Iceland Day 7 - Vik and a Remote Swimming Pool

Today we drove down to the small coastal villiage of Vik, on the Southern tip of Iceland. Vik is an hour past the ferry to the Westman Islands so it is quite a long drive but the view from the road was stunning. We drove through green fields full of baby animals with the ocean to our right and steep mountainsides covered with waterfalls on our left. As we drove around a bend to find a picturesque scene in front of us David said "Ah yes, another awe inspiring view. How original." I laughed but he is so right, the beauty does not seem to end even on cloudy days and it is tiring to be always amazed. I don't know how the Icelanders can stand it. 

David enjoying the black sand beach

Black Sand Beach

Lupine fields

Black Sand Beach

Will starts the mornings with a good book

The drive was long and the kids were starving by the time we made it to Vik. There were a lot of tour groups around but we managed to find a table at a small restaurant. They didn't serve the puffin that David is looking for but we had another delicious meal. I have been quite impressed with the food here even though I am not an adventurous eater.

Jon's picture of Will at dinner

The church in Vik

From a distance

Jon's underwater picture

Jon's picture of the black sand beach

After lunch we went down to the local black sand beach. Of course the kids took of their shoes and socks and within minutes Christian was soaked up to his knees. I had brought extra socks and shoes for our later hike but I didn't have any extra pants for him. Thankfully today is the warmest we've had and he didn't mind being wet.

The boys love the lupine flowers

Will and Christian want tires this big for our truck

Christian with a life preserver

Black Sand Beach

On the stone steps

We then traveled to another black sand beach that had some very interesting rock formations. The beach here was dangerous so we stayed far away from the water but that was just as well because the boys really wanted to climb on the rocks. One of the cliff sides had vertical blocks of stones that the boys used as stairs. Jon and Will climbed almost to the top but I wouldn't let Christian go. I told him it was too scary for him to be up there and he protested, "I'm not scared". "No" I said, "It is too scary for ME."

David and the boys on the stone steps

Cave on the beach

Will and Jon way up high

Christian loves to climb

Christian and Will on the rocks

Jon is a mountain lion

High on the cliff

James and David wandered the beach taking pictures while the boys and I found some safer rocks to climb. These rocks were slate (I think) and the boys used large beach stones to "mine" the rock walls. They had a blast hammering away at the rocks and discovering little bugs that they called rockhoppers.

Christian climbs down

Christian on the rocks

Me and Jon

Jon is a mountain lion

The boys mine for rocks

Climbing the rocks

Will

David relaxes on the rocks

The cliffs above the beach were amazing

Our drive to Vik had been longer than we'd expected and it was now getting rather late. But there was more thing we wanted to do. There is an old pool in the mountains that was built in the 1920s and is fed by a natural hot spring. To get there we drove an old dirt road to the base of the mountain and then hiked into the valley on an old and broken trail. The view going into the valley was incredible. The mountains rising all around us were covered in waterfalls and steaming streams.

Walking to the pool

The view on our drive

The water filled valley

Mountain stream

Crossing a stream

The pool in the mountains

The pool was built into the side of the mountain, with concrete on three sides and hot spring streams pouring down the mountain into the pool. The slimy floor on the pool was also concrete and the water was black with dirt from the mountain. Normally I would never step into a pool like this but the setting was so beautiful and the water was pleasantly warm. 

The pool

David and Jon

On the mountain side of the pool

There were no other children there but about 20 adults relaxing in the water. The boys were really good about not splashing people or being too loud but they were still able to swim and play. Christian stood in the shallow end of the pool and practiced his swimming while Will and Jon swam out to the deep end and dove under the water trying to touch the bottom.

Christian in the water

Jon relaxing in the water

Will loves the water

David swimming

Me and my Jonny

Silly Will

It was such a cool experience and the view was just perfect. The day was overcast and at one point a cloud came down to rest on the mountain. There was a shallow but swiftly flowing river near the pool and a couple of brave men took a dip there after a swim in the pool. We swam for an hour and a half before we finally dragged the kids out of the water.

Christian and Daddy

Christian in the pool

Will swimming

There were no showers here but there were a couple of small and muddy rooms for us to change in relative privacy. I could hear the kids wailing from the other room as James struggled to get them dried and dressed. The weather in Vik had been nice but here in the mountains it was cold and overcast but at least it wasn't raining. 

Crossing a stream

Walking back from the pool

Walking along the river

Leaving the valley

By the time we were dry and back at our car the kids were starving. We ate our sandwiches in the car while we drove the long road back home. The boys thought the secret lagoon in Fludir was better but to me this experience was just perfect and more unique. I love the adventures we are having in Iceland!

Misty mountains

Driving home