Iceland Day 4

It was another windy morning, but as long as we could be spared from the rain, it’s half the battle. On the seaside though, there’s always some spray that ends up on the lens, so I kept the small microfiber towel close at hand to wipe the lens. But one thing about this sea shore shooting is that I’m just not comfortable with it. Can’t get close to the water, and far away it doesn’t give the same effect. The pictures show it – I’m not happy with them. Taking the pictures was ten times more fun than looking at them!

Then we got back to Vellir (our guesthouse) to eat breakfast, and as always, after a brief rest we were back on the road for the day’s major event. We headed for the highlands and as an experience, it was something I’ll never forget!

Almost as soon as we hit the small road leading up, it gave us a taste of things to come. With all the rain, the road was waterlogged in some places so the high ground clearance of the Pathfinders was useful. Further on, we had to ford a lot of creeks and one creek in particular was interesting – it was very wide and the road curved so our drivers somehow had to follow the curving road under the streaming water. No pressure – the waterfall was at least 5 meters away from us…

And then the lava desert began… I’m not sure how else to describe it. It was just this black lava sand that’s prevalent in Iceland (or at least those parts of Iceland we had visited so far), dotted with the green moss and some yellow tufts of grass. And the higher we got, the more spectacular the landscape became. I could spend a whole day trying to describe it and still not find words for it, so I won’t even try. A picture does say a thousand words!

Spray (Dyrhólaey)
Spray (Dyrhólaey)
In some places the hills were covered in grass, you could almost imagine being in Ireland instead.
In some places the hills were covered in grass, you could almost imagine being in Ireland instead.
And  then we reached the lava plains.
And  then we reached the lava plains. It was so surreal to be driving through this black desert, I’m almost happy about the snow/hail that’s lining the road because without it, there would be no contrast at all!
We stopped at the foot of Mælifell.
We stopped at the foot of Mælifell. The wind was horrendous, the cars are parked with the nose to the wind so door won’t get ripped off when you open it.
As if the wind wasn't enough, we got pounded by hail again. I'm telling you, it was bitterly cold even though the temperature held just above zero!
As if the wind wasn’t enough, we got pounded by hail again. I’m telling you, it was bitterly cold even though the temperature held just above zero!
And just minutes after the hail, some light started appearing in the distance.
And just minutes after the hail, some light started appearing in the distance.
And then there was light on Mælifell as well.
And then there was light on Mælifell as well.
When you combine the rain, hail and sunshine, you of course end up with a rainbow
When you combine the rain, hail and sunshine, you of course end up with a rainbow
Interesting rock formations and mountains
Interesting rock formations and mountains
Yet another rainbow, this time with green hills
Yet another rainbow, this time with green hills
The colour scale is amazing - black, white and green. Never seen that.
The colour scale is amazing – black, white and green. Never seen that.
It shows the bleak black lava fields, the snow on the ground, the hail that's coming down, and the mountains of course. Very Icelandic!
Somehow this is my favourite from the day. It shows the bleak black lava fields, the snow on the ground, the hail that’s coming down, and the mountains of course. Very Icelandic! (274/365)
The magically beautiful valley
The magically beautiful valley

We drove past this valley twice before, both times the light was out of this world but we couldn’t stop because we were on the way somewhere (there was a rule that you don’t stop at every potential spot when you’re on the way to a place where you’re gonna spend more time). When we finally stopped here, the light was gone and this was what was left. But it’s still amazing landscape… I had to go quite far from the others to find this viewpoint, and we didn’t have a lot of time so I had to run. And running across that flat black lava field, it was just unreal. An experience that I will cherish for a long time to come!

Fording just above a waterfall
Fording just above a waterfall

Yes this is a lousy picture but I just have to explain. I’ve taken this from the car window, our car being parked in the middle of this creek. And beneath us, just where you see the rocks, there’s a waterfall. A big one. One of the more unusual parking spots I must say… ok we didn’t stay there for long, it was just so that our driver could help the other car with this tricky ford. You just don’t get this at home!

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