Before getting to the places in the title, one last word about Vik which we explored this morning before leaving. It took about 90 seconds. I included the picture of this church on the hill because it is the town’s saving grace, literally. Vik, it turns out, is located next to a glacier which sits on top of a volcano. The volcano last erupted in 1918 and some think it may soon come due again. Were the volcano to erupt it would melt enough of the glacier to cause a flood which would obliterate the town. Everyone has been advised to get up to the church if the volcano blows, the only place high enough to serve as refuge from the flood.

The big draw at Skarftafell is a waterfall(what else?) but this one is surrounded by basalt columns which were the inspiration for the beautiful church in Rejkavik, so I wanted to see this basalt framed waterfall. It was pouring but we were not deterred from the 1.8 km walk which was 98% uphill. The basalt framing was covered in mist though and it was raining so hard I only took one quick shot before covering the camera.

It poured when we were at the Glacier Lagoon, too, but it was so spectacular that I risked some shots. A large glacier is breaking up into smaller icebergs and a 40 minute cruise through the lagoon was like a trip through an abstract sculpture garden. This lagoon was apparently where a scene from a Bond film “Die Another Day” was filmed although it was Pierce Brosnan as Bond, never my favorite. There were birds on the ice chunks and seals diving for food in spots. Truly magical. We had to wear life vests but I honestly don’t know why. If the boat went down I am sure we would have all succumbed to hypothermia before rescue.