Our plan this morning had us backtracking to check out a Viking village my friend Nick had told me about. It was an old movie set that someone had on their property. I have to say it looked pretty cool from a distance but up close you can see the wear and tear mother nature has doled out.
Village
I explored the area inside the fence before wandering around to the back near the foothills where I found this little guy (or girl, I didn’t really check).
Well Hello There
He was mostly uncooperative munching away at the grass but as soon as I started to give up he raised his head and I was able to get this great shot. I love the distorted view.
Our next stop was one of the more anticipated locations – the Glacier lagoon. I was super excited to visit here and we were told that we picked one of the best days with quite a lot of icebergs in the lagoon. Yay us!
Glacier Lagoon
The lagoon is not the only place to see these lovely beauties. On the opposite side of the road lies the ocean and stranded icebergs along its shores. With black sand beaches as far as you can see and crystal blue and white icebergs dotting its beach its no wonder that most people look forward to visiting this surreal place.
The Wave
From small pieces of ice to ones taller than me stuck on the shoreline it is incomprehensible that you are looking at ice that quite possibly is thousands of years old. We spent quite a bit of time here but eventually we had to move on. We had to reach the town of Vik to get settled in for the night and enjoy some hot springs before dinner.
We had just one more stop to make along the way. I had found a photo online of a turf church whose grave mounds were also covered in turf. It looked pretty neat and so we made the stop.
Turf Church
And I’m glad we did. Although it was a short 10 or 15 minute stop it was well worth seeing this church and its graveyard. A recommended stop along this route and not too far off the ring road for a quick look.
Last night we got in later than expected to Blönduós but were able to get in a late night dinner before our host for the evening closed up shop. Our comfy little house, part of the Kiljan Guesthouse, is highly recommended if you travel though that area. Having paid for breakfast at her restaurant the previous evening we indulged in some great food before setingt off towards Akureryi, our home base for the next two nights. But first there were things to see before we made our way there.
To the Left
Mostly we saw many an Icelandic horse as we travelled along the ring road and then up into the Vatnsnes Peninsula. Our first encounter with the iconic horses this morning we stopped to spend some time with them and discovered they don’t like apples. What?! I mean what kind of horse won’t eat an apple. Well, I guess when there are no apple trees growing on the island and the cost for fruits and vegetables are exorbitant you don’t waste them on the livestock. As we got back into the car we prepared ourselves for meeting our first Icelandic troll.
He Rises
Near the north end of the peninsula below the cliffs stands a troll whose attempt to reach land was thwarted when the sun rose and turned him to stone. Hvítserkur stands 15 metres high and is impressive from the first glance. As you get closer its size becomes daunting. Finding the right location for a photo was challenging as everything had potential. I choose this view because of the clouds and how they pointed you into the photo.
On Top of the World
Continuing along the peninsula we came across another colourful lighthouse but our hopes were to see some seals. I think we may have been tad too early in the season as not one was around for us to photograph. But luckily there were more horses to snap some shots of by the road. lol
So today was another one of “those” days. You know the ones – lack of inspiration but hopeful you’ll find something to photograph but ultimately coming home with nothing. I really was hopeful. I had a new wide angle lens to test out prior to my trip to Iceland. Basically to make sure I was happy with it and to make sure I knew how to use it before traveling somewhere important.
Nigel and I decided to visit Hortop Mill and for some reason, no matter when I come here, I get nothing I like. Why do I keep going somewhere I never get good photos? Because I want to prove to myself that one day I’ll be able to find that photo that just works. I really tried today but looking at the photos on the computer I got nothing jumping out at me to process. More often than not they’re yelling out to press that delete key and get rid of them forever. Argh!
I did get one photo I didn’t mind so much. On the road home (of course, only when heading home I see something interesting, right?) I spotted a horse farm. In the field was a Clydesdale lying there with its legs tucked under her. She was a beauty. The owner happened to be around and we asked if it would be okay to take some photos of her. The answer was yes.
Young Clydesdale
Look at those beautiful white eyelashes. The owner told us that she was only a year old which is why she seemed smaller than the Clydesdales I’d photographed before. So today wasn’t a complete wash out and sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery. It’s okay to come home with only one photo and sometimes none at all. C’est la vie.
I spent the last couple of days visiting a friend who is in town from Vancouver. She was spending the week at her dad’s farm. Our morning was relaxing watching the horses grazing in the field and the two dogs were hanging out on the porch at our feet. True country living.
Krista and one of the horses in the barn.
Our days were all about chilling – visiting the horses in the barn, an RV ride around the track, catching up and hike along the river. Too soon it was time to leave so I wished my friend safe travels and turned my car homeward.
