Day 6 Golden Circle

An early start this morning as we headed back towards Reykjavik.  We did stop for coffee enroute and observed this glorious sunrise at 10:30 am.

After our coffee stop we drove around the Golden Circle.  The main attractions being the Gulfoss waterfalls, and Geysers.

In the evening we tried to get near the infamous Blue Lagoon, but unfortunately a new fissure opened up in the car park and all we could see were the red flames 10 KM away! 

As you drive around Iceland, all the grave yards were lit up.  Spooky!

Back at the hotel, I decided to go for a walk to the beach as I really wanted to get a photo of the Northern Lights.  Nothing could be seen with the naked eye, but setting the camera's exposure to 20 seconds revealed all!

That's it folks.  Time to fly back home!!

Day 6. Northern lights

The view out of my hotel window at 2 o'clock this morning.

Day 5 Black Sand Beach and waves

We made our way back to Vik this morning. A 2 hour drive but we arrived in time for sunrise. 

Team photo time!

Spent some time watching the big Atlantic waves crashing into the rocks.  An early afternoon back to the hotel as we are planning to go out after dinner and hopefully see the Northern Lights. Before we go out I shall make sure I have an extra layer of thermals on!!!

Day 4 Glaciers and Icebergs

 First stop this morning was to the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon.

While everyone else was busy trying to photograph a lone seal, I went off on a short walk as something else had caught my eye.

A short walk in the opposite direction took us to Diamond Beach.  So called due to all the icebergs drifting out to sea and broken fragments getting washed ashore.  Quite stunning. 

A 15 minute drive away and we stopped to see a very old church built in 1884.  The structure and all the graves were covered in moss. 

Our final stop was to see the Svinafellsjokull Glacier.  A 30 minute hike up an icy track and we were greeted to see the beautiful glacier. Another benefit was one could get relatively close.

Day 3 Black Sand Beach

It was a clear morning in Vik so we backtracked 10 miles to see Black Sands Beach with 2 tall stacks in the sea.  The sea was very rough with some huge waves.  We did witness some Asian girls venture close to the water but they could not retreat fast enough when a big wave came in and soaked them.  Obviously they did not heed the warning signs!!

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A picture of our gang - tripod at the ready.  The main man is Ashley teaching us the best settings for our cameras - fully manual settings today!

Next we drove back to Vik and managed to get a great shot of the village. 

After a coffee stop in Vik we then drove for about 2 1/2 hours to our destination for today.  Unfortunately it got very cloudy and at times accompanied by heavy rain.  So not much to see  this afternoon.  But at least the weather was a warm +4 degrees today!!!  We are staying near the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon.  Hopefully the weather will clear up tomorrow for some great sights.  We are here for 2 nights.

Waterfalls on the road to Vik.

After an early start (8:15am) we set off south from Reykjavik towards Vik on the south coast.  First stop was the spectacular Seljalandfoss waterfalls.  Above is a glacier and the waterfalls drop 60m. 

There is a path up the side but no one ventured up it!!

Another 30 minutes down the road and we stopped at the Skogafoss waterfalls.

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Needless to say it was very cold again today, but only -5 degrees out of the wind.  Learning from yesterday, I came dressed for the cold weather!

We stopped for a late lunch.  The bread with beetroot butter was an interesting side dish!!!

Some wild Icelandic ponies beside the road!  After this the weather turned into a blizzard and we gave up on other plans for the rest of the afternoon and headed for the hotel in Vik.

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Arrived in Reykjavik.

 After a 3 hour flight from London we touched down in Iceland. Some great views as we flew in, including this one of a volcano erupting.

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First stop was the amazing church which can be seen from anywhere!  Inside the church I decided to light a candle for Gwyneth and Kev. 

Then it was time to go for a walk down the main shopping street.  Say no more. I walked for about 45 minutes by which time my fingers were absolutely frozen (-6 degrees outside).  Time to meet up with the others for a coffee!!