South Coast of Iceland

A great mass of dark grey mountains worked into pyramids and shelves looking as if they had been built and half ruined.

- William Morris, on his travels in Iceland, 1871

I can hardly begin to describe the magnificence of Iceland. I haven't seen the whole island, but from what I saw on my full-day tour of the south coast, every inch of this dynamic place is stunning to the eye, and it stays with you long after in your heart. There are countless tours available all around Iceland, but I selected the south coast tour because it wasn't too far from Reykjavik (1.5 hours), and every single place we would see excited me beyond words. And I was not disappointed.

The day began early, when the bus picked us up from our hotel, and we got to the main bus terminal where all the different tours depart from. We hopped on our bus, and set off, quickly getting out of Reykjavik and out amongst lava fields and snow as we headed toward large, dark mountains. Our tour guide was born and raised in Iceland, and we actually passed through her home village, and she pointed out the small building that was the hospital where she was born. She had an expansive wealth of knowledge on the geology of Iceland and the stories of its past. I loved learning about it. One thing I did not realize to the full extent is how dangerous it is to live in Iceland. With an abundance of volcanoes and earthquakes, there are villages that we went through or stopped in that will be destroyed when the volcanoes erupt. And the three volcanoes that we were near are all ready to erupt.

We drove through vast lava fields. Miles and miles of black craggy bumps along the landscape, on which mossy green has since grown. Snow from recent storms still clung on because it was still so cold. Dramatic mountains loomed, dark and fog-laden. They grew closer soon enough, as we had to go across several mountains to get to the coast. The roads were windy, and rose high. The views made me hold my breath - stark huge mountains everywhere, seemingly rising up straight from the ground. 

Arriving at the glacier hike, we took to a trail that leads through the valley toward the receding glacier tongue that is part of the fourth largest glacier in Iceland, which sits on top of a volcano. Our guide told us if we saw smoke rising from the mountain or heard rumbles from the ground, to run, because the volcano was erupting. She was being serious. Aside from feeling a bit nervous about the volcano erupting, I spent the rest of my energy being in awe of God's creation. It captures you when you are experiencing it. You feel so tiny in the midst of God's vast imaginative creation.

The small village of Vík í Mýrdal is the southernmost village in Iceland, and it sits on the coast, and in the shadow of the volcano Katla, as well as the glacier Mýrdalsjökull, which means it is one of the most dangerous places to live. When the volcano erupts, the village will be washed away by the melting glacier. We stopped in this village for lunch. Mum and I grabbed a wrap from the local grocery store, and I got my favourite treat of Iceland, their Skyr yogurt.

Reynisfjara is the black sand beach that attracts hoards of tourists. And for good reason. There are several amazing things to see. I only took a photo of one small warning sign, but there are about 5-8 warning signs before you enter the beach area, telling you not to swim or get close to the mighty waves. They will sweep you out to sea, due to rough Atlantic waters, as well as sneaker waves that come in behind a seemingly gentle wave (thanks to a steep drop right off the coast). While we were there some very large, powerful waves came in, and I could certainly see how people have died there, from getting swept away. 

But as long as you stay on dry, black sand, you can enjoy the gigantically tall basalt columns, towering cliffs, rocks formations off shore (the legend is that they are trolls that were pulling boats in and got caught by the rising sun, and turned to stone), and the two dragon lairs (caves with intricate formations on the inside). My imagination has so much fodder in Iceland. All the landscapes have legends, stories, and interesting shapes to get your creativity going. I could have sat there and written pages and pages of creative writings.

I loved the moody, misty atmosphere, and was so glad it was overcast all day. We had some rain while we hiked back from the glacier, but gladly that was about all the rain we had.

The two waterfalls we stopped at are Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss. Each one is breathtaking. The Seljalandsfoss waterfall comes straight from the volcano glacier Eyjafjallajökull, which is the volcano that erupted in 2010 and halted all air traffic around Europe. You can walk behind that tall waterfall, but you will get very wet. Skógafoss is a bit more misty and atmospheric, and we walked up close to the cascading water and got quite damp (and cold). But it was majestic.

Iceland is a moody, mystical, mysterious place, and I love it so much. The more I reflect and think about Iceland, the more I respect and stand in awe of God's creation and the power of nature. I have a deep level of appreciation for the people and the landscapes of Iceland and nature itself. It stays with you. Those surreal moments like walking to the tip of a glacier that sits on an active volcano ready to erupt. When you feel so tiny and the mountains rise all around you, you are getting a glimpse of God's glory, a bit of who He is.