Iceland | Days 3 & 4
Fair warning: These were by far our favorite days in Iceland, and it was literally the most difficult thing I've done in 2018 to limit our photos for the blog.
//Day 3: Selfoss to Höfn
In which today's theme was ICE. Glacier fed waterfalls, a hike on top of a glacier, and glacier lagoons.
Seljalandsfoss
Eyjafjallajökull (say that five times fast...)
Skógafoss
Random little waterfally stream on the side of the road...
More gas station hot dogs :)
GLACIER HIKE!!!
Joe and I both agree that this was our all-time favorite thing that we did on the trip. It was something truly incredible that left us speechless as the sun came out and made the glacier glisten like diamonds underneath our feet.
Our first Omnom chocolate as a reward for a 3-hour glacier hike ;)
Fjallsárlón
Jökulsárlón & The Diamond Beach
We went again the next morning, and those pictures with that soft morning glow are incredible and can be found further down this post...
And we ended our day in Höfn with a stop at their town hot tubs, some delicious lobster bisque, prosciutto pizza, views of the harbor, and a hot shower and comfy bed to sleep in.
//Day 4: Black sand beaches, horses, and so many rainbows...
We started our day back at the diamond beach, because I just couldn't get enough of it and we both thought it would be really pretty in the early morning glow that Iceland graces upon its visitors. And...it was. Beyond pretty.
As we started our drive back towards Vík í Mýrdal, we quickly realized that it would be a LONG drive, because there were just so many things we wanted to stop and see. The day before, when we drove by all of this, it was super foggy and we couldn't see much. Today it was clearing up, and the rains from the past few days brought out the lush greenness of lava fields, and so. many. rainbows.
Fjaðrárgljúfur
A gorgeous canyon that ended up being closed to hike around (which I had really wanted to do) but at least we got to see it straight on!
Taking a little detour off the Ring Road to drive through a lava field!
Laufskálavarða
A cairn field where you can add a rock to an already-built cairn, and it will bring you good luck on your travels!
Vík
We finally made it to Vík, and we could honestly have stayed a night here. It was just so adorable and quiet and perfect. Probably my favorite town in all of Iceland. We ate amazing lamb stew (at the gas station, duh!), saw like 8 more rainbows, and walked down to the beach where we could see horse back riding in the distance, and the most intense and awe-inducing waves crashing upon the pier that I've ever seen.
Horseback Riding on the Black Sand Beaches of Vík!!!
Reynisfjara Beach
Only 10 minutes from Vik, and again, I could have spent all day here. Joe and I actually took some sand and pretty little pebbles from this beach to bring home with us. It is currently sitting on our fireplace mantle, and still looks gorgeous enough to make me miss Iceland with all my heart.
Dyrhólaey
In which we almost got blown off the cliff thanks to super strong winds, but we also got a breath-taking view of the ocean to the front of us, and a mountain range behind us.
The busiest and yet one of the prettiest days ever meant that we deserved a big ol' bacon cheeseburger for dinner, plus a huge basket of fries and some Viking beer. #winning
Our night ended on a truly beautiful farm in Selfoss, where we were so far away from light pollution that we SAW. NORTHERN. LIGHTS. We are no professional photographers, so this photo was taken with Joe's Samsung, and it's the best we got. But oh man. It was something special. I actually got teary eyed staring up at the sky, watching the green swooshes dance around the moon. I logically know that there is a scientific explanation for the Northern Lights, but watching them with my own bare eyes, I had a spiritual (maybe??) feeling? As if the lights were a passenger, coming by to say hello. Maybe my grandparents that have passed away? I don't know how to describe it. It's just something I hope everyone gets to experience in their life at some point.
I started this post saying that days 3 & 4 were our favorite days, and I think you can see why. These 2 days had Joe and I holding hands in prayer in our rental car, and asking God to let us return to Iceland one day.
Click here to see days 1 & 2 in Iceland.
Click here to see days 5 & 6 in Iceland.
xo,
Jaclyn
