Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner

Note: For those of you who simply want to know where I went and what I did sans musings, I shall henceforth add a list to the bottom of each post.

I find it baffling that they put banana chips in Tropical trail mix. Yes, I know that bananas grow in the tropics, but they’re simply not the same caliber as mango, papaya, pineapple, dragon fruit, etc. Dry, flavorless, and constipating. However, due to the extraordinary price of food in Iceland, the trail mix I purchased stateside has been my favorite road tripping lunch. Alas, banana chips.

Awash in disillusionment from my seven hour destinationless drive, I found it rather difficult to get motivated the next day. I had a general idea for every other day, but today was a free day, and I hadn’t the faintest idea what to do with it. I spent about two hours researching all different sorts of possibilities, and finally decided to go see Seljalandsfoss. I got on Road 1, Iceland’s famous Ring Road, and headed south. First though, up into the mountains, with white as far as the eye could see. The view from the road looked exactly like Hoth, and I started looking for Imperial ATAT’s and Wampas. I tried the radio, thinking some Icelandic music would enhance the scenery. The first words I heard were “Hello from the other side,” and of course I listened to the whole song – one does not simply turn off Adele. Then I resumed my search for the music of Iceland. After Michael Jackson, Elton John, the Eagles, what I think was Hanson, and an Irish ballad, I decided the scenery needed no enhancement.

Seljalandsfoss was nice, but the waterfall’s surroundings were thoroughly frozen, inches of ice covering the stairs and walking trail. Only those with enough foresight to be wearing crampons were able to take the path behind the falls. I was okay with it, not entirely keen on getting soaked in the freezing weather. I enjoyed it there nonetheless and found my spirits elevated. I decided to continue south to see what else the day had to bring. 

Months ago, before I decided to go a-wandering, there was this commercial that started it all. I don’t know what it was for, Nikon or Apple or Iceland or Northface, but there was this Asian girl in a yellow rain jacket standing in front of a waterfall. “I want to go to there,” I said aloud, and thus the idea of Iceland took root in my psyche. Imagine my delight when I take a turn in the road and see those falls there in the distance. Skógafoss. I stood at the end of a rainbow. I was covered in the freezing spray. I climbed to the top of the falls. And I got a satisfactory espresso at the gift shop. The day was only getting better.

I’ve become quite adept at meeting people. I simply hand them my phone and say some version of “Hi, would you please take my picture?” If they speak English, great. If not, they usually still take the picture. The only problem is that some people are much better photographers than others. I should have stuck with the first guy from Seljalandsfoss, he was there and knew how to use a camera. Silly me, that German lady didn’t even get the Skógafoss in the picture, the best option only has about a third of the falls.

It was a wonderful day, poor pictures notwithstanding. Farther south I say! The frozen landscape suddenly thawed, even displaying a hint of green. Farms and homes of the Hidden People dotted the roadside. Ah, the Hidden People, the elves that live inside rocks. Icelanders build quite nice house fronts for them, I must say. I stumbled upon Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano which erupted in 2010. As it turns out, from the base a volcano looks just like a mountain. Oddly though, most of them are capped with glaciers here. I’m learning a lot about volcanos. Driving along the southern coast, I saw a rock formation jutting out into the ocean: this was where I needed to be.

I turned off the highway and followed my path over a road-width isthmus with the ocean on my right and mountains on my left. I had chanced upon Dyrhóleay, which somehow hadn’t turned up in my research. Words like magnificent and amazing fall short of describing the overwhelming awe of its brutal beauty. Relentless waves bringing the sound of thunder crash on its black rock beaches. There is nothing gentle here, but it is truly majestic. Fortunately, my favorite photographer offered to snap a few pictures.

I love a good sunset, especially over the water or with a solid alpenglow, and Dyrhólaey had both of them. I got a bit too close to the water, but even my sodden socks couldn’t tarnish the experience. Barefoot and smiling, I continued onward, adding more adventures to an already superb day.

The Brevity Report:

• Seljalandsfoss waterfall             
• Skógafoss waterfall                   
• Eyjafjallajökull volcano/glacier
• Dyrhóleay rocky beach sunset  

Click on pictures to enlarge them.

Blogger formatting is being capricious, so no captions for your pictures. 

The snowy mountain is Eyjafjallajökull and the one first one below is top of Skógafoss.