How eggciting! Having completed a full loop of Iceland and now working my way east towards the meeting point for my ferry later this week, today’s ride over familiar territory was full of unexpected surprises. Who would have thought I would be eating a soft-boiled egg that I cooked in steaming sulfur water or walking on one of the most famous black sand beaches in the world?

Heading east this morning with almost no wind and temperatures a downright balmy 50 degrees, I was able to drink in the beauty of my surroundings, gazing out at the colorful landscape of rolling brown and green hills, rocky cliffs, cascading waterfalls, and large green meadows with grazing sheep and clusters of ponies.

I decided to savor the ride by making a couple extra stops I didn’t get to the last time around. First off was the Hveragerdi Geothermal Park, considered one of the top attractions in Iceland. This park showcases a portion of the Hengill high-temperature geothermal area. At 100 square kilometers it is the second largest in Iceland and is used to heat cold ground water and generate electricity. I didn’t realize it is also used to cook food for curious tourists!

After paying for admission, I was given a long wooden pole with an egg on the end encased in string netting. I dropped the egg in the boiling liquid for 8 minutes, gently peeled the shell off, covered it with salt, and enjoyed every bite.

From Hveragerdi, I continued east past both Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss Wateralls, enjoying the view from the road as I sped by them towards the Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach. Voted one of the top ten non tropical beaches in the world by National Geographic in 1991, this area features large basalt stacks, roaring Atlantic waves, and breathtaking vistas of black sand framed by the sea.

It was relaxing and inspiring to gaze out at the ocean, crunch my feet in the crisp black sand as I walked along the shoreline, and look up at the paragliders swooping and swirling their way down from the tall, green – covered cliffs jutting out to sea. The basalt stacks at the edge of the water looked just like organ pipes in a church.

From the beach I headed into Vik and decided to splurge on an Icelandic wool hat for my ice cave tour tomorrow. What another great day on the road.

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