As we headed for the Jokulsarslon lagoon, near Hofn, we were surprised to find a hidden lagoon at the foot of the Kviamyrarkambur glacier.

I loved the polka-dot rocks there--the lichen was beautiful.

We arrived at the iceberg lagoon at the foot of the glacier.

We found this a magical place and stayed to explore for several hours.  

Iceberg calves from the surrounding glacier filled the lagoon, many tinged with brilliant blues--the color is from the compacted ice.  They freeze and melt for up to 5 years before heading out to sea.  Boats can take you around the lagoon but--my recommendation--get a great show for free from the  beach.

The ice we found at the shore was truly crystal clear.

We followed several icebergs as they washed through the channel into the Atlantic Ocean.  

The ocean beach was fantastic--huge chunks of icebergs with giant crystal clear ice shards floating in the water and scattered along the black sand.  Positively amazing.  That wasn't mentioned in any guidebook!  (But we do recommend Lonely Planet's Iceland as a guide)

Some of the ice was like polished crystal.

The black sand made a great contrast with the bright orange Icelandic kelp

I love rocks and these beauties were all over the beach.

As we head toward our hotel, we found Kaupfelag, a charming little restaurant in Hofn (lobster capital of the north) serving langoustine. Great lunch and on the top restaurant lists for Iceland.  If you get there, check out the girl's and boy's WC markers...hysterical and definitely way beyond PC.

The coast on the way to Djupivogur was magnificent--made me think of the PCH outside Carmel.

We ended our day at Hotel Framtid in the fishing village of Djupivogur, the beginning of the eastern fjords.  

The town began as an important trading center over 400 years ago and still has an active fishing industry.  The Langabud store—the long red building above the harbor—dates from the 1850’s when it was one of the four structures in the town.  (It’s now a cute restaurant and museum.)

It was a gray day, and as we hiked the rocky slopes overlooking the sea it was easy to imagine walking in the footsteps of sailors from the 1600's.

This is the city with an over-sized egg sculpture collection at the water's edge...huge stones depicting the various sea bird eggs found in the area.  Also, we saw very large rings under construction...they looked as if they were made to float.  The next day we learned the answer to that mystery!

Catch up with us tomnorrow!

Alberta