Our Icelandic roadtrip took us to to the Snaefellnes Peninsula countryside, where the landscape was as dramatic as it was deserted.
Sometimes our little VW Golf seemed like the only vehicle for miles...
But we found some friends along the way.
Julie's friend had told her that the Icelandic horses in paddocks along the road were so friendly that you could go up and pet them. The whole trip, Julie had wanted to pull over and test out this theory, but we were concerned that the Golf would get stuck in a ditch. Finally, we found gravel patch near the highway, parked the car and made a beeline for a horse hanging out near the fence. Sure enough, he let us pet him, even though we didn't have any food to share. Some other horses even came over to meet us too and see what was up.
The sheep wanted no part of it, however. They walked off into the sunset.
We took the hiking trail from Arnarstapi to Hellnar along the gorgeous coastline, with jagged rocks and natural arches. These pictures don't capture how pretty it was there.
At the end of the 1.5 mile trail, I rewarded myself with a Swiss mocha at the adorable little cafe, with an Ikea-chic interior.
We thought this was the church on the cover of our guidebook, but no, it's just another picturesque Icelandic church.
The next day was set aside for horseback riding on the beach, but the weather did not cooperate. How moody are these clouds?
Bummer! But if it hadn't rained, we wouldn't have seen so many beautiful rainbows. Silver lining, as they say.
PS - Julie bought some Icelandic donuts to fortify us for our hike. How did they taste? Eh, I must say I like American donuts better. USA! USA!
