Iceland Day 1
Today was Kate and my first full day in Iceland. The forecast was for cloud cover all day, but instead the sun made periodic appearances providing wonderfully warm light for the scenery as we drove to Búðir. The drive was about two and a half hours north and west from the capital Reykjavik where we spent last night. Above is one of the many beautiful Icelandic horses we saw as we drove.
Kate and I arrived in Iceland yesterday afternoon on our way back from visiting Becca in Denmark. By the time we had collected our bags, rented the car, and driven the hour to get to our hotel in Reykjavik, it was well past sunset. So last night, we just had dinner and turned in for the night. This morning, we slept in since sunrise was about 9:45am. Eventually we wandered into town to Kate’s favorite bakery to get a pastry and some coffee. The bakery is very close to Hallgrímskirkja Church which sits atop a hill overlooking Reykjavik.
On the way back to our hotel, I spent some time photographing birds. This is a Whooper Swan which was swimming in Tjörnin, the small lake in the capital.
Swimming nearby was this Tufted Duck. The wind was blowing strong enough to make waves on the small lake creating interesting reflected color patterns in the water.
This Graylag Goose, on one of the fields next to the lake, did not look happy to see me.
On the walk back to the hotel, I looked up to see this Rock Pigeon. Given how many pigeons inhabit our cities, most of us think of them as pests. However, they really can be quite striking.
After checking out of our hotel, we started our drive to Búðir. Once we got out onto the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, the sun started to appear and light up the amazing scenery.
I really liked how this photo came out. I took it by placing my iPhone just above the moss. While I do need my expensive digital camera and long lenses to take most of my bird photos, I use my cell phone for many of my landscape shots since I always have it with me. Other than the bird photos, all of the other photos in this post were shot with my phone.
As we drove along, there were countless photo opportunities that we could not take advantage of because there was no shoulder on the road and no place to park the car. However, when we did find pull offs, we inevitably had wonderful sights.
Around every curve was another scenic view.
Early in the drive, there were some stunning waterfalls, but we could not find a place to stop to view them. These waterfalls are not so far from our hotel. Depending on the weather tomorrow, we may try to hike around some of the many waterfalls in this area.
At some point, there is not much more to say beyond, “Wow.”
This little church, Búðakirkja, was established in 1703. It is located a couple hundred yards from our hotel and is visible from our window.
I took this final photo from our balcony at about 5:30, well beyond sunset. The weather tomorrow is supposed to be raining and windy. I suspect our plans will depend on just how rainy and windy it is. The fireplace and hot drinks might be fairly appealing for parts of the day.