The Southwest Coast of Iceland

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Our hotel in Vik was on a former farm. Dinner at Hotel Katla was served in a grand buffet. There was a soup and salad bar to start. Then there were the hot dishes, including fish, pasta and reindeer meatballs. There were cold sides. Cod Liver Oil is always available on every breakfast or dinner buffet in Iceland. A range of dessert pastries completed the dinner service.

Today would be only a half-day's coach drive as we would be retuning to Reykjavik around 11:00. But there were still more of Iceland's wonders to see.

A landmark in Vik is the Three Trolls rock formation (Reynisdrangar). They are in the sea and and are said to represent trolls who froze. The rocks are an extension of the Reynisdrangar basalt cliffs. Basalt block similar to those seen at the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland are found here, (We saw the Three Trolls, but time did not permit inspection of the cliffs.)

En route to Seljalandsfoss we saw Eyjafjallajökull rising up from the highway. This is the volcano that erupted in 2010 and disrupted transatlantic air travel. Speaking of aircraft, along the highway a parking area was available for those who wish to trek to the wreckage of a US Navy DC-3. The aircraft crashed on a black sand beach in 1973 and has become something of an Icelandic icon. Two more turf houses were spotted at the curiously named Drangurinn í Drangshlíð 2. They appeared to be abandoned.

We stopped to visit Seljalandsfoss. Seljalandsfoss is a tall 213 foot (65 m) waterfall fed by the Eyjafjallajökull glacier. Visitors can walk behind the falls. (Yes, I thought of Disney's Jungle Cruise where one is treated to the "back side of water".) It is a very attractive one, with the water splitting into several parallel streams.

Between Seljalandsfoss and the town of Sellfoss Vestmannaeyjar, the Westman Islands, were on the horizon. Only one of the islands is populated and they are said to be another popular puffin watching location. On the other side of the highway, the peak of Hekla, perhaps Iceland's most active and famous volcano, was visible. Hekla last erupted in 2000, but its most famous eruption was in 1845-1846.

Arrival at Selfoss brought us back to the beginning of our circle tour of Iceland. There is still the Hellisheiði lava field between here and Reykjavik, but Selfoss marks a return to the more populated part of Iceland. The abrupt transition from farmland to town and presence of agricultural equipment dealers gives it the feel of an American midwestern town. There are even a Kentucky Fried Chicken, Domino's Pizza and a Subway in Selfoss.

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Photos

Reynisdrangar
Reynisdrangar - The Three Trolls.
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Arctic Skua
Arctic Skua, also known at the Parasitic Jager.
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Pond and Arctic Skua
Pond and Arctic Skua at Hotel Katla.
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Hotel Katla
Hotel Katla, Vik.
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Hotel Katla
Hotel Katla, Vik.
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Eyjafjallajökull
Eyjafjallajökull volcano. The volcano's eruption in 2010 disrupted transatlantic air travel.
"...the picturesque slopes of the Eyjafjallajökull (5466 ft.)..."--Baedeker 1912.
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Turf Houses
Turf houses at Drangurinn í Drangshlíð 2. The abandoned houses are built of stone, but were faced with concrete at some point.
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Seljalandsfoss
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Seljalandsfoss
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Vestmannaeyjabær
View out to Vestmannaeyjabær - the Westman Islands, from Highway 1.
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Giant Puffin
Giant Puffin advertising puffin watching on Vestmannaeyjar, the Westman Islands.
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Hekla
Hekla last erupted in 2000, but its most famous eruption was in 1845-1846.
"Mt. Hekla (‘mantle', probably from the mists usually shrouding its summit), the best-known, though not the largest volcano in Iceland, is a long mountain with several craters, the chief of which are the great S.W. crater (4629 ft.; 299 ft. deep) and the smaller, but higher N.E. crater (4747 ft.; 417 ft. deep), both filled with snow. History records eighteen great eruptions from 1104 down to the present day, that is 2-3 in each century, at very various intervals. The last occurred in 1845–6".--Baedeker 1912.
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Hraungerðiskirkja
Hraungerðiskirkja and adjoining farm at Flóahreppur, near Selfoss. The church dates from 1902.
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Selfosskirkja
Selfosskirkja. Built in 1952-1956 with the tower and parish hall added in 1978-1984.
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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Never tire of waterfalls
She is a beauty.

[Dancing Dave]

Reynisdrangar
How good is that image? Really conjures all sorts of imaginings!

[Dancing Dave]

Follow that Road
Great addition to our 'Follow that Road' thread in the Photography Forum. Check 'em out. Brilliant!

[AndrewHL]

Road Photos
Hi, Dave, Thank you. Glad you like the road photo. I also have some road photos you may like in my June 1 blog entry on Iceland's east.