I'm going to run out of adjectives.

Trip Start Oct 06, 2009
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Trip End Oct 22, 2009


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Where I stayed
(Vik hotels)

Flag of Iceland  , South,
Friday, October 9, 2009

Spectacular, magnificent, breathtaking. It was another day jam-packed with jaw-dropping sights. We started on the ring road, and again we were all amazed by the stunning views in every direction. Mountains seem to pop up every time you turn a corner. Add endless farmland speckled with sheep, and the browns and burnt oranges of the fall, and you have a pretty incredible scene all around.  We started the day at Seljalandsfoss, my favorite spot so far. Maybe it's the kid in me, but I don't think there's anything as magical as walking behind a waterfall. The ice-cold water thundering from overhead and splashing almost delicately into the black pools below are exhilarating and calming at the same time.

From there it was an adventure navigating our rental Hyundai through boulders and icy streams toward Þórsmörk National Park. Ubiquitous as waterfalls are in Iceland, every time we spotted one induced excitement and awe, and a particularly stunning cascade through a giant crevase in the hillside drew us into a nearby hiking trail with thoughts of "what if we can climb in there?" Turns out we could, and I swear we were in goblin and fairy land Day 2
Day 2
 . Icicles dripped dreamily from giant cliffs, and a couple of guide ropes were the only sign that humans had ever touched this place. We made it to the bottom of the falls for a magical end to our excursion up the crevase.

Back in the car, we made it as far as a glacial lake before the water became too wide for us to cross. So it was braving the gusty wind for a few quick pictures of the protruding glacier before heading back toward the ring road.

Vik is clearly a summer destination, but being here in the fall doesn't make it any less beautiful. The black sand along the beaches looks like something out of a science fiction novel, and the cute little church overlooking the town is majestically lit up at night. We even discovered the tiny cemetary and the tiny red lights gaurding several of the gravestones from small lanterns.

There's just something about having the surf at your back as you look up at snow-covered mountains. If there were a ski resort here, I'd move in a heartbeat. Maybe I ought to start one of my own...
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