The South Coast

 


The weather gods were really in our favor again today as we woke up to a glorious sunny day! Not a cloud in the sky!  It was a magical day to explore the south coast, likely one of the most beautiful and interesting areas of Iceland!

As we travelled through the lush, green countryside, dotted with picturesque farms, we had an amazing view of the Hekla Volcano.  Our bus driver was kind enough to make a special stop to allow us to take photos.  It is often not possible to see this volcano because it is seldom this clear.  We also had expansive views of the Eyjafjallajokull glacier. 

Our first stop was at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall.  We had the opportunity to walk around behind the waterfall, which was a pretty awesome experience. You could feel the thunder of the water in your chest!  We got a bit wet and we had to navigate carefully over the very slippery rocks but it was all worth it! 

At the next waterfall stop, Skogafoss, we hiked up 473 stairs to get a view from the top.  We were rewarded with a spectacular rainbow over the water!

As we travelled through the farmland area we spotted several old, original homes that had been built right into the hillside, many years ago, to help protect them from the elements.

Next we came to an area where the Solheimajokull glacier comes near to the ring road.  We hiked in about 10 minutes to view the retreating glacier and the lagoon that contains pieces that have broken off of the main glacier.  It was a great place for a group picture.

We stopped in the village of Vik for lunch.  We were on our own so many of us bought a sandwich or something quick to eat outside and enjoy the sunshine.  It was actually very warm!!!  We also had time to walk down to the black sand beach or do some shopping.  Something very special happened today.  Gunner, my Icelandic Viking mascot, happy to return to his homeland, found his new soulmate, Helga, in Vik.  She has agreed to accompany us on our tour of Iceland.  Stay tuned for romantic updates!

After lunch we drove to another part of the black sand beach where we saw a hillside filled with hexagonal basalt columns, similar to the Giants Causeway in Ireland.  The highlight at this beach was spotting puffins flying in and out of their nests on the cliffs.  They are very difficult to photograph but we captured a few good shots.  Then we moved a bit further down the road to Dyrholaey where we spotted many more puffins coming and going from the cliffs.  It was a very exciting activity!!

As we headed to our hotel, we drove through the very massive Eldhraun lava field that was formed during a very devasting volcanic eruption during 1783&1784 .

We arrived at our little hotel Laka in the country at 6:00 and had some time to relax before dinner.









































































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