Photographs

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THE END !

As the saying goes "All Good Things Come to an End" and I won't detract from the marvellous experiences and sights we have seen over the past days - all enhanced by good and tolerant company : not to mention a good guide, by describing the journey home.

Oh No ! The Last Day

Driving back to Reykjavik, we made a brief stop at our original guesthouse and to any activities at the travel agency - Guðmundur Jónasson Travel - in the same building.

Perlan

We then headed off on a whistle stop tour of the town.  First to the Perlan (The Pearl) which is 25.7 metres (84.3 ft) high and was fromerly a collection of hotwater storage tanks.  Until in 1991 when the tanks had a hemispherical structure placed on top and converted into a tourist attraction with shops, posh eatery, a Saga Museum and, our destination, a viewing platform.  This gave a 360 degree look over the city and the sea - all the way to "Snæfellsjökull".  This is a glacier on the most western part of the Snæfellsnes peninsula and, we were told that we were lucky to see it 73 miles away across the Faxaflói bay.

Hallgrímskirkja

From there it was a short drive to the Hallgrimskirkja (Hallgrim's Church) the tallest  - 74.5 m (244 ft) - church in the country.  It is named after the Icelandic poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson.  It's modern Nordic design is the work of state architect Guðjón Samúelsson, who also designed the Akureyrarkirkju that we ahd visited a couple of days ago.  Unfortunaetly, there was not much time to see it (inside was closed for an organ concert) as some of us had to be at the harour to set sail to, hopefully, find whales.

Leif Ericson

Out the front there was a statue of Leif Ericson, an Icelandic/Norwegian explorer and the first European thought to have landed in North America. The monument was a gift from the USA to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Iceland's parliament.

The four of us had signed to go to sea to try a bit of whale watching were dropped off by the harbour whilst others headed to desport themselves at the Blue Lagoon or to explore the City in greater depth. As we walked down the quay it was ironic that on the opposite side to our boat were four whale catcher boats tied up and gradually rusting away - their harpoon guns had been removed to make them less of a sore point.

Whale Catching Boats

Whale Watching Boat

Once out in Faxaflói Bay the sea became a bit bumpy and it was good to see that my sea legs hadn't completely deserted me - there was a PA announcement about the availability of sea sickness tablets but none of our party seem queasy.  After a while we started to rush from side to side as fleeting glimpses of Minke whales were reported.  Even if we were quick enough, all that we were able to see was a fin and a dark curved back - none of this leaping out of the water you see on the TV.  Filling in the time between whale (we saw no dolphins or porposes), it was good to watch various sea birds riding the up draughts along the side of the boat.  The stars were undoubtly the Gannets who performed their usual headlong plunges into the sea.  We were taken off to see Lundi (Puffin) Island on the way back but they were just small specks on the surface.

Tjornin Lake

Back on dry land and after a quick bite to eat, we explore what appeared to be a compact but lively City - there were lots of people having a Saturday stroll, the occasional busker and plenty of weddings.  Close to the centre was the pleasant lake at Tjornin - apart from plenty of opprotunity to feed the waterfall, the nearby civic centre had an excellent 3D map of Island (it had taken 17 man years to construct from layers of card) and a bar that was a converted dance hall (its music was still still provided by vynl LPs).

The majority of us met up again on the tables outside the Enski Barinn (doesn't that sound better than the "English Pub" ?) for a few beers whilst we talked about our experiences, watched the world go by and kept a respecfull distance from a UK stag party.


Tonight I was hoping to have the opportunity to sample some of the local delacies (Puffin is supposed to look and taste like Lamb's liver) but the majority ruled and we went off to sample Islandic fish and chips - it was advertised as an organic bistro : to be fair, the food was good.

The Harpa

Afterwards, some stayed to sample the night (or late evening) delights of Reykjavik - the Lonely Planet warns that the locals don't go out for a social drink but to get plastered !  Some of us, being wimps and aware of the early start the next morning, walked slowly back along the sea front to our beds.

This took us past the spectacular new concert hall - the Harpa.  Its outside is made up of individual polygonal glass frames resembling sparkly fish scales, which reflect water and light, creating a kaleidoscope of luminous colors.

A fitting end to a spectacular visit to Island.

Nearly Over

This morning's drive started in a damp gloom but as we travelled towards our first stop - Akureyri , it started to improve.

Akureyrarkirkja

Akureyri, nicknamed "the Capital of North Iceland," is an important port and fisheries centre, with a population of 17,304.  It is the second largest urban area (after the Greater Reykjavik area).  It stands on the shores of the country’s longest fjord :  Eyjafjörður which is about measures 60km long. 

Our bus dropped us off at the top of the town and we walked down through the most northerly botanical gardens which were well kept and quite pretty (but then gardening isn't my thing !)

Suspended Ship

After a short walk through the streets - past somebody's dumped sofa supplementing the stone bench at a viewpoint - we came to the Akureyrarkirkja.   It was designed by Guðjón Samúelsson and completed in 1940 - it sits, towering above the city .  There were two things that particularly caught my eye.   A model ship hanging from the ceiling which reflects an old Nordic tradition of giving offerings for the protection of loved ones at sea. The other , an opaque central window in the chancel that once belonged to Coventry Cathedral.

City Centre

Pigeon Clock

 From there we descended a long flight of steps into the city centre of a browse around the shops and a bite to eat.  On the way back to the bus, I came across a warren of a junk shop and had a flashback to my childhood - a pigeon racing clock similar to that used by my Grandfather in the 50/60s.  I was sorely tempted to buy it but sense prevailed : unfortunately !  

The afternoon saw a stop at a group of the best preserved traditional Icelandic farmhouses called Glaumbaer.  The buildings of the farm group date from different periods of the 19th century and all were built in the turf construction style, which was universal in rural Iceland until about the turn of the 19th century.  Extensive turf construction evolved in Iceland owing to acute shortage of large trees.  Hence, the buildings are the thin shells of wood, all imported, separated from each other and insulated by thick walls of turf, and roofed with a thick layer of sod.  The Icelandic grass grows very thickly making this turf and sod strong mixture of roots and soil.

Such buildings in areas of moderate precipitation can last a century.  The roof’s slope must be sloped at the right angle -too steep and the sods dry and crack during dry spells and the grass drains too quickly and withers and water will get through.  The same happens if the roofs are too flat and the sods get saturated with water.  It is too difficult to erect large structures of turf and sod.  Therefore, the Icelandic farm was a complex of small, separate buildings.  The most used of those were united by a central corridor, but tool and storehouses could only be accessed from outside.  The corridor at Glaumbaer is about 69 feet (21m) long and provides access to 9 of the 13 houses of the farm.  

There was a little white church next door and this had a small bronze statue commemorating the Islandic legend - Snorri Þorfinnsson - and his very well travelled Mother : Guðríður.  Inevitably there was an excellent tea room with a renown selection of cakes and pastries.

Our night stop was at another part time school / guesthouse - the Hotel Edda - Laugar í Saelingsdal.  This seemed to be slightly more upmarket than our previous experience with a nice communal lounge, WiFi and a TV.  There was also an outdoor natural hot tub up the hill but I think that only one of our hardy Celts actually tried it out. 

Bug Lake Area

Yesterday evening we had a couple of walks - before and after our meal - up both sides of the river to view the Foss - it looked as if it needed only about an additional foot of water to increase the width of the falls by about 25%.  Just by our guesthouse we watched a man fishing in the swirling water - whilst we didn't see him catch anything, he did have a couple of massive (the length of his legs) beside him on the bank .

We backtracked yesterday's route towards the small town of Reykjahlíð which sits on the banks of a big lake Mývatn. The literal meaning of Mývatn is midge lake.  At about 38 square kilometres in area, the lake is the fourth largest in Iceland and probably the most fertile spot on the globe at a similar latitude. It was created after the ice age ended in Iceland some 10,000 years ago. However, it was really only formed about 3,800 years ago when a lava flow blocked the valley to create a shallow lake.

Pseudocraters

The whole year round the lake is normally surrounded by midges that live as larva in the water. As a result lots of birds come here the whole year round - there are often 18 species of ducks alone around the lake. However, this year (to our great relief) there are very few midges - good for us but not for the birds and fish that rely on them for food.

Our first stop were the pseudocraters at Skútustaðir.  These are formed by steam explosions as flowing hot lava crosses over a wet surface, such as a swamp, a lake, or a pond. The explosive gases break through the lava surface and create depressions which can appear very similar to real volcanic craters.  To be honest, they just looked like mounds and islands across the landscape. 

Next we visited Hverfjall which erupted about 2,500 years ago. It is almost the classic crater shape spoiled only by a landslide that apparently occurred in the South part of the crater during the eruption.  We trudged up a shale path to the rim which is approximately 1km in diameter - we were given two options : a shorter steeper route or a longer gentler route to the downward path.  There was a certain amount of pressure to take the shorter route (which I did) but when we reached the path, the first of those who took the longer route soon joined us - not sure if we were slow or they were fast : some of both I think.  The path down was a bit of a challenge - steep loose shale.  There was a roped off path that guided you down part of the way through a number of short zig-zags but for the bottom half you were left to your own devices.  I decided to 'go for it' and, despite a complaint about the dust generated, too a more rapid approach to the decent.  All ended well - apart from boots full of fine lava grit.

Down track

Dimmuborgir

From here it was a short walk through the Dimmuborgir (dimmu "dark", borgir "cities") unusually shaped lava fields composed of various volcanic caves and rock formations, reminiscent of an ancient collapsed citadel (hence the name).    More boringly, it is a massive, collapsed lava tube formed by a lava lake flowing in from a large eruption about 2,300 years ago. As the lava flowed across wet sod, the water of the marsh started to boil, the vapour rising through the lava forming lava pillars from drainpipe size up to several meters in diameter.  Walking through we encounter some very well dressed tourists (French / Italian ?) who certainly weren't dressed for a hike up a crater.  A short time later they trooped into the cafe where we were having lunch - excellent smoked salmon on lava bread (bread baked in the ground by volcanic heat - not the Welsh variety).


 Again there was another trip to the local heated pool for some.  The remainder mooched around the very small town and the lake shore and all gradually gravitated to a small cafe as the rain set in.  This was the first of the holiday - we had done very well in a country that is reputed to have only three types of weather : reputedly it's either raining, just stopped raining or just about to start.

Dettifoss and Volcanos

Today we travel Westwards through the farm areas sandwiched betwwen the desolate highlands and the sea.  There seems to be a lot of hay being harvested but not much livestock - perhaps the animals are kept inside all year but we do see occassional fields with a few sheep, cows or horses : but no pigs !  We were told of one farm that used to run 1,000 sheep but it had now been decreed that it could only have 300.   Aparantly, Island produces enough meat for home consumption but is no longer competitive in the world market.  You would think that, with its unique origins, a niche market could be found.

Möðrudalur

We made a small diversion of the main Ring Road to visit the farm settlement of Möðrudalur is, at 1,539 ft, the highest inhabited place in the country.  Its church was built in 1949 by Jón A. Stefánsson in memory of his wife.  It was a very quaint collection of buildings but the undoubted highlight was the little cafe with excellent coffee and cakes : the only downside was the first emergence of clouds of little Balck flies.  Although we still benefited from uncharacteristic warm & dry weather, the lowest temperature ever recorded in Iceland, -38.0°C (-36.4°F) was recorded here in 1918.

We travelled on for our lunchstop at the mighty Dettifoss - this is reputed to be the most powerful waterfall in Europe.  It is situated on the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river, which flows from the Vatnajökull glacier and collects water from a large area in Northeast Iceland.  The falls are 100m wide, have a drop of 45 m into a narrow canyon and  an average water flow of 193 m³/s.

From the carpark we walked through some rough ground until we crested a rise and looked down into the valley - it was a truely spectacular sight : the deep roar of the water, the spray/rainbows, the biblical flow of water and the ant-sized people totally dwarfed by its scale.  It was a unique place to sit and have a picnic - only slightly deminished by what I thought was pate with orange being, in fact, orange soft cheese.  It wasn't that bad and it, with some bread, soon disappeared.


Just down the road we walked up to the "new" lava at Krafla/Leirhnjúkur where the last eruption was in only 1975 - a nono-second ago in terms of geology.  The ground was black and slag-like with bubbling steaming pits (no lava unfortunately) and steam issuing from the rocks we skirted.   You could see where lava had flowed down and around - leaving vestigal green islands in the stygian landscape.  Back at the carpark, with a few minutes to spare, I sampled one of Island's delacies : a hot dog - not too bad !

Just down the road we climbed up and looked down into a blue lake of the Viti Crater still with a crecent of snow on its edge.  It is about 500ft. in diameter and almost 200 ft. from the rim down to  the water at the bottom of the crater - the water itself is around 26 ft. deep. It was formed in 1875 by a violent eruption in the Dyngjufjoll Mountains

All around were little geodesic domes cover the well-heads and insulated pipes supplying superheated water to the Krafla geo-thermal powerstation.

Námafjall

Our final visit was to the geothermal site at Námafjall which was dotted with fumeroles and plopping solfataras (sulfurous mud springs).

Our final journey today was along the shores of Lake Mývatn and to our hotel - the Fossholl which overlooked the famous Goðafoss (waterfall of the gods)  The water of the river Skjálfandafljót falls from a height of 12 meters over a width of 30 meters.

Goðafoss

Over 1,000 years ago  there was much friction between the various faiths in Island and the Lawspeaker Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði decided to solve the problem.  After sheltering under a cow hide in the hills, he decided tp make Christianity the official religion of Iceland. After his conversion it is said that upon returning from the Alþingi, Þorgeir threw his statues of the Norse gods into the waterfall.

Onwards - Eastwards

The highlight for today was a visit to the Jökulsárlón lagoon where we are to sail between  icebergs !

Prior to 1950 the 1½ km long course of the glacial river Jokulsa was uninterrupted by any lagoon. Since then the glacier tongue has retreated and a lagoon, gradually increasing in area, was created. The lagoon is 284 metres deep and the average flow of the river is 250-300 m³/sec. and the edge of the glacier snout floats on the water.  It calves into the lagoon and icebergs of different sizes can be seen aground and melting rather quickly. 

The river is becoming shorter and shorter, mainly because of the constant sea erosion, which  eventually is going to destroy the bridge. The result will be a deep bay, which is going to grow longer the further the glacier snout retreats. The lagoon's surface has been lowered almost to sea level and sea water enters with the tides, increasing the water temperature. 

Salmon, capelin and herring enter the lagoon and the harbour seals follow the food. Eider ducks are very common on the lagoon. 

  

We were the first sailing of the day but as we boarded our ex-Vietnam ambhibious boat (LARC-V) the car park was getting a lot busier.  We bumped across the shore and eventually plunged into the water and proceeded to chug between the bergs.  The on-board guide gave us a brief introduction to the lagoon etc.  The berg were of all different sizes and shapes - most were dark with ash but there were often parts that were pristine White showing the surfaces that had not been originally exposed to the atmosphere - it was spectacular when we saw one roll over exposing its Blue underside.  In the distance we saw a couple of seals and one berg was the home to a small colony of Artic Terns.

After this we headed along the coast road that hugged the shore line giving us some spectacular views.  Lunch was taken at the small town of Djúpivogur : this has two claims to fame :

• The highest temperature ever recorded in Iceland was recorded here in 1939 - 30.5 °C (87 °F)
• Eggin í Gleðivík : 34 stone sculptures of eggs of Islandic birds by the world famous Icelandic artist Sigurður Guðmundsson

Langabúð

We had lunch - the by now inevitable soup and a roll - by the harbor, in the Langabúð.  This long red building is the oldest house in town being originally built in 1790.  In addition to the small cafe, part of the building was devoted to sculptor Ríkarður Jónsson - there were a variety of wood carvings and busts on display, together with a recreation of his workshop.

 

The town, with its fishing harbour, is dominated by the pyramid-shaped Búlandstindur (1,069m) and according to legend it can make wishes come true during the summer solstice.

In the afternoon we headed to the hills across the Almannaskard Pass – in addition to a magnificent view of the Vatnajokull glacier, there were steep drops from the road to foaming rivers plunging down to the sea.

Horse at Hotel

We had a stop in Egilsstaðir for a few people to have a swim in the heated pool whilst the rest of us wandered around town, picked up food for a picnic lunch on the following day and sat and drank tea.   The town is close to Logurinn lake – reputedly home to a Loch Ness-type monster.

Our accommodation for tonight was the Hotel Edda Eiðar.  This is (was ?) a residential school which was used as a hotel during the Summer holidays.  Consequently, the room were more than adequate with a handbasin but a bit sparse and the toilets / showers were shared.  Its restaurant was fine and there were a couple of nice walks to the local woods and lakes.

Skaftafell : Walking on Glacier and to Svartfloss

Today was spent in and around the Skaftafell National Park.  This was Island's second national park, established in 1967,and now covers 4,807square kilometres including a considerable part of Glacier Vatnajokull.  There are no roads in the park, but a network of trails offers the opportunity for different length hikes.

We were offered three main options :

- visit Puffins on an offshore island

- walk on the glacier

and/or

- walk in the National Park where Svartifoss was a major attraction.

As I'd recently been to Skomer to see the Puffins, I decided to give this a miss but went to see the majority of the group who opted for this trip off.  They were loaded into the back of a farm trailer and towed across the shallows by a tractor to the offshore island.   From what they later reported, they didn't get as close as we had in Wales.

About half-a-dozen of us headed to the Park's HQ - a couple set off for a long hike, two for a shorter flatter one and two of us headed to book a guided walk on the Glacier.

After a minibus ride from the HQ, our guide taught us to put on and crampons and issued us with an ice axes - this seemed only to be used as a walking stick rather than anything technical.  The walk took us on to the Svínafellsjökull glacier tongue - a breathtaking spur from the Vatnajökull glacier.  We walked through a wonderland of glacial ice sculptures, meandering through ice ridges and the deep crevasses of the glacier.  The guide gave us a brief introduction to the science & mechanics of glaciers - explaining how they were formed and how crevasses were made.  Evidently, in the 9th Cent, Island had no glaciers and since then they have, to some degree or other, come and gone.  Forget your images of white/blue ice grinding down a mountain, this was was covered with a layer of volcanic ash that gave it the appearance of being made of rock.

Whilst we were there our guide had a radio message from a colleague to say that his party had just reached the summit of Hvannadalshnúkur (6,900 feet) - the highest point in Island  located in the north-western rim of the Öræfajökull volcano.  Starting at 0400, it had taken them 7 hours to reach the summit and it would be a similar time to descend again.

After a quick refreshment stop, we joined up with one of the Puffin watchers who had now arrived at the NP and set off for the 2Km uphill walk to Svartifoss.  It obtains its name not from the colour of its waters, which foam white over the cliff edge, but from the black basalt columns that flank the waterfall.

Fed by ice-cold melt water from Svinafellsjokull, the narrow strand of water pours over a broad cliff of hexagonal basalt columns that seem to hang like organ pipes over the edge of a horseshoe-shaped amphitheater.  This was a spectacular waterfall thanks to hanging columns underlying it. While basalt columns aren't unique and it's not very big (only 20m tall), the columns are very pronounced.  These columns are clearly seen reflected in the design of Reykjavik cathedral - Hallgrimskirkja (Hallgrim's Church) in Reykjavik.

After viewing the Foss, we left the crowds behind and headed off for a couple of hours across the moorland to a viewpoint that overlooked the Skaftafellsjökull spur from the main glacier.  From there it was a surprisingly long trek back down to the HQ for more, well earned refreshment and to watch a video of the impact of recent eruptions.

From here we headed East along the Ring Road - unfortunately - past last night's excellent guesthouse.  We stopped briefly at a lagoon at the base to look at the icebergs before heading off to our night's stop - the Guesthouse Hali.  On the way into the site, there was a building that was decorated with a row of enormous bookends celebrating a local author Þórbergur Þórðarson

Turf Church, Hof

 The church was built in 1884, and was the last turf church built in the old style. It is one of the six churches still standing, which are preserved as historical monuments. The church is maintained by the National Museum but also serves as a parish church. The church was built by the carpenter Pál Pálsson. The lock and the hinges of the church were made by Þorsteinn Gisurarson, called “tool,” who was a well-known blacksmit.

Drive to Skaftafell National Park area

The programme said that from Hella we were to drive to the beautiful Skaftafell region, stopping at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall (where it was possible to walk behind the waterfall), the Skogafoss waterfall, the Skogar Folk Museum before arriving at the picturesque village of Vik.  Here we were to stroll on a beautiful beach  and look for sea birds nesting on the cliffs.

However !   Mother Nature took a hand - some melt water that had been accumulating behind a natural dam under a glacier burst free and the rocks and ice being carrier by millions of gallons of water swept away a bridge at Múlakvísl we were to cross. (NB 10 days later there was a replacement bridge in place - v impressive)

Our 4x4 transport and little 'ordinary' bus

This is where being on an organised tour pays dividends.  Overnight a second bus & driver was produced - a high clearance 4x4 one - that could tackle the gravel tracks and fords we encounter as we headed North & East into the Highlands close to Landmannalaugar area, around the top of the Mýrdalsjökull volcano and down to the coast again.  The Highlands are mainly above 400–500 metres and are mostly an uninhabitable volcanic desert, because the water from rain or snow soaks so quickly into the ground that it is unavailable for plant growth  This results largely in a surface of grey, black or brown earth, lava and volcanic ashes - a few oasis-like areas are found but only close to rivers.

Track to nowhere

It was a barren journey with the mix of sealed and gravel roads being one of the few signs of mankind.  There were electricity pylons, a hydro-electric station and one isolated cafe but nothing else.  It did seem a great place for adventures with 4x4 tracks heading for the hills, the occasional tent in a fold of a valley by a cold stream and lots of opportunities for hill walking.

Later we cross the “Black Desert”, a part of the world’s greatest lava field created in modern times (1783-4)

Fjadrargljufur

We headed inland and parked in the middle of nowhere and walked through the fields and found a great chasm hidden in the folds of green.  This was Fjadrargljufur canyon, carved out by water when a natural dam (terminal moraine from a glacier) burst and the massive water flow gouged out this cleft.

After crossing Skeidararsandur, the great sandy plain (which was flooded in 1996 by glacier melt water from a volcanic eruption under the Vatnajökull Glacier.  This is the biggest glacier in Europe and it covers about 8% of the country and the average thickness is 400m. Under the ice-cap are still active volcanoes and in Grimsvotn volcano, Iceland's most active since the Middle Ages erupted in 1996, 1998 and 2004 - in total 7 volcanoes are situated underneath the Vatnajokull ice-cap.

Elf Houses !

Our overnight accommodation (Frost and Fire Guesthouse) was in Hof just off the main road in a cluster of buildings that included a number of little cabins - whilst some slept in the main building others of us we out in the fields in very luxurious self-contained accommodation.  It even had a number of little houses for the local elves !

However, the most memorable part of the site was a turf church - which is the subject of the next post.