Vík í Mýrdal is the southernmost village in Iceland. I want to move there. Now.
First, let’s get in the mood with some traditional (not really) Icelandic music.
About 300 people live in Vík. Every single one of them has a view of the North Atlantic out their front window.
Vík is known for its church, the highest and tallest structure in the village.
The church also happens to be the safest place in the village. An active volcano, Katla, lies directly north of Vík.
Katla last erupted in 1918.
The glacier Mýrdalsjökull’s icecap extends to the top of the volcano. If Katla were to erupt, it could melt enough ice to cause a flash flood. The church is believed to be the only building that would survive it.
The volcano is under close watch.
Just offshore are the Reynisdrangar, truly incredible stacks of basalt.
Now we know where they filmed the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
According to legend, the Reynisdrangar were formed when three trolls were trying to pull in a three-masted ship — until dawn came and turned them into stone.
Sounds about right.
Just down the road (one of the only roads) is Renisjfara Beach. The water’s not the part worth looking at.
The Gardar is a natural stack of basalt columns.
Even farther down the road is Skógar, a tiny village by the Skóga River. It’s home to just 25 people.
This is the Skógar Museum.
Just outside Skógar is Skógafoss, one of Iceland’s largest waterfalls. It’s over 80 feet wide and 200 feet tall.
Vík gets up to 58 degrees Fahrenheit in July and usually stays around 30 during the winter. The summers are short, but the winters are generally mild and picaresque.
But for the most part, Vík is incredibly green and incredibly beautiful.
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