Valentine's Day in Iceland

     Valentines day in Iceland was not as big a holiday as it is here. They had their own celebrations in advance of Lent. On Monday it was "Bun Day." The various bakeries in town made a special creme filled pastry for only this day. On Wednesday, kids went around to the various merchants in town dressed in costumes. It was like our Halloween but the kids went to merchants and not to local homes. They sang a song or did something like that and were rewarded with candy.


     Left early this morning driving south and east along the southern coast. Highway 1 is called the "Ring Road" since it circumnavigates the island. We came up on an impressive waterfall before the other tourists arrived. Seljalandsfoss was its name. The neatest thing about it was that you could go behind it! 

 Found a neat heart shaped rock on the path. Timing was great being it's Valentine's Day. The picture is at the top of this blog.

Elf Home

An interesting thing about Icelanders is that 80% of them believe in elves. They believe that they live in caves and crevices in the hills. They either help you or they are mischievous and mess with you. 

The volcano, now dormant, lies snow covered behind the farm

     Went by the volcano that erupted in Apr. of 2010. Eyjafjallajokull. The Icelanders got a hoot listening to the various international news folks try to pronounce the volcano's name. At one point, an American journalist said "Let's just call it 'Kevin.'" Visited the visitor center staffed by the farm family that lived at the bottom of the mountain. Nice talk with someone who experienced it firsthand. 

Skogafoss Falls

The river drops at the falls

The view from the top of the falls

     We went next to Skogafoss falls. This waterfall is tucked back in the hills just off the road. There is a hiking trail next to the falls that follows its waters up into the mountains for 20 miles or so. We trooped up to the top of the falls and that was enough for us.

The Black Sand Beach in Vik

     On to the town of Vik (pronounced veek). Neat little village and great black sand beach. Went to a point and watched the surf hit the shore. Magnificent views. 

     Drove back and ate at a fish restaurant where Geoff wanted to have whale, another Icelandic dish. Not bad but looks like beef and tastes like fish. I was not impressed.