Rain, Wind and MORE Wind!

Wow!  What a day it's been...well, more like two days actually.  I arrived safely in Iceland this morning, with my bag.   Everything went without a hitch, with one minor exception.  After I deplaned, I fired up the portable WiFi device I had rented to make sure it was working properly.  Unfortunately, I couldn't connect to the internet.  Ugh!  Thank goodness, though, there was free WiFi in the airport, and I was able to live chat with a support person who was able to solve the problem relatively quickly.  Phew!

From the airport, I picked up my campervan and headed off to buy some groceries.  First, though, I wanted to stop into Costco.  Yes, Iceland has a Costco!  I didn't expect to buy anything (I really didn't need 62 rolls of toilet paper or a big screen TV), but I was curious to see what it was like.  Guess what?  It's exactly like every other Costco I've been in...I mean EXACTLY!  Same merchandise, same layout, same signs, same snack bar, same everything!  The only real difference was that it was not crowded.  I guess Icelanders just haven't quite gotten the Costco bug yet.

It took me a while to get the hang of navigating Iceland roads and driving the van (which is a diesel manual 5-speed), and so I didn't actually get out of Reykjavik until early afternoon.  By then, both the rain and the wind kicked up.  And I don't mean a little wind, I mean a LOT of wind!  Gusts exceeded 40 mph, and the van was constantly being buffeted down the road.  As a result, I couldn't decide where to head and actually changed directions a couple times.  Eventually I just decided to head as far east as I could get before I got tired, and I ended up at a campground in Vik.  I didn't expect to be this far so soon, but this actually worked out since many of the photo locations I am particularly  interested in are in this area (and further to the east).  Plus, I'd rather drive in crappy weather and save the better weather for taking pictures.  And of course I can visit the stuff I passed by on the way back.

Speaking of the weather, it is supposed to improve (though weather in Iceland can be extremely unpredictable). There will likely still be some rain and wind, but nothing like today, and it should be much more manageable.  The net result is that I didn't take many pictures today...it was just too difficult (I can deal with the rain; it's the wind that's a problem).  However, below are some shots that I did manage to capture.

Sunrise over the Arctic Circle taken from the airplane (we were probably over Greenland at the time)

The Sun Voyager, which is a modern sculpture in Reykjavik meant to resemble a Viking ship

Nothing special but just a shot to illustrate the rain

Even the sheep were seeking shelter from the wind and rain!

A example of an old turf house

The mighty and iconic Skogafoss waterfall.  I was amazed that despite the extreme weather, people were still out visiting these attractions...and getting drenched in the process.  I suppose if the tour bus stops there and/or this is your only opportunity, why not?  Me, I stayed in the van, which is where I took this shot.  I'll be back!

The famous Reynisfjara black-sand beach here in Vik with the Reynisdranger sea stacks in the distance.  You can see the size of the waves, which are notoriously dangerous.  This was a tough shot to capture since the rain was literally driving into my camera lens...I had to quick point and shoot before it became coated with rain drops!