Iceland, Snaefellsnes Peninsula

We spent a good part of one day of our Iceland trip driving around the Snaefellsnes Peninsula northwest of Reykjavik.  It's an area of incredibly diverse terrain, with waterfalls, grassland, clear streams, rocky seaside cliffs, black beaches, and mountains topped with a glacier.  Above is the famous church at Budir.

I was fascinated by the cliffs overlooking the ocean at Arnarstapi, on the southern coast of the peninsula.  The cliffs were full of grasses, silenes, sedums, thrifts, alpine lady's mantle, thyme, etc.  I wondered why I bother gardening at home...

My face hurt from smiling at this 'hanging garden'.

The variety of forms and colors on the basalt cliffs was amazing. 

I'd never seen this plant before but my trusty Icelandic plant guide points to gentianella campestris.

Clear stream, mountain, no trees.  I never got tired of this type of scenery during our trip.

Rock formations along the approach to Djupalonssandur beach in Snaefellsjokull National Park.

A little further along the same trail.  

Approaching the beach.  The dude in the midground is photographing named lifting stones used to test fishermen's strength.

The black beach of Djupalonssandur with bits of the Epine shipwreck from 1948.

The glacier Snaefellsjokull overlooking the lava fields leading up to the ocean on the western tip of the peninsula.