We’ve hardly seen a tree in 8 days, but today we drove through a skogur (forest). That’s because it was planted there and the Icelandic people are making a real effort to create more of them. However the engis (meadows) are beautiful with the wildflowers enjoying their short growing season. Iceland should have been called Greenland and vice versa as the landscape is lush and verdant. The climate is surprisingly mild all year due to the influence of the Gulf Stream.
And the sheep are happy in the engis, which helps to keep them off the roads (sometimes)
The scenery today was stunning. First we walked to Hengifoss, 118m high and surrounded by beautiful basalt columns
Well that one isn’t 118m high, it was the entrée, but this one is
Then for an awe-inspiring drive through a mountain pass to Seydisfjordour, a gorgeous village on a fiord surrounded by precipitous mountains.
Ferries from Europe call into this place – what a fabulous first impression of Iceland for the passengers.
Late in the day we made a big effort to get to another fiord and we’re so glad we did. Crossing the mountain pass was jaw-dropping, as was negotiating a winding road high above the sea which had been cut into steep scree slopes. Bakkagerdi is in the far north east of Iceland near the Arctic Circle and is possibly the most remote village in the country – check out the engi in this shot.
Some of our friends from the Arctic were there to greet us. Puffins and these kittywakes were nesting on the cliffs. For a bloke who has trouble telling the difference between a sparrow and an eagle, I’m starting to sound knowledgable
Then back around the scree slopes and over the pass
Leave a Reply