Today we'd be starting our tour of Iceland with Nordic Visitor. We'd booked a private tour with a driver guide and we were due to meet him in the hotel foyer at 9am.
We'd set our alarms for 6:30am. Outside it was a chilly (-1C). We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant again.
Just before 9am, we checked out of the hotel. We had a lot to carry downstairs with all the clothes we had. We wanted to be prepared with layers as people have suggested. So I had my light puffer jacket, my heavy puffer jacket, my heavy coat that we'd hired, my beanie, my light jumper. I was wearing my new thermal shirt and long john pants, water resistant pants, . . . . As usual, I had my suitcase, laptop bag and camera bag.
Our driver guide was waiting for us in the foyer. His name was Snorri which he told us later is a Scandinavian name which means naughty little boy. He wasn't little - he is a big man - tall and strong.
He drives a Toyota Land Cruiser which was parked right outside the hotel. Just as well he had a big car because of all the gear we had. I sat in the front passenger seat so I could take photos of the scenery as we went along.
For the first part of the journey, we saw geothermal activity which means that there is steam escaping from the earth. Apparently Reykjavik means smoky bay.
Wherever you look there is steam shooting out of the ground high into the sky. Much of it is natural but some is artificial based on bore holes that are often 1km or more deep.
Geothermal power is the main source of power in Iceland. It generates most of their electricity. They also pump hot water to their towns and cities via multiple pipes to provide hot water and to heat their buildings.
He said that because electricity here is cheap, they have heavy industry such as aluminium smelters. Apparently companies in Australia and elsewhere ship bauxite here to manufacture aluminium.
He went out of his way to show us the geothermal sites including geothermal plants. Some towns have these steam outlets in the streets. Often they are in the fields. Everywhere you look. He said we came at the right time because they were particularly active today.
He showed us one location where a steam fissure appeared underneath a house without warning and so they had to demolish the house.
Much of the area we were travelling on was flat plains with snow-capped mountains in the distance. Some were volcano mountains that disappeared into the clouds above.
One of the optional stops was the Lava Museum. It turned out to be very expensive and so we decided to give it a miss.
The next stop was at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall. One of the key differences with this waterfall is that you can walk behind it. In fact, this was one of the main reasons we hired the coats, pants and boots at Reykjavík - to protect us from the cold and wet.
Initially we thought the track behind the waterfall looked too rocky and dangerous. However, Snorri pointed out another track that was flatter and so we gave it a go. We stop under the spray of the waterfall and took photos.
I didn't risk taking my camera under the waterfall and so Suzy got photos with her iPhone.
Next we stopped at the Skógafoss waterfall. This one has a long stairway leading to the top of the waterfall. You'd need to be very fit to do this climb because there are more than 500 steps.
Snorri decided to take us to an unscheduled stop at a glacier. He showed us where the glacier used to finish - it was more than 100m from the current location which he put down to global warming.
We noticed teams of people who were heading to the glacier carrying equipment that Snorri said was to give them a sure footing on the glacier.
Next we stopped at the top of a hill near the ocean. As usual, the car park was crowded. When we got out, it was easy to see why. The views were incredible.
There is a path leading around the headland. At the start of the path we admired the black sand beaches stretching into the distance below and the beautiful green land with some lakes.
At the end of the headland, we looked down on twin rock arches. Out to sea, there were rocky outcrops.
On the other side there were more beaches, green fields, lakes, etc. Everywhere you looked was ruggedly beautiful.
There was a lighthouse building in the middle of the headland.
The next stop was at one of the most popular tourist spots in Iceland - the Reynisfjara black sand beaches and Reynisdrangar sea stacks.
There are warning signs about freak waves that have been known to kill tourists. The signs call them "sneaker waves". Snorri repeatedly warned us to be careful.
The cliffs next the beach are amazing. They consists of vertical blocks of stone. It reminded me of the pipes in a church organ (except they are square rather than circular). Apparently they are a result of volcanic activity.
Initially the next destination was to be our hotel (Hotel Katla) in Vik but Snorri did a detour to a church on the hill that gave us a nice view of the town below.
The hotel is about 1km out of town. It consists of several single storey buildings with a central building that contains the reception and the restaurant. Our room was in one of the buildings a short distance from the central building.
The room is quite spacious and has a nice view towards the sea. It has a king size bed (once again with single quilts), timber floors, no carpet, open shelves, no wardrobe, work desk, two comfy chairs with side table, no safe.
Wifi speed was about 25Mb/s in both directions but variable. The bathroom is spacious with a walk-in shower. Like many hotel rooms, the lighting was dim.
We were in bed at about 9pm after another eventful day.
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