Today we experienced a gorgeous-weather day (60 degrees, sunny, and almost no wind) as we traveled up the west coast of Iceland to the southern portion of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula – we are pronouncing it Snuffle-uf-agus – often named “Little Iceland” because its diverse landscape is representative of the entire country. Dominant today was rolling farmland and homesteads at the base of sheer cliffs, dotted with abundant waterfalls everywhere you look.

Our first stop was the hiking trail to Glymur Waterfall – the tallest waterfall in Iceland. While we didn’t make it up close to the waterfall because the river crossing was impassable, we had striking views of the fjord and came across a beautiful ravine complete with a river, waterfalls, and birds catching the drift in the canyon. Stephanie of course didn’t miss the opportunity to say hello to a multitude of sheep and pet a few Icelandic horses along the way, known for their small stature and unique gate.

Next we ventured to Barnafoss and Hraunfossar Waterfalls. The land on which the waterfalls sit is owned by a local couple that operate a small restaurant and, as is typical in Iceland, do not charge for viewing the natural beauty. Hraunfossar is many small waterfalls that flow over lava rock. The water for the falls comes from underground rivers through lava caves, bubbling up and joining to river Hvítá. Our final stop for the day was Gerðuberg Cliffs, a long row of hexagonal columns formed thousands of years ago by slow moving lava falling into the ocean. At that time Iceland was much smaller, expanding as more and more volcanic eruptions formed new land.

Tonight we are staying in a small farmhouse on the west coast, owned by a nice couple who brought us eggs from their homestead chickens. We have a 360 view of mountains, glaciers, horses, sheep, farmland, and the ocean. While in Reykjavíkthe tap water smells slightly of sulfur (common, harmless, and not noticeable to Icelanders), here the water has no smell, something the ‘country-people’ are proud of. Tomorrow we are venturing around to the northern portion of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.