Iceland, Brutal and Beautiful

Part 1: SOUTH ICELAND

Day 1 – Mon., Oct. 1

Arrival

Iceland is a COLD place. It's as far north as Alaska! Who knew? It is also full of unpronounceable places, most of which start with the letter "S," and many of which are waterfalls and glaciers.

On Arrival Day, we stepped off the Icelandair jet at 6:20 AM into a brutal monsoon - pouring rain, 50 mph wind, and cold! Why did no one warn us that Iceland is so effing cold? After the extreme discomfort of getting to the shuttle and getting our rental car – fortunately a lovely Forrester with much-needed heated seats -- we drove through wild weather for 2 ½ hours to get to our lodging, a sheep farm called Skálatjörn Guesthouse. There, we hunkered down and napped for three hours.

Then, somewhat refreshed, Lexie relaxed while Bob and I went to Selfoss, 18 km away, for a few groceries, and to soak in a thermal pool.

The weather the WHOLE day

Day 2 - Tue., Oct. 2

The Ring Road

The day dawned still cold, but thankfully sunny. We let Lexie sleep late (she is a teenager, after all) and set off around 11 AM for a south coast expedition on Rte. 1, the Ring Road, to the town of Vik. We stopped at several waterfalls along the way. If we were going to do it again, we would definitely bring hiking boots. But thankfully, we had parkas, hats and gloves, because the temperatures were in the 30s all day, and the occasional bursts of wind cut through your bones.

Here are the waterfalls we visited:

Urridafoss Waterfall – This low, wide waterfall was ten minutes from our guesthouse. No one was there and it had a Niagara Falls feel. The hike was short and the view was spectacular.

Urridafoss Waterfall

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall – You can actually walk on a path behind this incredibly high (65 meters tall), loud, dramatic waterfall. Bob did. Check out the pics he got! (He was soaked afterward) 

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

View from the belly of the beast, by Bob

Soaked afterward

Gliufradbui, the hidden waterfall, was a quarter-mile hike away. Unfortunately, the cave you used to be able to use to access it was now closed for safety reasons. 

Look deep to see the hidden waterfall

Skogafoss Waterfall had a rainbow to its left that seems to be its permanent partner. It also has a challenging trail you can hike to the mountaintop to get views of the falls from above. Also, lots of sheep neighbors!

Skogafoss Waterfall 

View from above

 Finally, we discovered the Dryholaey Nature Reserve, with its iconic rock formations in the ocean (The Needles), famous arch and end-of-the-world feel. 

Dryholaey Nature Reserve

  

We stayed up late and saw a subtle display of the Northen Lights before going to bed. A very satisfying day!

Next stop ... The Golden Circle. Watch for updates!