Travelogue

Roter Stuhl auf FelsenThe following morning before leaving Vestrahorn, we drove back through the access gate to show Herb and Paul the Viking Village that Hilda and I had enjoyed so much the day before.

Then it was back on the Ring Road again. Today, we would be leaving the highly-traveled areas along the southern portion of the Ring Road and heading north along the eastern fjords, along an area referred to as the Laekjavik Coast, which extends for about 60 miles from Vestrahorn to the village of Djupivogur.

Black sand Beach black and EystrahornAs soon as we pointed our van north, It was like we were entering an entirely new Iceland, or more correctly an old one of how things used to be before it was discovered by tourists from around the world.

The Ring Road along the East Fjords follows an incredibly beautiful rocky coastline, with steep cliffs and mountains dropping dramatically down to the ocean, sea stacks off the coast, and the occasional quaint fishing village along the way.

Djupivogur's Eggin í GleðivíkWe hadn't gotten too far before we came across a rather random bright red chair set atop a rock alongside the road. It is called Roter Stuhl Auf Felsen (Red Chair on a Rock), and, of course, it had to be sat on. There was a very nice view of Eystrahorn (Vestrahorn’s sister mountain) behind us. I wish I knew the story behind this, but thank you to whoever had the foresight to place it in this lovely location.

A little further along, we turned off into a pullout for the Hvalnes Lighthouse. From the lighthouse area, we climbed up a small hill and looked down upon a beautiful black sand beach with Eystrahorn (Vestrahorn’s sister mountain) in the background.

I felt a need to hug oneContinuing on, we stopped at the small village of Djupivogur, which has the oldest port in Iceland, dating back to the 16th century.

It also had some more contemporary art - 34 over-sized eggs along the jetty. It’s called The Eggs of Merry Bay (Eggin í Gleðivík in Icelandic) and they are a tribute to the 34 native birds of eastern Iceland.

Each stone specimen accurately depicts the shape, patterns, and colors of the individual bird egg it represents. Each egg has a sign giving the bird’s name (both genus and species) in Latin and its common name in Icelandic. Of course, Herb found it necessary to photograph Turdus Iliacus

I couldn’t resist hugging one.

Then it was on to Seyðisfjörður, considered the most beautiful village in Eastern Iceland, for lunch.