Iceland Day #4

The theme for today’s travel to the southern coast was chasing waterfalls. We drove six hours along the coast stopping to hike, catch a waterfall, and soak up the sights. The drive was gorgeous - wild flowers, horses, sheep, a few cows, and the greenest grasses.

Our first stop was Seljalandsfoss where we walked up the hill and then behind the fall. The wind was blowing, and we got soaked. But it was all good because it was raining anyway. 

Just around the corner was fall #2, Gljúfrabúi, nicknamed the secret waterfall because it’s hidden behind a cove. 

Waterfall #3 was a few miles further south on Route 1, 

Skogafoss. While the fall was impressive, the hike on the top of the fall to see the canyon above it was spectacular! Keagan dubbed it one of the most impressive hikes he’s ever taken. The hike was 16 miles, but we did about two miles of it before we had to turn around. If I were to come back, this hike would be a must-do.

We found another waterfall, Hestavaosfoss. 

And another, Steinbogafoss.

The fields were dotted with sheep. 

This was my favorite spot in Iceland thus far. 

We drove through miles of lava fields covered in a layer of delicate moss. This was a geological feature I’ve never seen before. It looked like something from another world.

Route 1 continued to impress with a stop at the canyon, Fjadrargliufar. This canyon was formed in the Ice Age and is said to be two million years old.

We could have hiked this, but it was 1900 and we were hungry! We had one more stop to make, the glacier lagoon. Chunks of broken glaciers were floating in the lagoon! I can’t say I’ve ever seen anything like this before either.

There’s a science behind the blue color, but all I got was they absorb and reflect sunlight. Remember I was hungry. I can’t do much thinking when I’m hungry, so I bite my tongue to keep from bitchin’. Keagan spotted a seal a good ways from where I stood, and I wanted to cry. I have to see a seal in the wild! Tomorrow! Maybe? Hopefully? 

Iceland Day #3

I could go home today and be completely content. We saw so many amazing sites on the Golden Circle that I feel we can’t possibly see anything else as stunning as what we saw today.

First off, after three nights of a total of 12 hours of sleep, I slept ten hours last night. I missed the NBA final, I missed Keagan’s early morning celebrations, and I slept through the 0700 trash pick up steps from my open bedroom window. 

Our day began with Pingvellir National Park, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. This was the area first inhabited by Icelandic people. It was here we met a couple from Clarksville who live just a couple of miles from us! Small world!  

The Oxara River runs through the park and feeds Oxarafoss. This is one of 10,000 water falls in the country. You know how I was sick of rocks in Utah? I think I’m probably going to be done with waterfalls by the end of this trip. 

The park houses the fissure that separates the American and European tectonic plates. Many people choose to dive here in the crystal clear water. I looked the most forward to this site, and it was a bit of a disappointment. I expected big signage and to be able to straddle both plates. You could do that - under water. But on land it was a crack in the rock. 

This big hair is courtesy of humidity and no hair dryer. 

The Golden Circle took us to the geothermal area next where we found geysers and hot springs. 

Geysir is dormant, but its neighbor Stokkur erupts every five minutes. The online guide says it can shoot up as high as 1300 meters, but it’s rare to see anything of this magnitude. Can you believe it did just that within a minute of our arrival and SOAKED me! The wind carried that water beyond the roped safe zone, beyond the 100 yards I ran to avoid the fallout, and landed on my head! Keagan laughed at my misfortune. 

This is what I imagined seeing upon arrival. 

This is what I got - on top of me.

Lucky me! I smelled like sulphur the rest of the day. 

The Golden Circle was not done yet. Next, we hit the star of the route, Gullfoss, Golden Waterfall.

Then we headed back towards the city and stopped in Selfoss to see Kerid Volcanic Crater. It’s 6500 years old and made of an unusual red rock. We hiked the rim and took in the different views from every angle. 

We had Icelandic hotdogs for dinner at a kiosk a couple of blocks from our house. The lamb meat with crunchy fried onions and sweet mustard was nothing special. But don’t let the locals know I said that.

Iceland Day #2

I’ve never been too bothered by jet lag, but last night I was up until 0130 unable to sleep. It’s a good thing there was no hard start to our day today because Keagan and I slept until 1000. 

Our first stop was to The National History Museum. Our AirB&B provided us with two free passes, so we decided to give it a go. I’m not sure I needed to see so many hope chests or scary wooden masks, but some of the history pertaining to the role of the church in early Iceland was interesting. In the museum shop, I learned about the folklore of the 13 Yule Lads and their cat. This explains the popularity of cats as pets, and the Icelandic people’s tolerance for their free roaming pets in the streets.

After a quick bite for lunch, we attended an Icelandic soccer match. Can I tell you how refreshing it was to see the young players looking in the stands for their parents and waving to them like they were little kids? 

There was little pomp and circumstance. Total attendance was 687. Tickets were sold at the popcorn stand. And there were no hometown chants or songs played during the match. But it was fun to watch. 

The highway leading out of the city is lined with blue lupine and horses dot every open field. I read June might be cooler, but it’s the best month to see wild flowers in bloom. The travel experts were not wrong. 

We drove about half an hour to walk the trails in Helgusel to the Helgufoss. This was our first glimpse of the countryside - even through the clouds, the gray sky, and near constant rain it is still beautiful. The site was just off the beaten path - literally down a gravel road and a muddy trail. It was secluded and very quiet. I’m not sure if this is what we can expect all week at all of our stops or just today’s.

Keagan climbed to the top of the Helgufoss waterfall and then scaled a volcanic rock hill. 

We headed back to the city and had soup - a lamb stew - for dinner. 

Now let’s see if we can stay awake long enough to watch game seven of the NBA finals. 

Iceland Day #1

We landed at 0815; half asleep and definitely bleary eyed, we took on day number one of our Iceland adventure. We picked up the rental car, headed to the city, and made our way to a bakery for breakfast. I have been very worried about the food here. I’m all about eating fish, but fermented fish does not sound appetizing. I’ve seen it mentioned at least a dozen times so I was expecting this to be a staple. Luckily, it isn’t in the city. 

Before the rain started, we hit the big tourist sites. The church, Hallgrimskirkja, while impressive on the outside, was nothing special on the inside after last year’s trip to La Sagrada Familia. The wind here was no joke - brutally cold - but later died down once the rain started. The statue pays homage to Leif Erickson, the Icelandic explorer that set foot on America before Columbus. 

Next up was the statue on the water called The Sun Voyager. It represents progress and hope according to the guide books. I’d need all of the reminders of hope i could get if I lived here come winter time. 

These yellow lighthouses dot the coastline. 

Because of the wind, Keagan needed a hat, so we stopped into the National Hand Knitting Association in hopes of finding something warm.  

Our house was still not ready for check in, so we headed to the popular pedestrian area, Laugavegur, to window shop and salivate over fresh pastries.

Rainbow street gave another view of the cathedral. 

Remember when house rentals were actually homes of families? Well this trip we reserved a place that a young mother rents out for extra cash. I’m staying in the boy’s room complete with dinosaurs and comic books. The house is so charming. 

Mob Boss here found an old radio in the window and spent a good half hour turning the knob to find different stations. He settled on jazz until the daily news report began with a story of Israel. He was fascinated with some of the house’s unusual pieces. 

After an afternoon nap, we attended a lava show, a unique experience where we learned all things about molten rock. It was actually very interesting - as much as hot rocks can be interesting anyway. 

For dinner we had fresh fish. My polkarri stew - fish and potatoes - was divine. 

It’s 10:11, we are ready for bed, and the sun is still out. It won’t set until after midnight. We are so tired, we won’t be bothered by it a bit.