Iceland 3
-
Iceland 3
The last third of our trip: from Saudharkrokur in the north, through Snaefellsnes peninsula, and then back to Reykjavik.It started with sheep. Not far from Blonduos in the northwest, we happened across a "réttir" or sheep roundup and sorting. During the summer, sheep from all the farms roam free in the highlands. In early fall, the farmers go into the highlands, bring down everybody's sheep and herd them into large pens. Then they step into the pens with the sheep and identify their own sheep by tags on the animals' ears. When they find one of their own, they drag it into a smaller connecting pen. Eventually they load 'em all up and truck 'em back home. And I was given the honor of being invited to climb into the pen and pull a sheep. Trust me, it's harder than it looks. -
-
-
-
-
-
-
The last couple of days of our road trip were spent on the beautiful Snaefellsnes peninsula, not too far from Reykjavik.
-
-
Skagafjordhur
We begin our drive southwest back to Reykjavik. Here we are on the Siglufjardharvegur (76) between Fell and Hofsos. -
-
Glaumbaer: Bronze statue by Asmundur Sveinsson
The inscription reads: "Gudhridhur Thorbjarnardottir, a pioneering heroine at the turn of the 11th century and one of the most widely-traveled women of her time, with her son Snorri Thorfinnsson, the first European child born in America. He lived in Glaumbaer and raised the first church there." -
Glaumbaer
-
Grabrok
The volcanic craters at Grabrok, north of Borganes -
-
Stykkishólmur
-
-
Snaefellsnes
Near the end of our counterclockwise trip. That's the less familiar side of Kirkjufell ("Church Mountain"). -
Kirkjufell
-
-
-
Kirkjufellsfoss
-
-
-
Budhakirkja
The black church at Budhir, Iceland, on the south coast of the Snaefellsness peninsula. One of the last stops we made before the home stretch drive back to Reykjavik -- but also one of the most beautiful sites in our week and a half trip. -
-
Our last day was spent in Reykjavik. We had just enough time to visit the Catholic Cathedral and the famous national cathedral of the church of Iceland, the Hallgrimskirkja; to visit the history of the fisherman museum and eat some fresh fish right on the harbor near our hotel; and to visit the Icelandic Wool Handknitting Association shop where we bought as many wool goods as we figured we could pack for the flight back to Texas. I wanted to bring a couple sheep home with me. (This might be obvious from the preceding photos.) But sweaters and hats and mittens were the best we could do.
-
Hallgrimskirkja
In Reykjavik, Iceland. I didn't like it much from the photos I had seen of it. But it's much more impressive in person. Its austere grandeur is absolutely in harmony with the island as a whole. -
-
-
Leifr Eiriccson
This beautiful, dramatic monument stands across the plaza from the Hallgrimskirkja. Leifr Eiricsson stands on the prow of a stylized boat, sailing away from the church. The inscription in English reads: "LEIFR EIRICSSON / SON OF ICELAND / DISCOVERER OF VINLAND / THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE PEOPLE OF ICELAND ON THE ONE THOUSANDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ALTHING AD 1930." -
Thanks for looking at my pictures.
Extra credit: https://www.williamporter.me/blog/187914018645/notes-on-our-iceland-trip