DAY 33 – SUNDAY 6TH JANUARY, 2019…

We woke to an absolute Winter Wonderland this morning.  It had obviously snowed quite a bit during the early hours of this morning, because the whole country side with covered in a blanket of snow this morning… Just beautiful and it capped off a fantastic previous evening of star gazing and watching the Northern Lights.  Our time in Iceland couldn’t get much more perfect than this.   

We woke up to this amazing Winter Wonderland

A different view of our cabin all covered in snow... Magical

Footprints in the snow.....

Our car covered in snow...

snow around our Hot Tub

Got to clean all this snow off before we can take off this morning..

Today Steve and I headed out to explore on our own.  Maria wanted to give Theo a rest day, and Pete stayed home with them.

A whole different view this morning as we headed down the main highway

Arriving in the  snow covered  town of Hella

A totally different view of the countryside that a couple of days previously when we drove along here. 

A totally different view of Seljalandsfoss from the road today.

Steve and I set off about 11am to head to Fjaorargljufur Canyon… It was almost 200 kms away.  We have decided to do more distance travelling on the days that Maria and Theo don’t join us.   We had to retract back over territory we had covered on Friday, and we passed a few places of interest including the Black Beach with the intention of doing it on our way home if we had time, or another day, as it was closer to where we were staying. 

A little of the Icelandic countryside...

Hundreds of bras were draped along this fence

Typical sight in Iceland, with little villages below the snow covers mountains...

Evidence of the volcanic activity this island is noted for...

 Our first stop today was the village of Vik.  This is the southernmost village in Iceland and is also situated on the mail ring road around the island.  Despite it’s small size, ( it has a population of less than 300), it is still the largest settlement around this area. 

Vik lies directly south of the Myrdalsjokull glacier, which itself is on top of the Katla volcano.  Katla is a bit of a ticking time bomb, as it has not erupted since 1918, and this is a longer than typical dormant period.  It does cause some nervousness in Iceland, as an eruption of Katla could melt enough ice to trigger an enormous flash flood, potentially large enough to obliterate the entire town. 

The beautiful little town of Vik

Coming into Vik

On top of the hill overlooking the town sits the little white church with the red roof.   This is considered the only place that would survive such a massive flood and periodically the people of Vik practice drills and are trained to rush to the church at the first sign of an eruption.  It is a stunning statue like building and certainly adds a unique charm to this small village.  You will rarely see a photo of Vik where the church isn’t the main focus.    It was the first thing we saw as we headed into Vik and we made our way up there to enjoy some of the stunning views that could be had or the mountains and ocean and black beaches.  We noticed that even higher up the hill sat a little cemetery, so we drove up there to enjoy some even more spectacular views which also included the church in the landscape.  Such a pretty little pace in Iceland.  

The church was built between 1932 and 1934 and is still actively used today.

Before leaving Vik we drove down into the main shopping area of Vik which is situated down on the coast line.  It was pretty small but we did come across this lovely piece of art work.

The beautiful Icelandic landscape

The start of the Eldhraun lava field.

 We then headed further east to check out the vast Eldhraun lava field.  This lava flow is the largest lava flow in the world and was one of the greatest eruptions in recorded history.  The eruption lasted from 1783 to 1784 and is considered the most poisonous eruption to date.  This was a cataclysmic event for Iceland and beyond.  In Iceland it led to disease, crop failure and disasters and the entire population was forced to evacuate to Denmark. The eruption also affected Europe as well and in Great Britain, that summer was known as the Sand-Summer due to the fallout of ash. It is also believed that the airborne haze and blocking of sunlight may have contributed to the French Revolution.

Exploring the Eldhraun Lava Fields.

Despite the abysmal effect the eruption had, this lava field of 565 km2 is today one of the most stunningly attractive ones in Iceland.  Eldhraun is also the place where the Apollo 11 crew trained for their impending moonwalk in 1969 for its similarity to the surface of the moon.

Despite being covered in moss that has taken decades to grow, Eldhraun lava field is also surprisingly very fragile which is why walking on the lava field is not allowed. Sharp black lava rocks can be seen jutting from beneath the soft green moss, making undulating shapes that seem to hide more than they reveal.

And suddenly the snow just started falling

It's snowing and we are out in it....

 Whilst we were walking up to the lookout to admire the true beauty of the Eldhraun lava field, we were in for an even more spectacular treat when snow just started falling out of the sky dusting the moss like icing sugar pouring through a sieve.  Whilst everyone else headed for their cars, Steve and I relished in staying in the snow and letting it fall all over us.  It was breathtakingly beautiful and made us feel so thankful and grateful for this amazing life we are living….

A vehicle had just driven off.

By the time we left here to head to Fjadrargljufur Canyon, the roads and whole countryside was covered in snow. Definitely a winter wonderland. 

The whole countryside was covered in a blanket of snow... Thankful for snow tyres on our care

 We got a little lost on our way toFjadrarglijufur Canyon, but it was a good kind of lost as we passed through more beautiful Icelandic countryside and even managed to be able to pull up nice and close to some of the amazing Icelandic horses.

 The Icelandic horse is a breed of horse developed in Iceland.  Although the horses are snall and at times,  pony sized, they are long-lived and hardy horses.  In their native country, they have few diseases.  Icelandic law prevents other breeds of horses being imported into the country and any animal that has been exported is not allowed to return.   These horses display two gaits in addition to the typical walk, trot, and canter/gallop commonly displayed by other breeds of horses.  These horses are everywhere in Iceland and are still used for traditional sheepherding work as well as for leisure where they show them and race them. 

Icelandic Horses

Fjadrargljufur Canyon in not right next to the ring road and can be easily missed.   It is only a few kilometres off the main road along the road number 206.  The final stretch of the road to the canyon is gravel but doable for virtually any type of car, you will then be able to park.

Stunning falls all through Iceland, this one was in the shape of a heart....

As we arrived, the snow started falling quite heavily and I initially was a little reluctant to climb the hill to check out this canyon.  With my shoulder still not completely healed, I was a little nervous about slipping on the ice.  Steve took off in the snow and when he got to the top of the canyon, rang me and told me it was a must.   I needed to make the effort to climb up.   It was absolutely breathtaking, especially when sprinkled in a light dusting of snow.    The canyon is up to 100m deep and 2 kms long.  What makes it so special are its sheer, turning, and twisting walls, full of oddly-shaped salients and bumps dotted with soft grass and patches of moss. Deep in the canyon, the lazy river Fjaðrá serpentines towards the sea. These formations create a dreamlike sight that is truly difficult to describe with words. Standing above this distinctive canyon and admiring the unusual sight is an unparalleled experience, for sure.   Steve walked a little further along the walking path to check out the waterfalls at the end of the trail. 

Snow falling... such a beautiful sight...

By the time we got back to the car, it was almost dark, so we weren’t going to get to explore any of the beaches or glaciers on our way home…. They would need to be left for another day, as we had a good two-hour drive home, and we needed to stop again in Hvolsvollur to pick up a few things for dinner….
It was after 7pm before we arrived home.  Pete had dinner cooked for us all, and we spent the evening playing board games and Bananagrams.  Another perfect day in paradise.