Iceland Day 3, Heading South - Part 2

We continued our adventure towards the southern most village on the the island — Vík. As we advanced east, the low lying sun dipped towards the horizon bringing warm yellows, oranges and pinks; we knew we were in for a treat on the black sand at Reynisfjara Beach.

Little did we know that the igneous formations that crept out of the sea would draw our attention as much as the alluring sunset. With light fading fast, we gobbled as many views as we could before watching the celestial body disappear behind the curve of the earth.

Reynisfjara Beach

The Reynisfjara Beach exit off of the highway put us onto a winding road that cut through a valley towards the open view of the ocean As the vista opened onto the beach, we came to a parking lot with a little gift shop and hot beverages, and a bunch of people reinforcing the idea that we were in a special place.

Black sand carpeted the beach in an enchanting way. The minuscule, dark crystals of worn rock caught flickers of the fading light to bring our gaze towards the activity. Tourists inspected all aspects of the shoreline, including ominous spires rising from the crashing waves.

Reynisdrangar, the sea stacks, have a grand legend about trolls pulling a ship ashore. They also offer insight into the battle of rock vs water. The vertical rock formations pierce the water’s surface to be consistently hammered by powerful waves of the frigid North Atlantic.

Neighboring the sea-fairing formations, one main cave off the waters edge, is another focal point of explorers. The cavity rests at the foot of a cliffs edge, and dramatically exposes the textures of ancient volcanic activity.

With the cave to our backs, we glimpsed westward to see the warming light fade as the Sun’s chariot dipped towards the horizon.

Cold air off of the ocean quickened our desire for the comfort of the car, and we took one last breathe before leaving the captivating coast.

We reach the village of Vik quite quickly after leaving Reynisfjara Beach, and the full moon offered a picturesque view of the hillside church.

There’s no way that my phone’s camera could capture the incredible scene properly.