NOTE: I'm only including a small selection of photos from any particular location in these travelogues.  The full set of photos can be found here: https://www.pavellephoto.com/f498485929

Vatnajökull National Park Visitor Center

We stopped here for some drinks, bathrooms, etc.  What made it unusual is that the visitor center is designed with slanting turf roofs which let you go on top in order to enjoy the view and take pictures.  The view itself is almost quintessential Iceland...mountain, waterfalls, small town at the bottom to show scale.  Unfortunately, I've been unable to find out what the town is called.

Vatnajökull National Park Visitor CenterThe title refers to where the photo was taken from. I couldn't find a name for the waterfall or town. Vatnajökull National Park Visitor CenterThe title refers to where the photo was taken from. I couldn't find a name for the waterfall or town.

Black Beach (Reynisfjara) and Dyrhólaey

Part of this was planned, and part was an unexpected treat.  We were always going to Black Beach because it has some spectacular waves and cliffs and sea stacks.  However, puffins were not on the agenda.  Puffins go to Iceland to breed.  It was expected that they would have left by the time we to this stage of the workshop.  They weren't.

Here's Black Beach.  You have to be very careful here as the waves can be treacherous and the undertow deadly.  These first couple of shot are from Dyrhólaey.  The others are from near the cave but were taken in such a way as to eliminate all the other people who were walking around.

Black Beach (Reynisfjara) Black Beach (Reynisfjara)

So, huge waves crashing against the cliffs.

Black Beach (Reynisfjara) Black Beach (Reynisfjara)

And here's more basalt pillars piling one on top of the other, all the way up the cliff.

Black Beach (Reynisfjara)

Here's one from Black Beach looking towards Dyrhólaey.  How many times have you seen waves going towards and away from shore simultaneously.  The wind blowing offshore WAS that strong.  At times it was hard to hold on to the camera and take a photo because the lens would be blown to the side.

Black Beach (Reynisfjara)

But, everyone wants to see puffins.  And no one can be blamed.  They are smaller than I had expected (8 inches or so from bottom of the feet to top of the head), faster, and cuter than I had imagined.

When we first got to Black Beach, some people said, "You see those black dots flying up there?  Those are puffins."  They were all over the sky.  All over the cliffs.  Hundreds of them.  Maybe thousands for all I know.

Puffins Puffins Puffins

But we went to Dyrhólaey for closeups.

Puffins Puffins

All those little holes on the right and top of this image are burrows.  Sometimes they would pop out and then fly off to do some fishing.  Other times they would fly back.  As I said above, they are shockingly fast, so I don't have any shareable images of them on the wing (but others in the workshop got some that are incredible, with multiple small fish in their beak).

Puffins

There was a burrow right next to an observation platform.  This cutie came out to pose.  It was close enough that I was able to also get a shot with my cellphone.

Puffins Puffins Puffins

Also brought a friend.

Puffins Puffins Puffins

Skógafoss

We made one more photographic stop on the way back to Reyjkavik.  One last really powerful, really crowded waterfall.

Skógafoss

Skógafoss Skógafoss

I like the sheets of falling water.

Skógafoss Skógafoss

So, this ends the photographic portion of the trip.  I left the next day (Day 10) without having taken photos that day.  I'm planning on doing one more post, which be reflections on the trip, but it won't have pictures.