Iceland, Thursday, September 21, 2023...

And we are off to the races for another full day of fun. We checked out of the Storm Hotel in Reykjavik and boarded the coach pointed generally east. Our goal was to get to Vik and the Hotel Kria for the next three nights. Along the way, we would visit several cool things.

Our first stop was the Lava Centre. This is a museum about lava. We watched a video with no narration. It was all about the volcanos in Iceland and their eruptions. Video of these eruptions was very interesting. The most touching of these was in the Westman or Western Islands. These are off the southern coast of Iceland. There are several islands forming this archipelago. One is inhabited. It has two volcanos. In 1973 one of them erupted. Fortunately there were boats in the harbor that carried all the people away from their island. The island was devastated and most of the buildings destroyed. The people went back and rebuilt. 

After the video, we went to the top of the building. There are plaques with a picture of the volcanos you see from that vantage point. I went to all side and took a picture of the plaque and then a picture of the volcano in the distance.

The next two pictures were very interesting to me. The first has the name at the location of the volcano. The second shows where the hot spots are on our planet. A hot spot is where a lava plume is coming from the earth core to the surface. These move around a bit. But it is interesting to know where they are.

The Lava Centre also had a hands one exhibit area. We walked through that and tried out all the displays.

Back to the coach for the drive to Seljlandsfoss Waterfall. 

We could see this waterfall as we were driving down the highway. This was a waterfall you could walk behind. The walk was slippery rocks and dirt. We made it and did enjoy the experience. 

We left this waterfall and hiked down a path that led to another waterfall. This one fell inside a cave. Claude walked down the steps to the entrance and decided not to go back in the cave. You could wade in the water which was ankle deep. Or, you could cling to the rocky side and try to bypass those coming out of the cave. Neither appealed to him. I stood on the higher ground and took pictures from there. Claude took two pictures looking inside the cave at the waterfall. 

We hiked back to Seljlandsfoss Waterfall. 

Along the coach ride to our third waterfall, I got a couple of pictures of the sheep. Icelandic sheep are very fluffy with long hair. They are usually white or black. Their legs look really spindly coming out of the fluffy body. Icelandic sheep and Icelandic horses are descendants from the original stock that was brought to Iceland many, many years ago. No other sheep or horses are allowed in Iceland. If a Iceland sheep or horse is taken out of the country, it is not allowed to return. This is caution to not bring disease into the animals in Iceland. Living in Kentucky, you see thoroughbred horses, stock horses, Shetland ponies, all kinds of horses. In Iceland, there is only one kind. 

Our coach pulled into what appeared to be a gas station with no one there. One the garage door was the name of the volcano we were to see from the parking lot. Eyjafjallajokull. Say that 10 times fast!! This volcano is called E15 in the States and other places because people simply can't pronounce it. Count 'em. There are 15 letters after the E. Hence, E15. This volcano erupted and the winds blew the smoke and ash over the ocean to Europe. It closed airports and created havoc there. Not so much in Iceland. They actually called it a medium volcano. I posted the pictures with the name on my family Facebook page. Our grandson, Hayden, commented, "Did a cat walk across the keyboard?" I'm still laughing! The volcano looks like a snowy glacier on a mountain. It is really a volcano. 

(This is the volcano that erupted in

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty)

Into the coach we climbed for the drive to our third waterfall.

I got a peek of Skogafoss Waterfall from the coach window as we approached. 

We would walk to the base and a friend took pictures of us. Since we were blessed with a day of sunshine, we had a rainbows. There were stairs to climb to the top and trails to see other waterfalls. We opted to not take the stairs. I totally loved this rainbow covered waterfall. Stunning. Absolutely stunning. 

On the coach for the last leg of this days journey. On to Vik. These are pictures between Skogafoss Waterfall and Vik.

We arrived in the little town of Vik. Populations about 300 people. The church on the hills is a landmark for Vik. At one point the Lutheran Church came and most of the people were converted and began to worship as Lutheran's. The church built little churches in all these outlying communities. Sadly, many are left vacant with no one maintaining or using them. The only person with a key to get into the church in Vik is the organist. If she takes a whim to practice, you might be able to get in then. We would stay at the Hotel Kria. 

Our dinner this evening was at Black Crust Pizza. Yes, the crust is black. No, it is not burnt. It is prepared with coconut charcoal which is apparently a thing. I Googled it. You can buy it on Amazon!! The pizza and bread sticks were delicious. So much so that we would eat her again our last night in Vik. I was told they may have a restaurant in Las Vegas. That would be a little closer if we needed a black crust pizza again. 

At 9pm, those interested, were in the grassy area behind out hotel in search of the Northern Lights. This would be our last night to see them. The remaining nights of our trip were cloudy or rainy. Again, this is the lights through the lens of my cellphone camera set to night mode. 

With my regular camera, I tried to take pictures of the landscape as we drove across Iceland. It is vast and not easy to get great pictures. These are simply landscapes I saw through the window of the coach when I didn't have too much reflection on the window. 

Isn't that stunning scenery? It changes so much as you ride along. Some people nap during these drives. I can't do that. I came to see the land and I drink it all in. Amazing.