Iceland, Days 3, 4, and 5!

On day 3 we began our easterly trip from Hvammstangi. Hvammstangi is in a region known for its seal harems (that's what they're called, look it up).

Some jerk painted this horse

Skirting the edge of the fjords, there were always mountains in the distance.

Can't believe this guy married Heidi Klum. He's way out of her league.

Dat sassy face. Zoom in for sassy face.

Could be a postcard

We decided to take a scenic route through Fjallabyggð, a peninsula on the northern end of the island. The GPS decided to send us on a route that became impassable after 20km, so we had to double back and go along the coast. We snagged this picture to commemorate our near Donner Party experience.

We finally arrive in Akureyri, find our lovely accommodations and enjoy a sunset and nice evening out.

 

We ate whale! Soft like fish, meaty like steak. Yummy?

 Next day we head out for Egilsstaðir by way of Mývatn. On our way we climbed Hverfjall, an enormous volcanic crater.

Climbing volcanoes is hard work. But someone's got to do it.

"Holy shit, a crater!"

 We knew that Jesse Goldman was going to be in Iceland, but he was going a day earlier and leaving a day earlier. He was going counterclockwise and we were going clockwise. Somehow we still managed to cross paths at the base of this volcano.

After Hverfjall, we went to Dimmuborgir (A.K.A The Catacombs of Hell), a field of cone-shaped volcanic rocks

These santa guys are the mascot of Dimmuborgir and their pictures are everywhere. These guys are known to be tricksters, and we blame them for our getting a bit lost

We arrived in Egilsstaðir and cooked a traditional Icelandic meal of hot dogs

Day 5 we climbed Litlanesfoss and Hengifoss

Litlanesfoss

We didn't take this picture, but that's how it looks in the summer.

As the lava cools it forms hexagonal basalt, perfect for Ore in Settlers of Catan

Hengifoss was frozen!

After Litlanesfoss we drove to Djúpivogur, on the southeastern side of the island. In Djúpivogur we stopped at an artist's house called 'Sticks, Stones, and Bones. The artist was nowhere to be found, but his dog greeted us by rolling a ball down a hill in an invitation to play.

Tomorrow, the eclipse! (weather permitting...)