Trolls on tour - part 2

 Day 4

Day four began with breakfast and a view of a glacier from our hotel. Fog lifted and lowered and lifted throughout our morning drive. We stopped at the red chair above a farm on an isolated coastal stretch.

A bit further along the road. Thousands of swans will eventually congregate here before flying south for winter.

'Just climb over the barrier.' said our tour guide.

The steep barren hillside looked like it could slide into the sea at any moment, taking us and the road with it. Stunning and dramatic.

Then at another stop, our guide says we can go onto the beach. But we can't see a track.

We find a way.

A small fishing village was playing host to three cruise ships. The granite egg is one of 24 lining part of the harbour. It is an art work representing eggs of different local birds. 

A view from the harbour, of a navigation light. Bright cours in a grey landscape.

Another waterfall. Fossardular.

A example of the views across the fjords of East Iceland. Farms are scattered along the base of the mountains with varying areas of flat land between their houses and the ocean.

Icelandic bluebells.

Crow berries and blueberries grow wild. We picked some to eat. 

Most of the people on the tour went for a horse ride. Even Joel and Pete looked good on the Icelandic horses and they tolted. The seven horse-riding women were taken for a fast and hectic gallop. We had fun. It was fast! 

The day ended with a soak in the Vok Baths, pools heated with naturally hot thermal water. Some people also dipped into the lake which we were told was 12 degrees.

Day 5

Joel looks small in this landscape. We walked up to the waterfall that appeared to be falling from the clouds.

At Stuolagill Canyon. 241 steps down to a viewing platform to see aqua water and basalt columns.

Inland to 'nowhere' and 'nothing', a seemingly empty expanse of bare black hills where astronauts have come to train.

We detoured to a farm in nowhere. Like many farms in Iceland, this one now also caters for tourists. Even in winter, when people come to see the northern lights.

It has its own church. Every small region has a quaint little church like this one.

Very friendly goats. The black one tried to get into our bus.

Next stop, between nowhere and Myvatin, a large area of geothermal activity, steam and sulphur and different colours.

The view over Myvatin, a large lake in the north, known for bird life and midgees.

And a lava field of tall jagged formations.

Here we learned the story of the Yule lads who return to visit their parents each Christmas bringing mischief and mayhem. Like our Santa Claus, men dress as the Yule Lads each year and entertain the children.

A close up of the lake at Myvatin. A short photo stop and back on the buses away from midgees.

Another waterfall. Godafoss, so called because the farmer here was one of those who decided all of Iceland should convert to Christianity and he threw his old Norse god statues and other ritual items into the waterfall. Hence, the name 'waterfall of the gods.'

We stayed overnight in Akureyri where we found another red chair outside the art museum.

Akureyri is by far the largest town we'd seen since leaving Reykjavik. It stands on a fjord where cruise ships dock and has some interesting architecture.

And it has hand-knitted bin Trolls.

Three more Troll tour days left.