Iceland - last day

We had a terrific drive today back to Reykjavik. Tomorrow we head to the Blue Lagoon until it's time to head to the airport for our return flight home.

Iceland has been magnificent, and we highly encourage anyone considering a trip to go for it. We've loved our time here.


A pretty typical roadside view


One of many unnamed waterfalls on our trip

Flatey Island

Today we took a ferry out to Flatey Island. It's a very small island, with 15-20 houses, a hotel, a restaurant, and a church. It is also home to lots and lots of birds, including Puffins.

After the 90 minute ferry ride, we stretch our legs with a quick walk around the island, then spent some time watching the puffins. We worked our way back to the restaurant and had a very yummy lunch, then over to the church, where we were surprised to find such amazing murals.


Puffin portrait


Front view


Me and my shadow


It's always best to squawk when you have an audience to listen



One of the colorful houses in the town


1st of 3 Murals in the Flatey Church



2nd of 3 Murals in the Flatey Church


3rd of 3 Murals in the Flatey Church - and we hope the guy with the net doesn't catch any Puffins!

Sunny Iceland

It only took a week, but we had our first full day of bright sunshine in Iceland. The good news is that it's the 2nd longest day of the year, so we got to enjoy plenty of it.

We drove from North Iceland to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. We are staying in Stykkishólmur, a very cute (but windy!) town on the sea.

We spent quite a bit of time on dirt roads with our Hyundai 4WD, including some quality time herding sheep. Sadly, there is no photo evidence of the great Norton Icelandic Sheep Roundup.


Dirt Road stop #1


Dirt Road stop #2


Dirt Road stope #3


Playground artwork at the local school


The harbor in town


The old lighthouse looking over the town

Horses, Whales, Puffins, oh my!

This morning we went out on a 4 hour whale & puffin boat ride - the weather cooperated, but towards the end we were both getting cold. The boat company provides all the passengers with survival suits, which given the climate here in North Island, makes a lot of sense.


One of the curious horses on the property of our rental house


Our boat spent some time watching a juvenile humpback whale


Puffin in flight #1


Puffin in flight #2


Puffin in flight #3


Jennifer in her survival suit


Laurence in his survival suit, ready to shoot!

Iceland Part 3

We are in the North portion of Iceland, where the sunrise is listed as 0:00 and sunset as 0:00!

We've had some socked-in fog for the past 2 days, with on and off showers, but the blue skies have emerged as of 9PM local time, and we should have sunnier weather for the remainder of our trip.


Dettifoss waterfall


Goðafoss waterfall


Goðafoss in Black & White

Iceland Part 2

Continuing our Iceland journey - the Jökulsárlón Iceberg Lagoon is stunning. Icebergs work their way from the glacier, through the lagoon, and out to sea. Depending on the tide, many of the icebergs end up on the beach and get broken up into beautiful small pieces.

We were fortunate enough to spend a couple of days in the area by the glacier lagoon and the Skaftafell National Park, which provided great access for hiking and repeated visits to the ever-changing iceberg action.


Colorful iceberg on the beach


Wave action with icebergs on the beach


Melting Ice on the Black Sand Beach


Jennifer & Laurence at the iceberg lagoon


Jennifer, the victor in the first and only "throw a rock on the small iceberg" contest, graciously poses with competition


Svartifoss Waterfall is in the Skaftafell park, and after about a 45 minute uphill hike you come to this amazing waterfall surrounded by basalt columns


The weather cooperated on our drive East towards Höfn for a nice reflection photo


Part of the drive from the South side of the island to the North side involved a gravel road - this was a nice unmarked waterfall on the road

Iceland Part 1

We are having a terrific time in Iceland. The weather has been mostly brisk and windy, with some rain, but nothing our Seattle rain gear hasn't been able to handle. We haven't had internet access (which in all, is a really good thing) - so here's a compilation of the first few days of our trip.



A typical Iceland Road Sign


Seljalandsfoss Waterfall - famous for being able to walk behind it, but we were getting wet enough as it was


Top end of a waterfall


Another Iceland Waterfall!


Icelandic Horse


Jennifer staying warm

Bergen

Our last full day in Norway, and it has been a terrific trip so far. Tomorrow we fly back to Iceland, and work on driving around the country in a counter-clockwise direction.


Bryggen, the wharf in Bergen, is a UNESCO World Heritage site


HUGE King Crab Legs


Prawns


Some cool looking fish


"Fresh Fish Every Day!"


Photographic evidence of the elusive blog photographer!

Norway Cruise - Day 11

The cruise portion of the trip is winding down. Last night we passed by an interesting phenomenon, Torghatten, which is a rock with a hole in the middle (that looks like a hat)



The rock from a distance with fishing boat in the foreground




Close-up of Torghatten

Norway Cruise - Day 10

Another beautiful day cruising the Norwegian coast & fjords. Last night we went into Trollfjord - which is a 2km long fjord that is very narrow with steep mountains on both sides. The weather wasn't cooperating for a sweeping view of the fjord, so the best photo opportunities were on the waterfalls on the sides.

Today the weather improved again, providing terrific views of the coastal mountains!



Trollfjord waterfall



View from the ship