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| Approaching Patreksfjordur |
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| Patreksfjordur - we saw a couple of dolphins swimming close to shore. |
It was Saturday but fortunately we managed to find someone in Patreksfjordur to replace the slashed tyre, change the wheel and with that we were back on the road before noon - with a wary eye on rocky edges! The roads here are quite narrow but thankfully there is little traffic at least in Westfjords.
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| Each village or small settlement had a church; some very small but all much like this. |
The predominant religion is Christianity, Evangelical Lutheran. Prior to Christianity being adopted around 1000 CE, the majority of the settlers were pagans who adhered to the cult of Odin, Thor and the other gods of the Nordic pantheon. Paganism strengthened following the establishment of the national assembly or Alþingi in 930 (the assembly was composed of chieftains or goðar who played a leading role in the pagan cults).
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| Some roads were narrow and everywhere seems tranquil and remote. |
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| We drove mountain plateaus and deep valleys - quite breathtaking |
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| Once over the high mountains we plunged into deep fjords |
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| Sheep grazed quietly beside small waterfalls and reflective pools |
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| Many places we drove through had signs warning that there were birds in the area - in fact many birds, |
The rest of the day travelling NE towards Isafjordur was filled with delightful contrasts from still crystal-clear waters at the head of fjords to raging waterfalls plummeting thunderously off mountain plateaus. We drove from places that seemed like the top of the world only to plunge through tunnels deep under massive mountains.
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| The origins of the Gisli Saga |
Throughout Iceland we came upon signs telling the stories about events that had occurred in that location. This particular one, the Gisli Saga is believed to date back to 950-80; the Saga was written 300 years later. The country abounds with elves and trolls and mystical, mythical beings - and sagas!
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| It was summer and the flowers were glorious. a number of different willows mostly hugging the ground, Black Crowberry, wild Thyme, Mountain Sorrel. Unsurprisingly my collection of images is very large |
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| Arctic lupins (introduced) lined the roads and blanketed the hills. Quite lush and pretty. |
And all along the way I was like a sideshow clown head turning right and left trying to capture the myriad of colourful flowers including massive purple banks of Arctic lupins. Here and there fat wooly sheep (white, brown and black) lazily lumbered away from us as they munched their way through deep banks of lush grasses and flowers.
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Beside the falls were myriad flowers - shy Marsh Orchids, delicate Iceland Poppies, wild Geranium
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| The quite magnificent Dynjandi Waterfall |
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| The falls include many minor falls as the water plummets off the plateau. Lindsay tried to walk to the largest but didn't quite make it. |
We made it to the famous Dynjandi waterfall, a towering (or is that a plunging) multi-tiered waterfall; it’s a major attraction in Westfjords so there were hoards of people clambering up and down the rocks. It was awesome, majestic and the surrounds glorious and lush with plants and flowers.
Then it was on to Isafjordur via a quite intimidating tunnel system. To add to the challenge it was single lane a most of the way; one direction has right of way with oncoming traffic having to pull over in the numerous bays. It was dark and unnerving. Then we came to a bifurcation! A doubly strange phenomenon to us. Lindsay did an unbelievable job.
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| These went for about 5 Km and were in fact quite dark. Finally we saw the light at the end of the tunnel |
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| Along the mountains side', you can see the effects of erosion from snow and ice melt. |
We made it to Isafjordur and checked in (to a not particularly welcoming place) and settled down to a picnic meal of biscuits, cheese and meat etc. By this stage I was feeling a bit fluey and not a little worried.
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| Approaching Isafjordur |
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