Day 2 of our four-day stopover inward Republic of Iceland started out sunny. I woked upward early—in piece of cake July it starts to teach low-cal at 3 a.m. later only 3 hours of dusk-level darkness—and I was excited because nosotros were going to drive southeast from Reykjavík to Vík, the southernmost town inward Iceland. This relatively curt stretch of less than 150 miles is abode to many of Iceland's most beautiful scenic attractions.
When nosotros started to brand plans for our see to Iceland, I was trying to adapt a drive around the entire island. I speedily realized, though, that fifty-fifty though Republic of Iceland looks modest on a footing map, it's genuinely quite large. With a dry soil surface area of to a greater extent than than 100,000 km² (40,000 sq mi), it's bigger than Korea, Portugal, Austria, Republic of Ireland in addition to 150 other countries inward the world. In U.S. terms, it's nigh the size of Virgina, Kentucky or Ohio. In low-cal of that, nosotros decided to focus on the southwestern corner of Iceland.
After leaving Reykjavík at nine a.m., the Sun stayed alongside us for less than thirty minutes until nosotros hitting this impressive fog bank:
Not that I'm complaining. We may non lead keep seen the mountains in addition to glaciers that are visible from the Ring Road (Route 1), but the fog created a wonderfully mysterious atmosphere that underscored the almost surreal natural beauty all around us.
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When nosotros started to brand plans for our see to Iceland, I was trying to adapt a drive around the entire island. I speedily realized, though, that fifty-fifty though Republic of Iceland looks modest on a footing map, it's genuinely quite large. With a dry soil surface area of to a greater extent than than 100,000 km² (40,000 sq mi), it's bigger than Korea, Portugal, Austria, Republic of Ireland in addition to 150 other countries inward the world. In U.S. terms, it's nigh the size of Virgina, Kentucky or Ohio. In low-cal of that, nosotros decided to focus on the southwestern corner of Iceland.
After leaving Reykjavík at nine a.m., the Sun stayed alongside us for less than thirty minutes until nosotros hitting this impressive fog bank:
After that, the fog was alongside us all twenty-four hr catamenia until nosotros got dorsum to Reykjavík at 8:30 pm.
The rootage waterfall nosotros saw, Urriðafoss, may non lead keep much of a drop, but it's the most voluminous inward Iceland. (The Republic of Iceland letter ð, or eth, is a voiced "th" audio as inward "this.")
In contrast, the adjacent waterfall nosotros stopped at, Seljalandsfoss, has a drib of sixty m (200 ft). What makes it fifty-fifty to a greater extent than exceptional is that yous tin walk behind it. Even though I came prepared alongside a pelting jacket, I didn't anticipate getting drenched fifty-fifty earlier making it to the actual waterfall! As yous tin run into from the publish of visitors inward my photos, this doesn't seem to expire along people away.
Because of the neverending spray from the waterfall that hits yous fifty-fifty when yous stand upward behind it, I wasn't able to compose my photos as carefully as I commonly do. But hopefully yous notwithstanding teach an persuasion of how exceptional this house is.
July in addition to August is the original tourist flavor inward Iceland, in addition to all major attractions were overrun alongside people. And yet, on many occasions, the Ring Road—the alone route that goes around the island—was deserted, allowing me to lead keep photos similar this one:
More timeless photos of mist-shrouded hills:
By noon everybody was getting hungry in addition to hence nosotros decided to caput direct to our turnaround point, the hamlet of Vík (full name: Vík í Mýrdal), in addition to halt at the other attractions on our way dorsum to Reyjavík. Vík may live tiny, population less than 300, but it's the biggest village inward a 70-mile radius. It bears repeating that the population of the entire province is alone 330,000. In the U.S. in that place are over 50 cities with to a greater extent than residents than all of Iceland!
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| The Nootka lupine (Lupinus nootkatensis) was brought into Republic of Iceland from North America inward 1945 to forestall erosion in addition to has since teach a major threat to the native flora. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 large of expanse of lupines may live a beautiful sight for tourists, but it's a bane to ecologists. Eradication efforts are directly underway. |
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| Silverweed (Potentilla anserina) |
Vík turned out to live a fairly unassuming house but I volition ever recall it for 2 things: for serving me the best fish I've had inward my entire life (a fresh, locally caught Arctic char grilled to perfection), in addition to for having the most beautiful dark sand beach terminating inward an as magnificent serial of body of body of water stacks called Reynisdrangar. (If you're a Game of Thrones fan, many scenes beyond the Wall were filmed inward Iceland, including the Vík area.)
Just to the due west of Vík, on the other side of the headland yous saw above, is the beach of Reynisfjara.
Reynisfjara may live Iceland's most scenic beach, but it's likewise the country's most dangerous:
Reynisfjara's most outstanding feature...
...are the basalt columns that extend all the way onto the sand:
As yous tin see, they testify to live irresistible to tourists:
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 giant playground for immature in addition to old!
Continuing a few miles westward, nosotros got to the Dyrhólaey peninsula. Looking E yous tin run into the Reynisdrangar body of body of water stacks inward Vík, alongside Reynisfjara Beach inward between. There is in addition to hence much scenic beauty inward this modest surface area that my eyes began to ache.
Dyrhólaey is likewise where nosotros finally saw a colony of Atlantic puffins. I'm non much of a aeroplane watcher (or brute photographer) but fifty-fifty I got excited to run into in addition to hence many of these funny-looking seabirds.
While we're on the dependent land of animals, when it comes to the domesticated kind, sheep in all likelihood outrank all others inward sheer quantity. But Icelandic horses (they loathe beingness called ponies) are definitely the most majestic. We saw them everywhere nosotros went, both roaming costless on seemingly endless pastures in addition to hauling tourists about.
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| Icelandic horses playing inward endless pastures... |
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| ...and at operate showing tourists the sights, inward this example Skógafoss |
The lastly major halt of our twenty-four hr catamenia was Skógafoss. Like Seljalandsfoss, it has a drib of sixty m (197 ft).
If Skógafoss looks familiar, it was a filming place for Thor: The Dark World and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 serial of stairs atomic number 82 to the overstep of the waterfall:
On our way abode nosotros managed to select handle of a teensy glimpse of a glacier inward the distance:
It turned out to live Eyjafjallajökull, arguably the most famous glacier inward recent Icelandic history later the volcano beneath the H2O ice cap erupted inward 2010, causing major disruptions to air locomote inward northern in addition to western Europe.
Your eyes may start to cross when reading Eyjafjallajökull. It becomes easier when yous carve upward the discussion past times its compounds: Eyja-fjalla-jökull. The guess pronunciation is EY-YUH-fyuhtla-yoh-kutl. Literally translated, the holler agency "ice cap of the mountains of the islands."
Just a few miles past Eyjafjallajökull, the footing was in ane trial to a greater extent than engulfed past times fog, in addition to nosotros didn't run into the Sun until nosotros reached the outskirts of Reyjavík.
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