The sleep we’d all earned during our epic first day was, indeed, granted us at Bergþórshvoll. Located well off the Ring Road, we pulled up to the remote farm in the near-dark of night and were warmly greeted by the owner, two border collies and the friendliest little goat imaginable. Whether it was the contrast between the cozy duvet covers that we were snuggled under in our guest room cots and the designed-to-inhibit-sleep airplane seats of the night before, or the sheer exhaustion we all felt after such a full day, the night’s rest left us feeling entirely refreshed. As we ate a delicious breakfast featuring home-baked Icelandic breads, including “loveballs”, a traditional Icelandic pastry somewhat reminiscent of what all Canadians fondly know to be Timbits, though not nearly as sweet, we learned about the farm’s 200+ sheep and some of their endearing quirks from our hosts. We were all a bit sad to leave and dragged out a rather lengthy goodbye with our new friend, the goat, affectionately named “Kitty Kitty” by E. The sweet four-legged creature ran down the laneway with my girls when they emerged from the farmhouse, no less eager or energetic than a loyal family dog would have. Though we hadn’t given up, this little fellow came near to satisfying my quest to pet a sheep!
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| Sign for Bergþórshvoll, the wonderful farm where we stayed in a guesthouse on our first night in Iceland. |
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| Making new friends. |
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| It was noted by a brilliant friend that this cute little goat is captivatingly reminiscent of some of my Kindergarten students. . . the size and mischievous twinkle in its eye are surely the reason! |
Most of this second day’s adventures were focused in a smaller geographical area than yesterday’s (thank heaven!), as we stayed within about an hour of the farm for much of the day. Skógafoss, a cascading waterfall whose mists we were coated in, was just the first of many splendours that we saw on this memorable wedding anniversary of ours. Yes, M’s and my 14th anniversary was celebrated wondrously indeed! We continued to climb the stairs etched into the hillside and hiked along the river surrounded by hills and mountains for several hours.
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| This beautiful roadside church that we passed on our drive to Skógafoss reminded me of Austria, and had me singing, "The hills are alive, with the sound of music" :) |
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| Skógafoss |
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| E enjoys a few mindful moments in the meadows above Skógafoss. |
From there we drove on to the small town of Vik, where we lunched and then walked along the misty beach. The shoreline offered up a dramatic scene as the rough North Atlantic waves crashed upon the black volcanic sand, white froth meeting dark earth. Reynisdrangur, the towering pillars of black rock just off the coast, were shrouded in waves of mist on this windy day.
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| View of Vik as seen from the beach. |
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| Black volcanic sand at Vik. |
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| The towering pillars of Reynisdrangur off the coast. |
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| Happily hopping from rock to rock. |
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| We were giggling hysterically as my non-techie self tried to take a selfie of the three of us AND Reynisdrangur amidst the wind and rain! |
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| Sweet little viking. |
One final stop was made at Dyrhólaey just a short way down the coast. A striking rock arch in the water is one of the highlights at this protected nature area, but there are thousands of others, and they’re flying, swimming and resting all around the cliffs and shoreline: puffins! I’m quite certain that even the dourest soul would brighten in these adorable birds’ presence!
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| Dyrhólaey |
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| The pillars of Reyisdrangur are visible in the distance from Dyrhólaey. |
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| Puffins!! |
Following the day’s explorations, we drove to Reykjavik, the capital city we were eager to discover. We looked forward to settling into our rented apartment and to carving out a little home-away-from-home.
My wonder: Have you ever been to Iceland? What were your impressions?
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