WESTFJORDS


 * =THE WESTFJORDS - onward Eastwards=

=
Today we drove from // Tálknafjörður to // Ísafjörður (try saying THAT quickly) through the majestic landscape with fjord after fjord towering above shore and sea. Sometimes we were high above the fjords and others right alongside and on a few occasions, winding over a high mountain pass or driving through a 9.1km long tunnel under the mountain. Interestingly most of the tunnel was one-way traffic – there were regular lay-bys but we didn’t know who was supposed to pull over until we realized that all the lay-bys were on the other side of the road and the oncoming traffic were responsible this time. Of course we encountered more cars in the tunnel than we saw for the rest of the day! We have a few more tunnels to go through yet and will be ready for them now (maybe).===== || ||

The journey took us 5 hours as we drove quite slowly and stopped regularly to ooh and ahhh at the spectacular scenery. Photos can’t do it any justice at all as the grandeur is so immense and almost overwhelming you really have to experience it first hand. Its easy to understand how all the tales of witches and trolls would thrive in this remote area. There are also plenty of heroic stories in the Westfjords and a number of storyboards along the roadside at spots identified in the Sagas.
 * [[image:IMG_2316_2.jpg caption="Tálknafjörður"]] || [[image:IMG_2324.jpg caption="small fishing town way below us - yes, we had to drive down there"]] ||
 * [[image:IMG_2335.jpg caption="fishing boats reflected in the very still waters"]] || [[image:IMG_2395.jpg caption="the fast running water just "disappeared" over the edge!"]] ||
 * [[image:IMG_2402.jpg caption="just another view"]] || [[image:IMG_2403.jpg caption="Dynjandi waterfall - a drop of 100m making it the biggest in the Westfjords"]] ||
 * [[image:IMG_2405.jpg caption="deeply etched by ancient glaciers"]] || [[image:IMG_2417.jpg caption="we came up that road!"]] ||
 * [[image:IMG_2426.jpg caption="follow the road all the way along, cross the small bridge and follow it all the way back on the other side of the fjord - gives you time to appreciate the view"]] || [[image:IMG_2429.jpg caption="Ice caps hover over the small farm far below"]] ||
 * [[image:IMG_2454.jpg caption="the view of Ísafjörður from our hotel window"]] || [[image:IMG_2457.jpg caption="Ísafjörður has some really pretty old houses dating from the 19thC"]] ||