The Black Beach of Reynisfjara

Sand as black as ink… Basalt columns protruding from the ground and towering far overhead... Troll-caves leading back into the basalt and lava-rock cliffs... Sea stacks rising from the ocean like the towers of an evil fortress… Stunning views of the Dyrhólaey cliffs extending out to sea… This is the Reynisfjara beach. As beautiful as it is dark, as awe-inspiring as it is dangerous, Reynisfjara is a natural wonderland that seems lifted straight from fantasy…

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"Night" in Reykjavik

Our evening in Reykjavik, where “night” is a title only! We watch as the hours creep later and later, with the sun still shining bright in the sky. We visit the Grótta Island Lighthouse and go shell hunting on the beach, reflect on social differences at a geothermal beach, then head to Laugavegur for a “night” at the pub!

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Coral Beach and the Connemara Seaside

The Connemara seaside is a wild and rugged coast, full of rocky shorelines, sprawling bogland, and small natural beaches. We went seeking some of these beaches today. We returned to Coral Beach, with its rocky micro-environments and grainy coral instead of sand, before exploring the textures and colors along the White Strand!

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Achill Island and the Abandoned Village

Achill Island - Ireland’s largest island - sits just off the Mayo coast along the Wild Atlantic Way. A beautiful, natural spot with dramatic scenery and great history, we couldn’t wait to dig in! We stopped at a wild rocky beach, saw dramatic cliffs and crashing waves, climbed up a muddy mountain, and visited a famine-era abandoned village!

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The Sand

Ten years ago on our honeymoon in Ireland, on the advice of a local we met in the town of Athenry, we found our way to Coral Beach. It was a beautiful, rugged, wild coastline full of sea life and dramatic rock formations, truly an amazing place to see... but where was the coral that gave the beach its name?

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