Chasing Waterfalls (... & Geysirs)

There's a saying in Icelandic that goes, "If you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes."  Coming from someone who has lived in Seattle for three months, the saying is an understatement to the sheer volatility of the weather.  In anywhere from 5 minutes, it can go from rain to sun to torrential downpour.  Not to mention, it's cold!  Hence, this is why I will regard the next few blog posts as my "Bear Grylls" period, and why how terribly happy I am back in Reykjavik with make up and somewhat form-fitting clothing.

One of the main attractions of Iceland anchors in a circular highway system called the Ring Road.  There, you'll find a variety of natural wonders, like Stokkar and Geysir, where the term geyser was derived from, and waterfalls like Skogarfoss and Gullfoss.  Our trip took us through the Southern and Eastern coasts of Iceland, along the Ring Road and Route 1 highways.  For about 50% of the trip, we were blessed with some pretty fantastic views when we visited Pingvellir (a division between the North American and European tectonic plates), Stokkar (Gulfoss (waterfall), and Skogarfoss (waterfall).  For the rest of it, it rained, too much for liking.

The craziest part for me is that I'm not an athletic person.  Fortunately enough, Kalie forced me to unleash my inner hiker/rock climbing/REI-driven goddess.  The scenery didn't hurt too much either.

View of the river from Pingvellir National Park's entrance.

One of the waterfalls along Skogarfoss' backpacking trail.

Tomorrow, I'm headed back to the States, but I've got probably another couple blog posts in me about Iceland to last another couple days.  In any case, if you have any thoughts, or for some reason, can commiserate with my lack of athleticism or thirst for pretty things, feel free to comment below.