Travelogue

Djúpalónssandur lava fieldOur next stop was Djúpalónssandur Beach, also known as Black Lava Pearl Beach, on the southern coast of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

After parking the van, we walked through an incredible field with huge lava formations, which seemed right out of a scene from Game of Thrones.

If ever there was a world elves and trolls would inhabit, this was it.

My little trollIn fact, many Icelandic sagas are strongly connected with this dramatic black pebble beach, and it is considered to be one of the most famous elves and trolls locations in Iceland.

As the lava field path came to an end, we found ourselves on Djúpalónssandur Beach, covered with small, smooth, black stones.

Polished black stones of DjúpalónssandurThese stones have been polished by Atlantic Ocean waves since the last eruption of Snæfellsjökull in 200 AD. Locals call them Djúpalónsperlur (Pearls of Djúpalón) - hence the name Black Lava Pearl Beach.

These “pearls” are protected and not allowed to be removed from the beach. Remember, trolls are always watching

Troll woman KerlingThe beach itself is surrounded by a rugged and dramatic landscape, with rocky cliffs and weird rock formations. .

According to the ancient sagas, most of the large stones rising from the sand on this beach are trolls that were turned into stone when they saw daylight, as this is what happens to trolls in Iceland.

Söngklettur - the Singing Rock (Church of the Elves)The tallest one in the back is a Troll woman named Kerling that made the mistake of staying out past sunrise. Not sure what trolls are supposed to do in summer when there is always daylight.

And it’s not just trolls that inhabit these rocks. Elves live here as well. The large reddish lava rock that I am walking towards in this photo is Söngklettur - the Singing Rock. It is said to be the Church of the Elves! Local people have claimed to hear singing and beautiful organ music coming from this rock.

The ridge above DjúpalónssandurUnlike trolls, which can usually be quite evil, the elves that inhabit this rock are good. They are called "huldufólk" - the Hidden People of Iceland.

However, if you don't respect their homes or churches, they can get a little feisty.

From the beach, we took a trail up along a ridge overlooking the beach and followed it a little over a mile across a lava field to another beach on Dritvik cove

Dritvik HarborDritvík has a natural harbor encircled by high lava walls. From the 16th century until the mid 19th century, it was the largest seasonal fishing station in Iceland, with 40-60 boats and 200-600 seasonal fishermen. All that remains of that time is an orange structure, which served as a refuge for the fishermen.

On the way back to the parking lot, we passed a set of four stones of various weights and sizes, ranging from 23 kg (about 50 lbs) to 154 kg (about 340 lbs).

Two little troublesome elvesThey are called Aflraunasteinar - Steinatök or the lifting stones, and they were once used to measure the strength of Icelandic fishermen. The more they could lift, the better position they got on the ship and the more respect they earned.

I wanted to have Herb take a photo of me lifting the smallest one, but he ran off thinking I was trying to get him to test his strength and determine his position in the camper van. Herb has a bad back, so his excuse was that no good could come of this and he did not want to rely on me having to drive the camper van after he pulled his back out.

Instead, Hilda and I tried to show our agility and strength by climbing through an arch in a rock. We looked like two little elves up to no good. This place was starting to rub off on us.