The south shore route is a pretty long route away from Reykjavik. So to ensure we won't arrive back in Reykjavik at like 12 AM or something, we had to start early. I truly enjoy the drive down because Iceland is just beautiful. Every turn, every 30 minutes or so, you will see a new landscape and a unique one. So yeah it was a pretty amazing route indeed.
Our first stop was Skogafoss! Skogafoss is a waterfall located near the town of Skogar. A pretty big waterfall and somehow, maybe cause we arrived early, it was really really really cold. Like when I stepped out of the bus my hands just turned cold. Maybe it was the spraying water. There were a few people who thought it was warm and ran out only with their sweater, only to go back inside and take their jackets haha. But the cold is worth the sight I suppose!
Skogafoss - trust me the weather is killer
Legend has it that there was a treasure chest behind the waterfall put by the vikings. The locals attempted to pull the chest out but failed, only retrieving the handle of the chest. And then the handle was used as the door handle of a church in Skogar. Quite cool huh. When I see the waterfall I always imagine that there's a door behind the water which will lead us to the treasure chest or some sort of secret hiding place of the vikings haha. There was hills surrounding the waterfall which make the area pretty beautiful too. But the wind was killing me so I didn't spend much time outside.
Close up of the fall
What's behind it I wonder :P
From Skogafoss we gotta drop off some people who were doing the glacier walk. I wanted to do that really but then again, time didn't permit so next time I suppose. The place was before a place we stopped for lunch. Along the way to the glacier walk place we got the chance to stop beside this super cool lava field which is covered with moss. Took the chance to take photo of an empty road too! Reminds me of Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Icelandic roads are beautiful.
The secret life of Adhi Mitty!
Featuring moss field on the sides
Like I said above, the thing I love about Iceland is the different landscapes that we will encounter. Every turn we make, we'll be greeted by a new landscape. Along this route itself I passed by lava rock fields, moss fields, grasslands, a black field from the recent Eyjafjallajokull eruption's ashes (repeat after me: Eya-fyatla-yokul) and even a glaciers from Vatnajokull or Eyjafjallajokull! I love Iceland and its ruggedness really. It's nature and its rawest finest beauty.
Just breathtaking isn't it. For someone who has never seen glaciers before
Anyway after lunch there was a long drive away to Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon. The lagoon is formed by the melting glacier from Vatnajokull. And the ice floating on the lagoon also break away from the same glacier. This was my first time seeing icebergs and I was pretty amazed and awed to be honest. When I saw the icebergs floating from a bridge, my heart just gasped and well I was pretty happy. I didn't expect myself to see icebergs with my own eyes and I did so yeah :)
The serene yet majestic Jokulsarlon
I decided to take the boat and explore the lagoon, I wanted to skip this but I'm thankful I didn't! I was put in an empty boat like 10 people (of the usual 25) so the guide has ample time to talk and interact with us. She's very informative and also keen to answer our questions. I was a bit shocked that the lagoon is actually like more than 200m deep. Can't imagine what happen if we fall inside there. We got a special treat of eating slices of icebergs which may be 1000 years old so that was a pretty cool thing to do.And it's the best ice I've ever tasted.
Best Ice Ever
Jokulsarlon is the place I've been wanting to visit in Iceland. Well I discovered it from Tumblr a few years back I think, I thought Iceland was like Jokulsarlon everywhere, until I see that meme about Greenland and Iceland haha. But well it was rather overwhelming to be in Jokulsarlon. To be surrounded by icebergs, and how serene the place was. To realise your dreams and imaginations slowly turning into a beautiful reality. Pretty overwhelming. During most of the boat ride I just sat down and admired the beauty around me. That such beautiful place exists on earth.
Thankful for this whole experience
Anyway from Jokulsarlon, which is like located on the other end of Iceland from Reykjavik, we made our drive back to the capital. The drive back was a pretty sad one... Realising that I only had one more day left then. But then oh well I told myself that I should be happy because I finally went here! We actually had two more stops before Reykjavik.
The black basalt formation in the distance
The first stop was Vik, which is a town located near the beach. Which is also our dinner stop. Vik is a nice quaint little beach town. From afar we can see black basalt formations further from the coast line. The tide was rather high so I didn't dare to go near the water. The houses of Vik are also lovely too. I love the church in Vik! A beautiful red building in a sea of green grass. I wish I could stay longer in Vik and explore this small town. Or even stayed there for a while! :P
Church of Vik
Our last stop for the day was Seljalandsfoss. Smart of Reykjavik Excursions for making this the last stop because since it was late, the fall was empty and also the sun was setting which makes photos of the fall beautiful haha. Seljalandsfoss would be my favourite "small" waterfall that I visited (since you can't compare it with Gulfoss! Heh). There was a rainbow forming as well. And I don't know, I feel that the way the water falls from the top is just pretty and... Beautiful. Like it just falls so effortlessly beautiful to the ground, and along into a stream.
Pretty Seljalandsfoss!
You can walk behind the fall too. Well warning, be prepared to get your jacket wet, your camera wet (like drenched), and everything wet. Please walk with care too cause it was quite slippery. But you know what, it's worth everything to go behind it! It's a pretty cool experience and I got some awesome shots behind the fall as well as the fall is facing west, which means the sun will be in front of it! :) Was a bit worried with my camera but I have faith in her.
At this moment my camera was wet
Still managed to take a nice shot though hah
And then yeah, that's the end of out adventure along the south shore. We arrived back in Reykjavik at 21.30 and I was hungry and I was also sad about the next day being my last proper day here. So I just went all out and walked around the city until 11 PM haha. I went to get the awesome hotdogs from Baejarins Bezstu Plysur (which translates to best hotdogs in town if I'm not wrong). Well what can I say, best hotdogs in town and best hotdog I've had!
Best plysur ever!
Plysur = hotdog
Then went to 10-11 again to get some Skyr (Icelandic yoghurt) and drinks, and was hunting for things to bring back home as well. I reached my hostel at 11 PM ish and went to bed at like 12 I think. Surprised that my dorm mates were not back haha. Except for another Korean lady who reached back a few minutes after me. I was so hesitant to sleep. I feel like walking around Reykjavik until late but I was pretty tired and I was still having that stupid cold urgh.
The South Shore was an amazing route to be honest. Very scenic, very unique and raw. Passing through different landscapes while listening to stories about the locals and about Iceland as well. If not, I would be listening to my favourite Sigur Ros songs and just have an eargasmic moment really. I was feeling sad to know I was leaving this beautiful island very soon but well like I said, I was feeling more happy to be there and experiencing all these by myself.
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