Waterfalls, Glaciers and Black Sand Beaches of Iceland
“Iceland is fascinating; really an amazing place to visit, and great for a film to go there.” -Russell Crowe
Iceland, land of fire and ice with its dramatic landscapes sitting at the edge of the world where the land mass falls away and the ocean can carry you all the way to Antartica.
I spent the most perfect three days in Iceland and hit all the must-see spots during that time. Perhaps another day might have been nice and allowed me to see the Northern Lights if I had been lucky. Since that’s a big fat IF and it was not in my plans, I’m not disappointed. I am grateful for the beautiful weather and all that I was able to see and do and for the new friends that I managed to make in that short time.
I had already been to the Blue Lagoon and was feeling quite energized for my South Island tour. My voucher stated that I had an 8:30AM Pickup at the hotel but the concierge told me that this tour did not come inside to get the passengers so I should wait outside the lobby. There were four other passengers waiting for the same tour, a honeymoon couple and two lady friends. Of course, the driver was late, and we got an opportunity to connect as we stood shivering in the cold.
After a few phone calls to the travel agency, the driver arrived, and we set off driving along the most interesting rock formations. The volcanic nature of the island is hard to miss as are the sheep, cows and horses grazing along the side of the highway or the geysers of steam rising from the ground.
Our first stop was the Eyjafjallajökull volcano. This is the volcano that erupted in 2010 bringing all air traffic across the Atlantic to a halt. We stopped at the farm across the road from the volcano where there is a large board showing pictures of the eruption.
As we gazed at this now peaceful landscape, I couldn’t help but remember my nephew’s wedding during that time. We were scheduled to fly from the USA to London for the wedding and then make it onwards to Turkey and Greece. All flights were grounded, and it seemed unlikely that we would make it to London but since flights were operating from Los Angeles to Istanbul our custom designed tour operator was not inclined to let us cancel without any penalties. In those days we rarely purchased travel insurance.
Fortunately, our flights were the first flights to depart from Los Angeles, London bound, and we made the wedding as well as the vacation to follow except I did fall and break my foot in Santorini.
Today as I gazed upon the innocuous looking glacier and volcano, I was reminded of all that angst and tension which fortunately had ended as well as could be for us. Perhaps I need to plan another trip to Greece.
The magnificent and so very popular Skogafoss waterfall. Due to its height and force it is considered one of the most impressive waterfalls in this part of the world.
People were milling around doing pictures against the backdrop of the impressive free fall of water. Yet other people were climbing along the side of the waterfall for a view from the top.
There are tales of buried treasure in the waters, but we were not lucky to either stumble upon the treasure nor view one of the fabulous rainbows that this site is known for.
As we drove along, impressive rock formations reminded me of dragons and other fantastical creatures. For Game of Thrones fans many of these sights featured as locations in the series.
The Solheimajokull glacier or the “Home of the Sun” is an outlet glacier of the fourth largest and southernmost ice cap in Iceland, the Myrdalsjokull Glacier. The glacial tongue is wedged between the Katla and Eyjafjallajokull volcanoes and flows down a steep valley, dropping from a height of 1300 to 100 meters. Solheimajokull is characterized by deep, meandering crevasses, rugged ice ridges and formations painted with vivid tones of milky white, turquoise and volcanic black.
This is a popular stopping point for tourists since it is easily accessible, and its ice walls are ideal for climbing with ice picks. In the parking lot and along the walking path we saw many of these serious climbers attired suitably for their exploration of the ice caves and ice walks.
Tragically as with all glaciers in Iceland, this glacier is shrinking at an alarming rate and has become known as “The Shrinking Glacier.” We did not go to the diamond glacier, with its sparkling ice floes but I was pretty fascinated by the grey blue color of these ice floes.
Reyniskirkja Church is a traditional typical church in Iceland. This particular church sits high on a hill and is a gathering point for the local population in the event of a volcanic eruption that could cause a tsunami or giant flood.
From a high point in the town of Vik as well as from the beach itself you can see these famous black sand and hexagonal rock formations and basalt columns out in the sea (Reynisdrangar).
Standing on the beach, looking out at the ocean, it’s hard to believe that you are standing at the top of the world and across the water there is nothing between you and Antartica at the bottom of the world. Real life geography.
Due to this phenomenon, there are sneaker waves that can sweep the unwary into the water never to be seen again. There are signs all along the beach about being careful and never to turn one’s back to the water.
The famous jagged basalt columns form caves that are part of the beach. I had recently visited Giant’s Causeway in Ireland, so it was quite interesting to see similar rock formations here.
This was a bridge that had been swept away. The scenery on our drive was compelling and breathtaking and allowed my imagination to take flight as I dreamed off stories that I could make up for my grandchildren.
Did you know that all the hot water in Reykjavik is natural, piped from these naturally occurring geysers and thermal vents that dot the landscape. No water heaters, just open the tap and voila hot water on tap.
There was some explanation about these naturally occurring homes that are built into the landscape that I can’t recall but I had to make sure to include a picture. Perhaps someone can help remind me of the story.
Even though it was mid-September, the ice melt formed runnels of water and small waterfalls all along the mountains.
Our final stop for the day, the Seljalandsfoss. This waterfall has a path behind it that allows people to walk behind the waterfall. We had bypassed this in the distance in the morning since our guide warned us that he likes to make this the last stop of the day so people who walk behind the waterfall and get wet from the spray are not shivering in their wet clothes all day.
A satisfying day indeed as we headed back to the town and planned a stop for a taste Reykjavik’s famous ice cream.