Vík back to Reykjavík

It's hard to believe but it's our last day in Iceland.  We headed out early to the Reynisfjara beach just outside of Vik.  Like Svartifoss, this stretch of beach has bizarre basalt columns that form massive walls (and sort of resemble the videogame Q-bert).

From this section of the beach is a nice view of the promontory at Dyrhólaey.  Puffins nest on the headland this time of year.

About 20 minutes further down the road, we trekked right up to the edge of the Sólheimajökull glacier.  You can pay money to rent gear and walk on it, but we skipped that since we walked on plenty of glaciers on our Alaska road trip a few years ago for free.

We could tell we were getting closer to Reykjavík because parking lots at the main tourist sites were getting more crowded.  At Skógafoss (one of Iceland's most accessible waterfalls) we were definitely "back on the beaten path".  The waterfall was still beautiful despite the crowds, and there was even a couple getting married there.

About an hour outside of Reykjavík, the crowds were even bigger at Seljalandsfoss.  Although there were lots of people gathered in front of the falls, only the very brave ventured out to where the freezing cold spray hit...

Find Kevin, if you can...

...and even fewer followed the trail behind the falls.

Do you see him now?  He's waving at the camera...

We got back in time to explore the funky, quirky downtown area of Reykjavík a little bit more.

At dinner, we even managed to try some traditional Icelandic cuisine - Kæstur hákarl (fermented shark) and harðfiskur (wind dried haddock).  The fermented shark wasn't too bad -- although I have to admit that Kevin ate most of it and I was content with just a taste.  Kevin joked that he was a "man eating shark" as opposed to a "man-eating shark".

Served in airtight containers to preserve the aroma

We washed the fishy taste away with a couple of White Russians at the Big Lebowski Bar.  Why does this bar exist, and in Reykjavík of all places?  No idea, but the drinks were good.

"Careful, man -- there's a beverage here!"

Since we have an early flight tomorrow, we decided to call it an evening and say goodbye to Iceland.  Here's one last farewell look at the iconic Hallgrímskirkja.