Glacier Seal Church Gorge Beer

All dressed in our warm winter gear and waterproof clothing, off we went to pick up Mike for our glacier hike. We started our short drive and on approach to the side dead end road to the glacier we noticed a large orange truck blocking the road and a number of cars parked up. We pulled in to the road to find out it was closed due to impending flooding and volcanic gases.

We could not believe our luck. Dozens of cars pulled in for their tour to find out the same information. We called Arctic Adventures and they advised the tour was cancelled and we would be refunded in full. Now for plan C, or is it plan F by now. We continued our drive east, back the way we came from the previous day, and planned our trip on the fly. Mike recalled we were going to miss a section of  west Iceland at the end of the trip which my parents were doing so we decided to go to that area as we really wanted to see the seal colony.

If there's one thing Iceland is known for other than waterfalls, it's churches. So on the way we stop and take the obligatory photo of the aptly named "black church".

Our next stop on the way to Rif was a unique gorge which upon closer inspection we could walk into. The walk quickly became some light impromptu reverse canyoning. It was a good thing we still had our fantastic hired waterproof clothing and boots on, as we finally got to do our hike onto a glacier! ...Sort of...

By this point, the weather is turning moderately for the worst, but that doesn't stop us from enjoying the road, the tunes, the company, and the random ruins David decided to explore on the way.

We arrive in a quirky little hostel in Rif, the last three reasonably priced beds in town, and settle in for the night with some local beers and random board games we found on the table. Tacos, cats, goats, cheese and pizza will never be the same again.