Day 4 Chasing Waterfalls

Sunday, June 20, 2021
Seljalandsfoss, Iceland
The land of fire and Ice also has another side. The water side. When the ice melts, majestic waterfalls fill the countryside.  We were fortunate enough to walk up to and behind several of these on this day.
The morning of Day 4 we packed up the camper van after a great dinner the night before, thanks to our chef Annemarie, and multiple toasts of Einstok Icelandic White Ale, and a box of Cab. Regressing briefly to the night before; it was a cold, rainy one but a tarp I brought provided some shelter for our kitchen as it was tied to a pole with some rope I acquired from a closed road sign. I have to note here, this is a campsite where we parked very far, to the objection of Annemarie, to the restrooms. Later in the evening, after dinner was prepared in a freezing windy rain, and under a makeshift tarp covered kitchen, we found out there was a kitchen facility available. We warmed ourselves here and met a nice couple that had already been traveling Iceland.
Starting near Gljufrabui Falls, we walked through a narrow break in the rocks and were greeted with a huge flow surrounded by rock rising several hundred feet in the air. (many meters in Icelandic). This is one of the “hidden” falls, that is popular to see. After speaking the night before with the couple we met, we learned of another “hidden” waterfall that was not so popular. Directions given: Park behind the Skogar museum, in the back corner of the parking lot, there is a sign for a trail. We located the museum, paid our $200 Krona for use of the restroom, then off we trotted, down the trail, up and over a fence using a step ladder built to climb over.   We were one of only a few that visited this waterfall, called Kvernufoss, and were greeted by a magnificent site. In a beautiful moss covered valley, a river flowing through the middle, we found a beautiful waterfall. We were able to walk, not only up to, but around the falls and view it and the surrounding area from behind. What a sight and how fortunate to be one of the few to witness this force of nature. 
After visiting 4 of the waterfalls, we were back on the road. Our travels included 9 days to complete the “Ring Road” which is the main highway that basically follows the coast all the way around the island. While we were not so concerned with an “agenda”, we did need to move on if we wanted to make it back to the capital on the last day without a marathon drive. Our next stop was Reynisfjara Beach, a black sand beach that was bordered with basalt column cliffs formed by volcanic activity. This seemed like a great place for a nap. Sneaker waves ready to carry us off to the depths of the frozen sea were not an issue in this area, so we were able to relax as we walked around the beach and let the pebbly beach massage our feet. (Annemarie did not consider this much of a massage). 
Moving on, we finally figured how to use the local gas pumps without charging 1000’s of Krona to the credit card, we ended the evening at a popular soup restaurant, where, for $30 each we got a delicious soup, followed by a free refill. Somehow Annemarie ended up with 3 soups and a bread bowl. Hmmm. We ended this evening with a campervan mini party of Icelandic vodka/juice (Steve) and Opal (Annemarie) a local liquor with a licorice base. However, this Opal was a menthol flavored one that tasted very similar to cough syrup. One of the few alcohol beverages I was unable to finish,.

Comments

Mama
2021-06-29

It looks like you didn’t leave any stone unturned. The falls are all so beautiful. Thank you for sharing xxxooo

Mona Stover
2021-06-30

These are absolutely beautiful !!

2025-02-14

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