character. The sheer power and size of it was something to behold. We hiked up a lot of stairs to the top, and meandered a ways along the path where we saw some cascades. We were starting to learn that if you go just a little beyond the main attraction you will be rewarded! Katelyn fed some cows some grass, and we fed ourselves at the nearby hotel restaurant.

Sólheimajökull

This “glacial tongue” was one of my favorite stops. It was surreal to walk down the path and be confronted by this icy wall. We spent some time taking in the silence and enormity of it.

Dyrhólaey

We were starting to lose the light a little bit, so we moved on to Dyrhólaey (pronounced “deer-lay”). I gingerly guided our car up the steep dirt road. We hadn’t had many opportunities to gain elevation yet, so it was cool to be able to see miles in all directions, and the black sands stretching down the coast.

The lighthouse was neat, and I wished we could have gone in, but I found out later that it’s now used as an exclusive guesthouse – what a stay that would be! The Dyrhólaey arch, constantly battered by the sea, was an impressive sight. From here, we could see our next and final stop for the day, the beach near Vík.

Reynisfjara

The ocean seemed completely inhospitable as the waves pounded the shore. It is in fact a very dangerous location when the tide is coming in. Many unfortunate tourists have gotten too close to the surf and been carried away by sneaker waves.

This part of the beach was not so much sandy as full of smooth lava pebbles. We walked past big hexagonal basalt columns (their size determined in part by how quickly the cooling of lava occurred). We spent a good amount of time watching the ocean pummel the craggy stone sentinels of Reynisdrangar as I took some long exposures. The story goes that two trolls were dragging a ship to shore and were caught by the rising sun, which turned them to stone.

Hvolsvöllur

Tired, hungry, and with a lot planned for the next day, we stopped in Hvolsvöllur on the way back to the hotel and had a tasty meal with Pepsi in tallboy cans at Gallery Pizza. We knew it would be our kind of place when we saw bottles of garlic oil on the tables!