Iceland Day 4 on the Ring Road Hofn to Vik Part 2

 Last week we left off on our way to our lodging in the southern city of Vik in Iceland. So here's a catch up on the second half of Day 4 driving the Ring Road around Iceland and our arrival in Vik.

Vik is the southernmost town on the Icelandic mainland. It is about 110 miles from the capital of Reykjavik. Though it has only 650 residents, it is very popular with tourists for its proximity to black sand beaches, waterfalls and glaciers. 

We arrived and checked into our lodging for the night - The Barn Hostel - and then drove into Vik to find some dinner. We chose the Smidjan Brewhouse for a beer and burger. It hit the spot and then we were off to see Vik from one of its most famous viewpoints.

The red roof and white walls of the Vikurkirkja, or Vik Church, make it stand out and it's one of the most photographed views in Iceland. Not only is it one of the most photographed places in Iceland, but the views from the church are also first rate. You can see the village below and the infamous sea stacks from the black sand beach - we had a beautiful evening to see it on. 

Our hostel was just a short walk from the black sand beach so after driving back from dinner, we walked there and wow, what a cool beach. There is, obviously, black sand, sea stacks off in the distance, and some "cliffs" where there were....puffins! They were flying from their nests out to sea  - I'm assuming for food - and back again. I was shocked to see how small they are. For some reason, I thought they were large birds. So a fantastic evening on a beach with my first ever puffin sightings!

There are puffin nests in those cliffs

We walked back to the hostel - I'll highlight it in a later post - where we had a private room with shared bathroom down the hall. We used the shared kitchen the next morning for making our breakfast. Everything was brand, spanking new in a great location - it was a great find by my friend, Jo, who secured all our lodging.

Another wonderful day driving the Ring Road in Iceland!

How about you? Have you been to Iceland? Is it on your travel wish list?

Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand!