And so the drive back to Reykjavik began. Not especially early leaving behind the Milk Factory with its pristine white coats and protective wellies hanging near the door and milk bottle shaped lampshades over the buffet table. We knew there were places to be visited or revisited and so the plan was to reach the Kefla Hotel by sunset, just east of Vik within sight of the Reynisfara stacks and an easy early morning visit the next day to Reynisfara black beach with its basalt columns and killer breakers.
Our first stop, however, was a place that had been mentioned on the way to Hofn: a new-ish location to our leader, I seem to remember, but great, he said, for big landscapes. And a reminder that the icecap and resultant glaciers are a constant presence. For me, it was much more a place to hold in the memory than one to photograph – just one or two images will help me to remember how ever-present the ice cap was as we travelled.
One significant stop in our journey was to be expected as it was a place we had all enjoyed on our visit earlier in the week, despite foul weather – that was Jokulsarlon. This time we visited the lagoon possibly at its best and the beach to the east of the river. Once again, there were some great shots of the ice and some interesting experiences as growlers calved around us and young people screamed in excitement .
These last two images are of the beach and, again, give an impression of the expanse and that ever present background of the icecap and snow on the hills.
Having lunch at nearby Fjallsarlon provided one last opportunity to grab a panorama of the glaciers: the photo below is a five image panorama created in Photoshop and while it may not be the best photo ever, it gives the idea of where we were.
And we also found time to visit a waterfall and a turf topped church with its simple graveyard. At both we took about half an hour and captured a few interesting images. This was a really good weather day so it was good to be able to feel less cluttered with clothes and it was not necessary to wear extra waterproof layers. All good!
And our final stop was at Eldhraun: where lava has been covered by moss and a variety of other vegetation. The vast lava field (“Fire Lava“) was created in one of the greatest eruptions in recorded history and is of the largest of its kind in the world. This eruption lasted from 1783 to 1784 and is known as the Skaftáreldar (The Skaftá River Fires). This was a cataclysmic event for Iceland and beyond. In Iceland, it lead to disease, crop failure and disasters.
Hotel Kefla, where we spent Friday night, was perhaps one of the less stylish hotels we stayed in and was one of only two where we also had the company of larger tour groups but the highlight here was the buffet meals – both dinner and breakfast, meaning we didn’t have to go out and the tour leader could relax rather than having to drive again to a restaurant. The selection was good as was the value.
Can you believe we fitted all of that into one day?
Living the Journey 
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