Quick stop for Vik black sand beaches and trolls

 On Monday morning, we headed towards Vik to see the black sandy beach and also the trolls that Hodur had suggested that we see.  Reynisdrangar rock folklore is one of captivating reasons for us to find this beach on our south coast itinerary. It is said that three trolls attempted to pull a ship ashore, but were caught by the daylight and turned into stone. Many Icelanders preserve the folklore about  huldufólk--hidden people, or elves. Rock people and álfhól structures dot the landscape, while stories and images fill pages of books. The basalt columns and black sand are peculiar to Iceland. When we see this color we expect it to be rich soil and to get your feet dirty, but this is loose granular shiny sand. 

We also saw this picturesque Vikurkirkja, a striking little white Lutheran church with a bright red roof which sits atop a hill above Vík í Mýrdal and it's black basalt beaches.  Reyniskirkja Church's shows the traditional wooden architecture. 

Just outside of Vik, we stopped to buy diesel fuel for long day of driving.  We pumped it at $8.92 a gallon!