Black Sand Beaches of Vik, Iceland

From: Arthur M.

Sent: August 4, 2016

To: undisclosed recipients

Subject: Fw: Black Sand Beaches of Vik, Iceland

Back in 2001 my wife and I took a trip to Iceland and while there we visited these famous black beaches. I'm not much of a story teller so thought I'd share an article I found after our visit that really nails how one feels while there. Enjoy ~Arthur

 "The Abyss Stares Back Into You ‘There are a few rules I must tell you before we go down to the beach,’ said our tour guide as the coach rumbled into the rocky car park. Usual rules for the beach involve little more than sun tan lotion and ensuring something unpleasant doesn’t slip out of your bathing suit. But this was Iceland, where the usual rules of nature didn’t seem to apply. ‘Do not go close to the water,’ said our guide. ‘Do not turn your back on the water. The wind is very strong, and you cannot trust this sea. If it takes you, there will be no rescue.’ So, nothing to worry about! We filed out of the bus, making noises like punch-drunk boxers as the bitter wind made short work of our many layers. The car park more closely resembled an exhausted quarry than a beach, stones and scree strewn like unimaginative flotsam, but the nearby sound of crashing waves assured me we were in the right place. Our guide pulled on a lurid orange jacket. ‘Stay close to me,’ she said. I ran ahead like an excited child." Continue reading...

Wikipedia: In 1991, the US journal Islands Magazine counted this beach as one of the ten most beautiful beaches on Earth. Its stretch of black basalt sand is one of the wettest places in Iceland. The cliffs west of the beach are home to many seabirds, most notably puffins which burrow into the shallow soils during the nesting season. Offshore lie stacks of basalt rock, remnants of a once more extensive cliffline Reynisfjall, now battered by the sea. There is no landmass between here and Antarctica and the Atlantic rollers can attack with full force. According to folklore, they are former trolls who tried to drag their boats out to sea only to be caught by the rising dawn. The sea around them is rather wild and stormy, so travelers will not be surprised to discover a monument to the memory of drowned seamen on the beach. The cliffs by the township of Vik in Iceland The cliffs by Vik, Iceland. Contemporary legends note the story of a husband who found his wife taken by the two trolls, frozen at night. The husband made the two trolls swear to never kill anyone ever again. His wife was the love of his life, whose free spirit he was unable to provide a home for; she found her fate out among the trolls, rocks, and sea at Reynisfjara. The village was affected by volcanic ash during the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull. Wikipedia