Friends and the Southern Coast of Iceland

Our plan for our last full day in Iceland was to head to the Southern Coast.  There are so many amazing sites down there.  Before heading out for the day Mark and I got to spend an hour with some of our favorite people from Charlottesville.  After our race Thursday night I posted a picture of the three of us on facebook.  When I got up in the morning I had a comment from my sweet friend Mallory.  She and her husband Kurt were in Iceland same as us, having run the same race the night before (they ran the half marathon!).  Mallory was actually the one who told me about the race over 2 years ago.  They moved to England last year and I have missed them so much.  We had often talked about meeting up in Iceland but because our flights did not go as planned and I was so grumpy I had not reached out to her.  I am so glad I posted that picture and she commented!  We met up for breakfast at this amazing bakery in downtown Reykjavik.  Their baked goods was amazing.  It was a beautiful morning and as we ate outside and visited I was reminded of what great people the Grover's are.  We walked around the downtown area some and had a great time catching up.  It was a definite highlight of the trip for me, easily in the top 5.  It made me realize what wonderful people I have gotten to know and that it is probably time for me to be willing to open up to people, to not be so jaded since so many people move from here.  Yes, I had great friends and I miss them but there are good people here in Charlottesville and I am missing out by not reaching out to people.  It was so fun that we were able to meet up in Iceland having not planned to do it.  It made it even more cool.  After too short of a visit we headed back to the apartment to get on the road.

Mark and Kurt were tennis buddies and Mark definitely misses playing tennis with Kurt.

Brauo & Co Bakery
I so wished we could stop in on way to the airport but it was too early in the morning.

Once we got back to the apartment we loaded the car with snacks and waterproof clothes and headed out.  Our first stop was Skógafoss.  This is one of the largest waterfalls in Iceland.  Online it says it is 60 meters which measures out to over 190 feet.  It's really large and in a beautiful setting. Lydia and Jared loved getting misted and attempting to skip rocks in the creek.

  

More Lupines! 

 I love how they show up on the hills in the background They are hard to see but there are three purple spots, behind the building in the middle. 

After Skógafoss we headed down to the village of Vik I Myrdal.  This was as far South as we would make it.  Vik I Myrdal is a small town right next to the water.  It has a beautiful church on a hill (covered with lupines of course) and a great souvenir shop.  A special feature of Vik is the black sand beaches.  It is also well known as a nesting place for puffins.  Lydia and I really wanted to see some puffins and we were able to spot some out in the water.  They typically fly and nest near the top of the mountains right next to the ocean which means they were too high for us to see from the beach.  I have never been to a black sand beach and it was really neat.  The sun was out and it was the perfect temperature.  We enjoyed watching the waves, checking out the lava cliffs formed by an eruption (*the town is directly South of Myrdalsjokull Glacier which means it is constantly under threat of eruption from the Katla Volcano which last erupted in 1918 so scientist say any day it could erupt again.  The town regularly holds drills and guests staying at the hotel there are forewarned of this!), playing in the black sand, and looking for puffins. It was a great stop.

 

Puffins!

Next up Dyrholaey Peninsula and Reynisdrangar.  These are two awesome rock formations in the ocean.  At the turnoff to them we debated whether we should drive a little out of our way to visit them.  We had left later than planned because of our spontaneous breakfast and stayed at the beach longer but as Mark reasoned why come so close and not see them?  It was a valid point.  We were all happy we chose to go.  To get to the viewpoint you have to drive up a steep gravel road with plenty of switchbacks.  It made Sue very nervous!  But she was very happy once we got to the top. It was breathtaking. The color of the water was so beautiful and it was so fresh and just awesome.

Those rocks pointing up out of the water (on the right) were the same ones we saw from the other side while on the beach.  There are a few stories about them.  The most common one is that they are the petrified remains of three trolls who tried to pull a boat from the water as the sun came up.

Dyrholaey

If you look closely you can see the little circle in the rock formation behind the arch. 

Fun lighthouse.  I Like being able to walk right up to it and see the lights inside. 

Just another glacier in the background. 

At the bottom of the hill you can see some white shapes.  They are hay all rolled up and covered.  They looked like giant marshmallows and were all over the place.  As we drove around we saw green, black and pink ones and joked that they were mint, burnt and strawberry marshmallows.  

Seljalandfoss was our last stop.  This is a famous waterfall that you can walk completely behind.  Mark was really looking forward to stopping there.  We suited up with waterproof pants and rain jackets and got ready to get wet.  We were all really happy we had waterproof clothes!  We got so wet.  Lydia seemed to really enjoy it and loved getting close to the water.  It was really pretty and super neat to walk behind and look out through the waterfall.  About half a kilometer down from this waterfall was another smaller waterfall.  This one was really special because you can't see it very well from the trail.  You walk through an opening into a canyon and can then see the whole waterfall. I was admittedly not very keen on walking down to this waterfall but Mark persevered and the 4 of us made it down there.  Jared weirdly did not got into the canyon (something about his ankle hurting thanks to Lydia) but Mark, Lydia and I did and it was pretty cool and unique. Hats off to Mark who had to push harder than usual to get his traveling companions onboard with everything on his itineraries.  We were so busy!

Lydia, Mark and Jared

Gljufraul Waterfall, the secret waterfall behind the rocks

We ended the night with one more dinner with Einar Sr. and his wife and their son Einar Jr. We ate at a nice hotel in Reykjavik and said our goodbyes.  It was really so nice to get to spend time with them.  They were so kind and helpful and made our trip so nice.  They provided us with a place to stay stocked with food, a car to drive and a cell phone to use.  Any time we needed directions or information they quickly helped us figure it out.  They made time in their busy lives to visit with us and make us feel important.  It was lovely, they are wonderful people.  I am so glad Jared, Lydia and I got to meet them. Einar Sr.  seemed really taken with Jared.  Every time we saw them he gave him a big hug and told him what a nice boy he was.  It was sweet and good for Jared.

Back Row:  Thorey, (married to Einar) Einar (Jr.) Mark, 

Middle: Aprillee, Einar (Sr.) (married to Erna) Erna, Gunnar (Einar and Erna's second son)

Front: Jared, Lydia and Erna (Gunnar's daughter)

Before we left to go to Iceland I read quite a few articles about Iceland. On one of the travel blogs the author commented that you will run out of adjectives to describe Iceland and they were 100% correct.  Its an amazing place.  The landscape is so diverse and so beautiful.  We really enjoyed our trip even if it was frustrating to get there and exhausting.  We were able to see so much but could easily fill another 3 days worth of sightseeing and visiting with Mark's family there.


*https://guidetoiceland.is/best-of-iceland/the-ultimate-guide-to-the-south-coast-of-iceland

Iceland's Golden Circle, Reykjavik and our Midnight Run

On our second full day in Iceland we explored the very popular Golden Circle route.  The route showcases some of the most famous natural wonders in Iceland.  The main attractions are:  Gulfoss (Golden) Waterfall, Geysir Hot Spring area, and Thingvellir National Park. We added a stop at Laugarvatn Fontana Geothermal Spa to enjoy some Icelandic Rye bread cooked in the ground and found a beautiful full field of Lupines to take pictures in just outside Reykjavik.  It was a lot of driving but not as much as the day before.  We explored did just a little exploring of downtown Reykjavik.  Again we didn't have much time as that night Jared, Mark and I ran the Suzuki Summer Solstice run (5K, 10K and half marathon) which was the main reason why we needed to be in Iceland this week.

The first stop for us was Gulfoss.  This was my favorite waterfall in Iceland and we saw a lot! Its about a 10 minute hike/walk to the up close views of the waterfall.  I loved how the waterfalls kind of zig-zagged from one set of falls to the next.  You can get surprisingly close to the Falls which was great.  There were a good amount of people there but plenty of space.

Our next stop was Geysir.  It's a large area with boiling mud pits, exploding geysirs, the most active being Strokkur which goes off every 5 - 10 minutes.  I was not very excited about this stop.   Smelly geysirs are not quite my thing but we did see Strokkur go off and it was interesting to look out over the area and see all the steam rising up.  I was also in a bit of a hurry because I did not want to miss our breab baking experience.

They had a hard time getting over the smell. 

Strokkur is behind them. 

I did however love our stop at Laugarvatn.  I had read about this place online.  It's a small village located next to a geothermal lake.  On the shores of the lake there is an area that is used by the Spa and local villagers to cook Rye bread.  The dough is placed in a pot and buried in the ground.  It cooks for 24 hours and then gets dug out and used in the Spa's restaurant.  We had a great guide and the bread was delicious.  She also mentioned that you can hard boil an egg in about 12 minutes.  It was different and informative.  Jared and Lydia did not care for the bread but Mark, Sue and I thought it was very good.  

Thingvellir National Park was a really interesting place to visit.  Historically it was the first place parliament was held, the Althing. Vikings met there in the 10th century.  It seems sort of out of the way (far from their boats and the water) but its unique geology created a natural amphitheater for public speaking.  It was here that they recited the laws of the land.  It has been a national park in Iceland since 1930, the 1000 year anniversary of the first meeting.  

Not only does Thingvellir have a long history but you can visibly see the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which is where the North American and Eurasian Tectonic plates meet. They are being pulled apart nearly an inch a year.  I did not enjoy geology in college but this was pretty cool to be at.  Jared and Lydia both loved walking around the lava fields and crawling through a fissure that was noticed a few years ago.  

Falling into the crack

Lupine Fields

I couldn't get over how beautiful these fields of Lupines were and how they were all over the place! With all the driving we did we had countless opportunities to pass these fields and they were a definite highlight.  This spot on the side of the road had a really nice walking path right down the middle of them.  I would love to go running or even just for a walk with friends on that path.  It was a great place for a little photo shoot. 

  

Reykjavik 

Our main stop in Reykjavik was the church downtown, Hallgrímskirkja.  We have visited many a large church but something special about this church was how light and simple it was. It was started in 1945 and finished in 1986 so not old at all.  It was designed to look like Iceland's mountains and glaciers.  I read online that it offers a great view of Reykjavik and something to look for was the brightly colored houses and roofs of the downtown area. It was a nice clear day and the view was beautiful.  I love the bright colors. The downtown is pretty walkable and really nice and clean.  Street art is highly encouraged and there are lots of unique shops. 

Side view of Church

There is an elevator that takes you close to the top and then about 4 short flights of stairs.

Lastly we stopped to pick up our race packets for the run.  Mark and Jared ran the 5K together and I ran the 10K.  Lydia happily stayed at the apartment with Sue.  When we got back from Iceland one of my coworkers told me a funny story.  I had posted a picture of the three of us before the race started.  She told me that she went into our other coworkers office and said, "Who is with is Lydia and where is she!?"  She didn't know that Sue had come with us. I wonder if other people thought that too?  Oh well. Lydia was happily hanging out with Grandma Sue.  Here are our before pictures:

The race was set to start at 9:00.  Look how light it was at 9:00 at night!  It was so odd.  During the race the clouds broke up and it was so bright out with full sunshine. I was a little concerned that I would be cold while running but the weather was great.  Right around 55 degrees.  The course ran by a beautiful creek for part of it and didn't have too many hills.  It was a really nice course, most of the time I didn't even feel like I was in a city.  As I got ready to run I thought that I really should have signed up for the 5K.  I didn't feel great about my training since the weather was yucky in Charlottesville but I made it through.  After the race the three of us went over to the heated pool and swam for about 30 minutes.  We left the pool at 11:00 as we had a busy day planned for the next day and you know, it was 11:00 at night! The fact that it was late at night was another good reason to just run the 5K. Oh well.  I do love that I can say I ran a 10K at 9:00 at night in Iceland.  I have never run a race at that time.  The Christmas lights race here starts around 6:30 I think and it's fully dark. Maybe 7:00 at the latest.  It was a good experience.  One thing to know, if you are to swim in a pool in Iceland you are expected to take a full shower with soap and no clothes on before you enter the pool.  Jared was a little hesitant about this but Mark said he did just fine.  It was a little odd to be around large groups of completely naked women showering but when in Iceland.... The pool was warm and had a large slide but the air felt so cold when you were not in the water.  Even in the water I felt chilled.  It's an outdoor pool and I can't imagine swimming there in the winter.  I feel bad Lydia wasn't with us.  I wish we would have had her and Sue hang out at the pool while we ran but we didn't think of that until we were already at the race.  If we make it back to Iceland, and I hope we do there are more pools I want to check out and for sure take Lydia to.  Like all our days there we were busy and up late but saw some really cool things and made some great memories.  Jared seemed well recovered from the day before which was great.

Sunset, 11:23 pm.  We stopped by the waterfront to take a picture of the sunset on our way back to the apartment.  It was really pretty and crazy, 11:23 at night!  It wasn't really even the sun setting but moving across the sky.  It never did get truly dark while we were there.