Brrr. Cold, Wet and Windy

 I forgot to mention yesterday, but you may have noticed from the photos, that the sun popped out a time or two and provided some amazing colors. 

After arriving in Vic, we stopped into the wool factory and watched them knitting sweaters, socks and blankets. They were using ancient knitting machines but they all seemed to be functioning at great speed. We learned a bit about the Iceland sheep wool and the process of making the Icelandic sweaters that you see with the borders around the neck and shoulders. I bought a skein of unspun wool that I will use in needle felting. 

The Wool Factory

They produce blankets, caps and gloves from Icelandic wool yarns. The design is based on local culture, as well as natural objects characteristic of this part of the world. The uniqueness of Icelandic wool, resulting from over a thousand years of adaptation to the difficult conditions on the island, provides the best quality of products. The two-layer construction of the fleece makes it thermal insulation, breathable and water-resistant.

We stopped at another wool shop today and I bought some yarn for knitting and some for needle felting.

This has to be one of the most interesting toilets I've seen with its grass-covered roof and stone walls.

My breakfast

Kim went back to get some cereal after he had eaten his first course and couldn't find milk so put some sort of liquid yogurt on it. Not sure why the salami 😀

the breakfast room

church on the hill

view from the back of the hotel

another view from the back of the hotel

When we left the hotel this morning it was very windy, cold and rainy. 

This picture is much better than the one I posted yesterday of the sea stacks. It is taken from the hotel area.

This is the other side of the sea stacks taken from the Black Beach.

One of the most spectacular examples of basalt columns in Iceland.

Reynisfjara (pronounced ray-nis-trunk-ar) is a beautiful black sand beach stretching on a three-kilometer reef to the west of the small mountain Reynisfjall (340 meters high). When you enter the beach, a view to the south towards the Atlantic Ocean opens up. Here it is quite unique to watch the powerful waves come in and crawl the beach for their destructive intentions. 

When you look at a close-up of the sand it is really quite colorful as it's made up of black sand (originally volcanic ash) and small, softly shaped pebbles.

A lady offered to take a photo of us in this cave. She apparently was focused on the cave since our faces are completely washed out. But I wanted to show the cave so I'm including the photo.

Dyrholaey, which is a small peninsula on the south coast of Iceland, is famous for its prominent and natural arch. The promontory also is a bird sanctuary. Each year, thousands of visitors flock here to witness puffins in their natural habitat. In summer, thousands of puffins make their nests in Dyrholaey’s grassy hills. Arctic terns also make their nests in the cliffs, and they can get very aggressive when defending their nests.

The name Dyrholaey means “door hill island” in Icelandic. The reason behind the name is that the arch is so big that ships and even small airplanes can pass through it at certain times. The power of the ocean waves over the centuries has worn the black basalt rock into a 120-metre (394 ft) high arch .

Icelandic horses are one of the purest breeds of horses in Europe. They have been bred for over a thousand years to carry people across Iceland's rugged terrain. Today they are still used for sheep herding and leisure riding. Their calm disposition and small size make them perfect companions. They have a unique history that has shaped both their character and this country. Initially, they were brought here by Vikings who travelled the world in search of adventure and fortune. It was the horse's ability to adapt to harsh conditions that made them ideal for travel and exploration, as well as for building up a society on this volcanic island in the North Atlantic.

Aside from spirited temperament, ability to survive in a harsh climate, strength, and small size, the Icelandic horse is known for performing five different gaits. Most horses know how to walk, trot, and canter or gallop. However, Icelandic horses can perform two extra gaits, tölt and flugskeið (flying pace).

Tölt is a four-beat lateral ambling gait. That means that the horse always has one or two feet touching the ground at equal intervals. The horse's weight is on the rear legs, allowing the front legs to be freer and lighter, resulting in a smooth ride. So much so that horse's owners often show off their steed's tölt by holding a full glass without spilling while riding.

The second additional gait is flugskeið or flying pace, which locals often nickname "the fifth gear". As the name suggests, it is very fast, and some horses can reach up to 48 km/h or 30 mph. It looks as if the horses glide through the air when they perform this two-beat lateral gait where the front and back legs on the same side move simultaneously.

Sólheimajökull is an outlet glacier of the mighty icecap of Mýrdalsjökull.

Skógafoss is one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland, with a drop of some 60 meters and a width of 25 meters and marks the former coastline.

and one more waterfall

and a sheep picture for you

pictures from the drive to Gulfoss Waterfall

The next photos are of the waterfall.

It is likely that Gullfoss was given its name because of the golden evening hue which often colors its glacial water. Another theory is that the name was inspired by the rainbow which often appears when sunshine hits the water-spray thrown up by the waterfall. You can see it in the lower left quadrant of the photo above and even more in the video below.

Another theory about the name can be found in the Sveinn Pálsson's travel journal. Once upon a time, a farmer named Gygur lived at Gygjarhóll. He had plenty of gold and could not bear the thought of someone else possessing it after his lifetime. To prevent this, he placed the gold in a coffer and threw it into the waterfall - which ever since has been named Gullfoss.

I took so many more photos but you get the idea. I am simply at a loss for words. 

geothermal area - we were running short on time today so we didn't stop here to watch the geysers erupt

interesting haybales - they were as plentiful as sheep

Landmannalaugar - volcano region

This area displays a number of unusual geological elements, like the multi-colored rhyolite mountains and the expansive lava fields. The mountains have a wide spectrum of colors difficult to see in the photos.

entering Thingvellir National Park

You can't see the depth of these moss-covered lava rock fissures.

I'm going to start wearing a hat. And this isn't as bad as the next photo of me.

more photos of all the color

One of the park’s most pleasant walks takes you between the edge of the North-American plate and an old part of the wall that collapsed away; this is called the Almannagjá gorge. This path clearly shows the geological processes going on here and ends with a charming waterfall called Öxaráfoss.

The tectonic plates move apart at approximately 2.5 centimeters a year and have done so for millenniums. The effects of this movement are very clear within the park. Lava fields fill the valley, from magma that welled up as the continents spread, and the whole area is littered with ravines, ripped open by centuries of earthquakes.

Earthquakes continue every day in Thingvellir, although most are far too minor to be felt. No volcano has gone off in the area in 2000 years, but they are not considered extinct. More eruptions are expected; the question is only as to when.

and here it is - oh my, it's just a bit windy

All of these photos were taken at Thingvellir National Park. The National Assembly was established here in 930 AD and continued to convene here until 1798. Many crucial events in Icelandic history took place at Thingvellir. For example, it was here that the nation abandoned Asatru, the Old Norse pagan belief system, in lieu of Christianity in 1000 AD, due to the threat of Norwegian invasion. Nearly a millennium later, in 1944 AD, it is where Icelanders declared their independence from Denmark and confirmed their first President. This is Iceland's oldest national park. From the moment we entered the park we were awed by its beauty.

It’s geological traits are quite fascinating.

Iceland is divided by the Mid-Atlantic Rift; some parts of it, such as the Westfjords and Reyjavík, are on the North American tectonic plate, while others, such as Vatnajökull glacier and the East Fjords, are on the Eurasian plate. Iceland is the only place in the world where this rift is above sea-level, and nowhere can you see the edges of both plates as clearly as in Thingvellir.

As you enter the park from Reykjavík, you descend a steep cliff into a valley. Looking upon the face of this cliff is to literally look at the edge of North America. If you drive through the park, you will ascend on the other side adjacent to another wall; this is Eurasia. The valley in between, in which Thingvellir is contained, is the rift valley.

The most famous one of these ravines and the only one it is permitted to snorkel or dive in is Silfra. The visibility of the water within it exceeds a hundred meters, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in a world of magical blue light, and witness incredible geology beneath the surface. As the water is two degrees Celsius (35 f) throughout the year, drysuits are required, although the occasional snorkeling operator will lead daring groups in wetsuits. We watched a group of snorkelers go in right here. There were also two men who showed up in just swimsuits. They must have been out of their minds.

After a long day of driving the southern portion of the ring road and stopping to see the sites, it was time to check in to our hotel and have some dinner. Kim had pizza.

I ordered a hamburger on gluten-free bread. This is what I got: a grilled chicken sandwich and fries. Oh well, it tasted good and I was hungry.

Miles - 6.4

Steps - 14,282

Floors - 35

"Today your heart will search for satisfaction. Will you look for it in the creation or in relationship to the Creator?"

PDT