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| On Iceland's east coast |
We woke up this morning to a beautiful summer day, which in Iceland means daily highs of about 15 degrees Celsius and lots of sunshine. Our plan on this day was much looser than the previous one; we were mostly going from Hofn in the south east to our hotel further north, with only one lengthy stop on the way. Our route in the early part of the day followed the east fjords, which provided us with some spectacular scenery.
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| The same scene without us in the way. |
Soly first stopped the bus at a spot where triangular hills stood in the distance under a bright blue sky. The land in front of them was many shades of green and brown. It was a beautiful sight, but it was also very windy. We had already discovered that with its lack of trees and open areas, Iceland can be VERY windy, so that was no surprise. As a result, we did not linger long at this spot.
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| Beach and promontories on the east coast. |
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| Michelle |
A little further along our route, we made a longer stop. Again, we were in an open space, but this time, the winds had died down and we were keen to explore. As soon as we disembarked from the bus, Michelle made a beeline for a promontory. That young woman loved to climb in order to get the best views. I saw her do this several times, and I zoomed in to capture her as she stood above us all.
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| Jess. |
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| I walked away from everyone to capture their profiles in the distance. |
Eventually, others (including Jess) followed her there, or scattered nearby. This stop was without a guide or an agenda. We were all stretching our legs, enjoying the fresh air, and taking pictures. We were also getting to know each other. This group bonding continued all day.
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| Some of our group just hanging around, |
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| Tiffany and Michelle pose for me. |
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| Jaycee.and Kristian as photographed by Robin |
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| Paul in action (Pamela's Pic) |
As we continued north, I took many photos through the window of the bus because the views were so lovely. For much of the time, I could see the ocean in the distance. Sometimes, the fjords were clearly defined, and became the focal points, while at others, the land was my subject. The scenery made the trip shorter.
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| A coastal view from the bus. |
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| A bevy of swans |
This drive along Route 1 is a must for those who visit Iceland. As I have already mentioned, bright sunshine added a great deal to the beauty of the area, as you can see in the photos below. As we turned inland, we saw formations made of basalt lava layers. Soly suggested we look for reindeer in this area as this is where we would most likely be able to spot them. Unfortunately, they never appeared.
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| Beautiful Iceland |
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| Lots of variety |
Eventually, we arrived at Djúpivogur, a small fishing village. We first stopped at the outer harbour, where we went to see the place's claim to fame. Here the sculpted "Eggs of Merry Bay" stand on concrete pillars the length of the pier, representing the thirty-four species of birds that nest in the area.
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| Michelle and eggs, one of which she is very fond. (Robin's photo) |
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| My artsy shot |
As my husband would do, I attempted a creative shot using ordinary fishing objects lying on the pier: wire, rope, and buoys. It turned out quite well, I think. We headed next to the centre of the village where we stopped for a bathroom break and a snack. (Soly was always very good at providing us with regular bathroom breaks.)
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| Boats in the inner harbour |
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| A wide angle view of the Djípivogur. |
I headed outside to take more pictures of this charming village on such a gorgeous day. We were close to the inner harbour, where smaller fishing boats were anchored. I circled the area to get a sense of the place. It did not take long. Like the majority of Iceland's fishing villages, Djúpivogur is tiny. While fishing is still the country's main industry, there are fewer and fewer fishermen in this country every year, as many of the population move to Reykjavik.Those who still live in Djúpivogur clearly have civic pride. I enjoyed looking closely at the art in the village: a mural on the side of a building and a stone installation on a small hill.
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| Part of the village's mural |
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| Stone and steel sculpture |
Back on the road, I passed the time by looking out my window at Iceland's fascinating landscape. Shortly after we left the village, Soly pointed out a salmon farm and explained that these are quite controversial. I have since read about the problems created when farmed fish escape and breed with wild salmon. In short, the latter will die out - not a good thing at all.
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| On the road again |
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| The hoops in the water indicate a salmon farm. |
We stopped for lunch at the Salt Café and Bistro, a modern place in Egilsstadir. The town is known for the legend of the Lagarfljótasormurinn, the worm of Lagarfljót, a local lake. Like Scotland's Loch Ness monster, it shows itself to local people from time to time. (I read about this on the Arctic Adventure website.)
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| Our guide, Soly, joined us in the Vök Baths. (Robin's photo) |
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| Washington state couple, Cathy and Lloyd. relaxing (Robin's photo) |
Our next stop was nearby at the Vök Baths, where Jess and I experienced our second thermal bath experience in Iceland. This was an optional activity on the tour but everyone decided to take part. Thus, our little group spent a couple of hours relaxing and chatting. It was a delightful way to spend the afternoon.
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| This photo is from their website |
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| Testing the lake water - colder than any lake that I have swum in at home. |
In the first photo above, you can see the various thermal pools which make up Vök Baths. The "cooler" ones are closest to the entrance, but, at 38°, that is still quite warm. Further out into Lake Urridavatn, the pools are increasingly hotter. Then there is the lake itself, which we were told was 12° when we visited. I am proud to say that I tried all the pools, although I did not linger very long in the lake.
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| Paul and the girls as photographed by Kathy |
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| A toast to the Vök Baths - and to Kristian who took this shot. |
The bulk of our time in the Vök Baths was spent getting to know each other. We congregated several times, and just talked. We enjoyed drinks from the pool bar, and set them on the tables provided. We did not have the place to ourselves but we constituted the majority of those there. Personally, I could get used to this nordic way of relaxing. It was good for body and soul. Later, after we were dried and changed, Jess and I sat outside the bistro and took in the view. What a special place!
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| Jess wearing her Icelandic sweater |
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| The view over the lake |
Afterwards, we drove inland, where the topography changed drastically. Here layer upon layer of basalt lava flows create ridges in low mountains. This is very rugged country. No wonder the first Norwegians who made their way to Iceland did not stay.
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| Corrugated mountains (Robin's photo) |
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| Icelandic horses grazing below the mountains |
We were heading to a very isolated area for the night, so our drive took us along a gravel road where all could be seen were sheep. Our hotel was a relatively new building but it was furnished with antiques to make it look old. The style of the furniture and the gramophone took us back 80 years or more.
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| The sleeping quarters in the middle of nowhere |
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| The old-fashioned living room. |
Outside the main building, a few more sheep had gathered. They were not very cooperative when I tried to snap pictures, but others had some success. It felt a little heartless to make them as subjects of our photos, when we would be eating their relatives for dinner.
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| Love the fleece on this fellow, who posed very nicely for Robin |
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