The East Fjords
So it appears in my overzealous excitement to use my newly purchased wide angle lens, I, well, used it EVERYWHERE. Note to self: not a good idea.
So today I gave up my wide angle (at least for most pictures) and voila… pictures that are actually IN FOCUS. Bonus.
We headed out of Djupivogur amidst fog and misty weather. Perfect for the East Fjords. We followed the coastal road (I will get maps up on here at some point) in and out of the fjords. The guide books say that this part of the country is rarely visited by tourists. If that is true… there are a lot of tourists missing out! The fjords are dotted with small villages and long stretches of… nothing. Nothing but mist and fog near the ocean, and sunny skies further inland. Nothing but sheep EVERYWHERE and moss growing over rocks.
This is a picture of Faskrudsfjordur across the fjord.
We stopped in Seydisfjordur, where the ferry from Europe docks. The town has retained its Scandinavian flare. The houses (unlike most modern ones around Iceland) are wood. Waterfalls dot the mountains surrounding the town. 
We picked up groceries and ate at the local park—a picture of Matt and Sharon
Next we took a bit of a detour and drove the “Haunted Highway”. Since the Middle Ages, the Icelanders believed that this road was cursed. A few exorcisms have been performed… so we figured we were safe. Here is the view on our way up the pass.
The dirt road winds around steep cliffs (they don’t believe in guard rails here!) with amazing views of the North Atlantic Ocean.
And here is our reward for surviving the “Haunted Highway”… a visit to a quaint little town known as Borgarfjordue-Eystri.
With its turf house
And these cute kids
And laundry on the line.
Next… another detour. This time to Husey, a very remote farm known for the brightly colored buildings.
After that jarring (the road was a bit rough!) detour, we picked up the Ring Road again, and now headed west across the northern part of the island. Hverir is famous for the boiling mud pits. And they aren’t kidding!
Each of the pits or vents gave off a different sound. In areas, the ground literally sizzled.
We made it to Lake Myvatn… to find it had been taken over by bugs. Yes, we were lucky enough to arrive here AFTER the clouds of these tiny flying insects appeared for the season (the name actually means “midge lake”, so we should be surprised). This area is well-known for the diversity of bird life. BUT, after a quick look-see around the lake (in the car!), we had seen as much as we needed to. I took this picture through the car window (a big photographic no-no) as I wasn’t willing to brave the insect cloud.
You can see why…
Yep, I think we will leave Lake Myvatn to the birdwatchers…
By the way… It doesn’t get dark here at night. The sun actually sets… just below the horizon, but it never really gets dark. It ends up being like a prolonged dusk. In fact, the birds don’t stop chirping!
