We stopped at Vik for lunch. A.O. recommended a burger joint and a more elegant establishment. We chose the burger joint. Chris and I were the last to be served which made me nervous as I wanted to go out and photograph the pillars with lupines in the foreground, but I had to wait. Maybe not patiently, but I had to wait.
The real treat here though was not the burgers but Reynisdrangur or the 4 pillars as they are called. They are towering fingers of black volcanic rock jutting out of the ocean surface nicely framed by large patches of lupines along a dramatic stretch of the coast. It was a spectacular sight. One of my favorites on this trip with many favorites. According to my guidebook, “The relentless battering wind adds to the Gothic scene—helping to make this the only non-tropical beach to be rated by Islands, a U.S. magazine, as one of the world’s top 10 beaches.”
I also took a number of photographs of a fine church standing on the edge of a hill overlooking that beach. I particularly liked the foggy background with the Iceland flag out front and, of course, the lupines on the hillside in front of the church. It was a pity (again) that time did not permit us to go in. We just had time to eat, grab a few photos and move on. That is how motor coach tours go. They have some advantages but lingering at photogenic spots is not one of them.
I really thought this was one of the most photogenic stops on a trip with many photogenic spots. I don’t know how many times I have said that. I know at least twice today. I do tend to wear my enthusiasm my sleeve.