Iceland: Hvalsneskirkja Church

Hvalsneskirkja Church on Reykjanes Peninsula sits dramatically overlooking the North Atlantic ocean water, surrounded by green volcanic landscapes and a well-preserved 19th-century graveyard. A church has stood on this site since at least 1200 AD, with legends attributing its initial construction to driftwood from a shipwrecked vessel whose owner vowed to build a church if saved at sea. The current building was erected in1887 using locally quarried basalt lava blocks. And just outside the church, there are beautiful pasture areas with gorgeous Icelandic horses, a breed completely unique to the island.