Where are Brad and Karen?: Bird cliffs and hot pots

OK, so we didn't ski and swim today. But we ventured to the westernmost tip of Iceland, Latrabjarg, on cliffs up to 1,300 feet high.

The guide books say it's actually the westernmost tip of Europe. We're fairly certain that Europe is a pretty far piece from here, but we'll let the geologists have the final say on this one.

We are simply awestruck by the beauty, the remoteness and the majesty of the landscape. Karen said it best when she said standing here makes you feel so small. That's partly because the cliffs and fjords are so towering, but also because there are only 8,000 people in the entire Westfjords region.

Our next stop was Talknafiordur, a town of 200 that has the most spectacular hot pot views we've encountered in our lives.

Scroll down for brief comments on the day's highlights.

This is actually yesterday while getting off the ferry. Other than they parked the cars mere inches apart, we're still unsure how they fit so many vehicles on board.

This is on the way to the Latrabjarg region. Notice the lack of guard rails. Yes, we were going slow, because it didn't seem like that stake on the side was going to keep us from rolling
hundreds of feet into the water.

We can't say enough about the Hotel Latrabjarg (www.latrabjarg.com). Our hosts, Carl and Sere, and their son Kristopher made us feel like royalty. In the morning, Carl spent time with us over breakfast telling us about the region and just plain getting to know us. These kinds of conversations are what make traveling so rewarding. Our thanks go to Peter and Inga, a couple we met way back at the Blue Lagoon, for recommending this special spot.

This is at the trailhead to the cliffs that are mobbed by mating and nesting birds. We don't understand Icelandic, but we think the sign says "beware of drunks."

Have we mentioned how remote we are? We looked on Google Earth, and it appears that we're on about the same latitude as the northern tip of Alaska.

The bird cliffs again. And this wasn't even the tallest cliff.

Can you tell we liked the cliffs?

The wind was whipping up big time. Thank goodness for fleece and Gore Tex.

But the sun was out in all its glory.

It's a long way to the rocks below. In the U.S. there would be footpaths and suicide barriers. In Iceland, you lie down next to the cliff's edge and peek down.