Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Westman Islands to Vik


What a difference a day makes! We woke this morning to pouring rain. After a buffet breakfast at our hotel we headed out by bus for the other end of the island. It is known as the windiest place in Iceland, but not too windy today. We walked a short distance to a bird watching shelter overlooking the cliffs to see if we could spot any puffins. There were a few, but most have already migrated.

By the time we headed back the rain had stopped so we did another shorter hike on the volcano, mostly on a loose scree slope. Afterwards, back down to the ferry for the trip back to the main island.
Because of the overcast skies we can't see the mountains or glaciers today. However the cliffs that run slightly inland of the south coast are very pretty, with lots of sheep. Many years ago they were actually at the shoreline before the volcanoes and rivers changed the countryside. There are lots of farms at the foot of the cliffs, sheltered from the north winds. One of the farm familys with a farm at the foot of Eyjafjallajokull have a visitor's center that we visited,  with a fascinating film about the 2010 eruption, and how it effected their farm and family. Our next stop was at the Skogar folk museum, with many artifacts from the daily life of Icelanders in the past. There are also some sod homes and other old houses preserved. All I can say is that the early Icelanders must have been very tough people!
Nearby there was another spectacular waterfall, Skogafoss. I climbed the 370 steps to the top for a great view. Our last stop of the day was the black sand beach Reynishverfi with it's basalt columns and high cliffs. The rain had started again, so I didn't spend too much time there.
We arrived at our hotel, another Icelandair Hotel in the small town of Vik about 5pm. After a short time for relaxation we had an included dinner at the hotel. Cream of wild celery soup, roast lamb with vegetables and potatoes, and cake & icecream for dessert. Excellent! Tonight I tried a Nordic Saison beer from Borg. Last night it was a Viking classic lager, my favorite so far was a wheat beer called Solveig.
I think we are all tired after our long day, time for an earlier night.







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