The farm had a field of Icelandic horses. The Icelandic horses are used on farms and for horse riding. In Summer, horse riding is a very popular activity with tourists. The horses arrived in Iceland in the 9th and 10th century from Scandinavia. They are about 1.3 metres tall, and suited to the harsh climates of Iceland. The kids enjoyed patting them.
The following morning we had a lovely walk along the beach at Vik. We have been to all sorts of interesting beaches in Europe with different coloured sand, and pebbles of all colours and sizes. This was the first beach we have been to where the sand was black. It was fantastic, and felt great to walk on and let run through your hands.
The view back from the beach was great, the black sand in the foreground, the winter grass in the middle, and the Mýrdalsjökull glacier in the background under blue sky.
It was Easter Sunday, we had the entire beach to ourselves.....only our footprints were there.
The sea stacks are basalt sea stacks. The highest one stands at 66 metres tall. Folktales of Iceland involve many of stories of how the environment was formed (much like Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime). One folk tale says that the sea stacks were trolls which were caught outside when the sun rose, and they turned to stone.
The run off water from the Mýrdalsjökull glacier flows down into the sea here. The water was freezing from the river.
A lonely Protestant Lutheran church sits on the hill
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