This morning we set off on the longest driving day of our trip as we made our way down the entirety of the Eastern Seaboard. By the end of the day we covered about 340 miles of primarily winding roads along some of Iceland’s largest fjords. Due to this circuitous route along the coastline the total drive time was over 7 hours. Since we also planned numerous stops along the way we needed to get on the road early to maximize the daylight hours (this meant a lighter breakfast on the road for Jay). We were treated to ideal weather throughout the day so the natural beauty of Iceland was on full display.

The first three hours of the drive involved traversing all sides of the numerous fjords found in Eastern Iceland. Within each fjord we traveled through one or two small towns which in the past served as fishing villages. Much of that commercial fishing appears to have been converted over to fish farming as many pens could be found in the calm waters of the fjords.

Other than a coastal roadside pullout our first stop was the medium sized town of Höfn which offered the first glimpse of Europe’s largest glacier outside of the Arctic (Vatnajökull). In Höfn we enjoyed picturesque views of the glacier which was still over twenty miles away. The true magnitude of Vatnajökull is hard to describe but even from long distances away it was awe inspiring to behold. As we left town with a full tank of gas and sandwiches and snacks in hand we headed south towards the glacier and the famous Diamond Beach. Before reaching the beach we were treated to the Icelandic tradition of réttir (we described this annual occurrence in a previous blog post) as hundreds of sheep were herded by us on their way to the sorting pens.

Diamond Beach is found at the end of the Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon and is so named because as chunks of the glacier break off and slowly melt in the lagoon small pieces on their way to the ocean end up on the beach. The crystal clear ice that rests of the black sand beach reflects the sunlight in way that mimics the aforementioned gemstone. On the edge of the lake we were within a 100 feet of large glaciers slowly melting away. Close enough in fact that the air was noticeably cooler as the breeze passed over the sea of ice. While on the beach we stood beside the small chunks of ice and observed the purity of the water contained within.

After leaving Diamond Beach and Jökulsárlón we drove no more than 10 minutes to the next glacial lagoon (Fjallsárlón). Fjallsárlón offered closer views of the glacial finger which stretched down from the mountains to sea level. In addition this lagoon, unlike the previous one, does not experience a mixing of salt and fresh water which greatly slows the melting process. For that reason there were many more large icebergs in the water for us to enjoy. As with most glaciers around the world Vatnajökull is in a period of recession due to global warming. In spite of that we were fortunate enough to experience its majesty.

Continuing on towards the South of Iceland we stopped at another waterfall (Svartifoss) and canyon (Fjaðrárgljúfur). Both stops highlighted the diverse landscape of Iceland. After leaving the lush greenery of Svartifoss we traveled through miles of largely barren lava fields until we reached the beginnings of the canyon lands. The canyons replaced the lava rock with grasses and sporadic wildflowers. Iceland does not have a single climate and it is possible over very short distances to experience everything from forests to grassy highlands to lava fields.

As the day concluded we approached the town of Vik and our farm based cottage. Before calling it a night we checked out another beach (Reynisfjara) and enjoyed an Icelandic Pub. Reynisfjara has been made famous both for its puffin colony and its use as a filming location in the series Game of Thrones. Unfortunately the puffins from this colony have already made their way out to sea (we hope to see some from another colony tomorrow) but even without them the beach was worth the visit due to the large waves and offshore rock formations. At dinner we were greeted to a fall staple on the many TVs (NFL football). It appeared we were the only table interested in what was on TV but we appreciated the small connection to Fall Sundays at home.

Tomorrow we have a lighter travel day as we begin to head west back towards where we started one week ago. Before that however we plan to take a short ferry ride to an onshore island in search of Puffins.