Iceland trip, 22 March 2016

We drive to Vik today to stay overnight at a house between a volcano and a horse ranch. David was only able to stay a few days in Iceland, so we are back to six of us traveling together. It's a tight squeeze in our little SUV, and Kate is stuck in the way-way back. Our first stop is Seljalandsfoss, a waterfall in Suðurland (south Iceland). Seljalandsfoss is well-known for being a waterfall you can walk behind. 

 Kate's a good sport back there. 

On the drive to Seljalandsfoss.

Approaching the waterfall. 

Babes at the base of the waterfall. 

The spray from the falls is intense and constant. Our raincoats are a great effort, but everyone is soaked pretty quickly. There are so many visitors, making a line of little ants up to and behind the falls. I get frustrated with how inconsiderate a lot of the other tourists are, stopping on stairs, hitting us with their selfie-sticks, blocking the pathway. I don't spend much time behind the falls because of the damp and the people, but it's beautiful. 

On the way up behind the falls. 

Around the bend. 

Behind the falls. 

The surrounding area is gorgeous as well. There are smaller falls and open fields to the left that we go explore. Kate finds a cave, but the climb is too slick for me to go up and explore it. We find more caves closer to the ground. I shine my flashlight into some of them. I'm not sure what I expect to find, but I'm glad when I don't find anything at all. 

A nearby house.

Kate, Becca, Devon, and lens flare. 

I found a hag stone. According to legend, looking through the hole allows you to see fairy folk.

We go to another, equally beautiful waterfall, Skógafoss. It's one of the largest waterfalls in Iceland, and there's a legend that the first Viking settler in the area, Þrasi Þórólfsson, buried a treasure in a cave behind the falls. Visitors can walk the long path up to an overlook, but there are so many people that we don't go up.  

Skógafoss from afar. 

 We took a "tourist" photo. 

A fish and chips wagon near Skógafoss. They had excellent fries. 

We travel on to the Skogar Museum. They have an indoor transportation and communication museum, but the part that interests me is the outdoor heritage site. They have recreated turf houses, a church, and other buildings from the turn of the century. The homes are set up as though in use, and you can walk through them and the other buildings. It's not until long after I leave that I realize how, once inside, you can't hear anything going on outside of the building. They feel separate, suspended between places. 

Bex is none-too-sure about her new boyf in the transportation museum. 

 

Some of the buildings on the heritage site. 

 Dishes in the old sheriff's house.

Horse bones near the tiny replica village. 

The wind is so intense that you have to lean into it when we make it to our farmhouse for the night. It's my favorite place we stay the whole trip. It's on a small hill, so you can see the countryside around you very well. To one side of us is the base of the nearby Katla volcano. It hasn't erupted since 1918, and is overdue for an eruption. Opposite is the Atlantic Ocean. Kate and I walk around the main property, but the ponies are all in for the night and the wind drives us back inside. After dinner, we work on a puzzle. We don't make much progress on it before bed. 

Milk bottles in our farmhouse. 

Atlantic Ocean beyond. 

Volcano and glacier in the distance. 

Missing pieces.