We have situated ourselves for the next couple of nights at Grundarfjörður Hostel with astonishing views of Kirkjufell mountain from our bedroom and kitchen windows. In speaking with the lovely lady at the reception desk when we arrived she told us a few good spots we could explore while we were here. After a good nights sleep and a hearty breakfast we got the car packed up with our gear and headed west. It was a drizzly kind of morning and at our first stop near the town of Ólafsvík we took a few photos but unfortunately most of mine had rain droplets on them. I just couldn’t keep up with the rain on the lens. Driving around the west side of the peninsula heading south we turned onto a little road that took us to a hiking trail. The trail headed to the ruins of a home (?) on the shore. We wandered the shoreline getting shots of the waves crashing and just taking a breather. Of course the drizzly rain still giving me issues but ah well, it is Iceland after all.
North of Saxholl
Walking the trail back to the car I stopped to take the shot above. There were a few of these pools of water in the field at random points along the trail. I passed three of them on the walk back to the car but I’m sure there were many more. It made me wonder if they were fed underground or if at one point the ocean reached out its long fingers this far in from where it crashes now.
As we continued our drive along the southern part of the peninsula we noticed a strange rock sticking out in the distance so we turned at the nearest road to find out what it was. We had found Malarrif, a coastal hiking trail part of the Snæfellsjökull National Park. The magnificently shaped rock that drew us in stood in the distance and we knew we had to get closer.
Poseidon’s Crown
Depending on your angle and what side you were on it took on different shapes. I got up around the massive rock to the other side; from here it looked like Poseidon’s Crown as he emerges from the water. We spent a good deal of time here exploring. As the daylight starts to fade a little and the skies clear slightly we head over to the famous black church in the town of Búðir.
The Black Church
The small church can be seen from the main road – it is kind of hard to miss. It’s not very often you find an all black church. Although the gates to the church were locked we wandered the perimeter taking our photos, trying to get a different view of this often photographed structure. With our stomachs grumbling we knew it was time to head to our temporary digs to make some dinner and download the days photos.
Room with a View
As we sat eating we noticed we had a front row seat to the sunset behind Kirkjufell. Grabbing the camera I took a few shots by sticking my camera out the window as I ate my dinner. I also ran back to the bedroom to get some shots from there. Yup, that’s right folks I was too damn lazy to get myself into a car and find a spot to photograph the sunset. It happens to us all. After the long day I was happy to stay warm and dry. There are still 11 more days to go and so much more to see.
