Iceland Day 9

It was a day of ice and water, with a little lava tossed in here and there. First up was a waterfall you could walk behind.

This was a bit to the west of the Golden Circle, so not quite so many people. The trail running along the rock wall behind the waterfall didn’t have guard rails or even level footing though there was some trail work until you reached that point. I ended up going back without actually crossing to the other side. Others managed it just fine. Keep in mind I was only four months post hip replacement at the time.

A bit further down the road was the “Volcanic Museum.” This turned out to be a low building across the street from a farm. In the low building was a very small theater where we watched a low-budget movie chronicling the experiences of the family that owned the farm when the volcano right next to them went off.

Their crops were covered in volcanic ash and some of their outbuildings were buried. They had to evacuate for several days during which they didn’t know if there would be any of their buildings left when they returned. It took a long time to clear the ash. Luckily tourists eagerly purchased much of the ash from them, inspiring them to build the “museum” for our enjoyment.

Some of the audience left moved to tears.

Then it was off to another water fall. This one had a wide riverbed that we walked up to get close.

The next stop was a beach where puffins were supposed to be found. The one pair that I saw had a hard core camera crew set up in the only reasonable spot for taking their picture. So I wandered randomly enjoying the scenery instead.

Then we switched to the monster van and drove out past the lupine line to the ice cave.

On the way back, the site guide pointed to a hill and told a story about a witch that had lived in the area. She was despised for being anti-social. Rumors had it she killed many men. Eventually she was vanquished, but being a witch couldn’t really be killed as so became a volcano instead. Word to the wise. Don’t go after witches.