Iceland 2019--Days 4 and 5

MONDAY, July 22nd

It was overcast with low lying clouds, but if it rained at all, it was light and all while we were in the car. We started out the day by driving the south end of the Ring Road, towards Vik, east of Reykjavik. The Ring Road, as the name indicates, is a road that goes all the way around the country. 

I love this small homestead shelter carved out in the side of the hill.

Two hours later, we arrived at Skogafoss. (The suffix "foss" = waterfall). This waterfall is at the cliffs of the former coastline. After the coastline receded (about 3 miles), the original sea cliffs remained. Skogafoss is also unique because it is comprised of waters from two different glaciers, Eyjafjallajokull and Myrdalsjokull. (The suffix "jokull" = glacier). 

Parking was free! But peeing was not! Fortunately, Mom and Dad had some loose change for just such an occasion. Kronar (kr) is the Icelandic currency. 200 kr. is $1.63 in USD.

Iceland's version of "Leave no Trace" and "Be Prepared."

There is a viewing platform at the top of this hill. 

It doesn't look so bad from this angle.

Let's do this!

I was determined to count every step we climbed. Some of the steps were far apart. I think I counted every step my foot took, not just the elevated steps up and that was a total of 527. Needless to say, my legs were burning halfway up. It was a little steep. We timed it too. Took about 10-12 minutes each way.

It was breathtaking at the top (for more than one reason!). So green and lush and undisturbed. 

Looking out to sea on the horizon.

The river goes back quite a ways.

Dad came up partway with us. But his knee has been troubling him, so we told him to not push it and we'd see him when we came back down.

Fimmvorduhals is the Skogafoss hiking trail. It's one of Iceland's most popular hikes. Skogafoss can either be the starting or the ending point of the hike. I could not believe that you could go another 15.5 miles back in those mountains. 

The point before the water goes over the 200 foot drop below.

This was our view heading down the steps.

Now to see Skogafoss up close and personal! This waterfall would be more striking on a sunny day. But it was still impressive! Skogafoss is considered one of Iceland's most beautiful waterfalls. It's 49 feet across and 203 feet high.

There's an impressive amount of spray that comes off this waterfall. We didn't have our waterproof gear on so we didn't get too close.

Back at the bottom with shaky legs!

Group selfie!

Mom and Dad

Gig 'em! :) We might be from Aggieland but we are not Aggies. Haha!

And then it was off to see the glacier Solheimajokull. 

This glacier lies between the volcanoes Katla and Eyjafjallajokull and is one of the most easily accessible glaciers in Iceland. It is about 5 miles long and 1 mile wide and is an outlet or finger glacier to Myrdalsjokull, the fourth largest and southern most glacier in Iceland, an icecap on top of the volcano, Katla. "Katla is one of Iceland's most active and most dangerous volcanoes, infamous for its large eruptions happening on average every 50-100 year, causing devastating glacial floods." However, it was the relatively small eruptions from the volcano Eyjafjallajokll in April 2010 that caused havoc on air travel across western and northern Europe for about a week. I did not remember this happening, but my parents did!

What I love about being in Iceland is though the country is small, the lack of crowds was delightful and unexpected. It was almost as if we were getting our own private tour of the country. Of course my parents were experts at timing all of our expeditions and beating what little crowds there were. Kudos to them! After we arrived at the glacier and went as far as we were allowed to go without climbing gear, there was a climbing party hiking up behind us. We let them pass and watched them for a few minutes. 

All that "dirt" is volcanic ash. I've been in that before. The very day we arrived in Alaska having moved from a suburb of Atlanta, GA, on June 27, 1992, a volcano erupted from across the Cook Inlet. That was quite the welcome. About seven weeks later, that same volcano, Mt. Spurr, about 80 miles west of Anchorage, erupted again, shooting ash ten miles into the atmosphere. You can read all about that once in a lifetime experience from a Washington Post article here. 

Lots of selfies because I don't want there to be any mistake that I was in Iceland. :) I did lose my left earring on our walk to the glacier though. Boooo. :(

Heading back to the car only took us about ten to fifteen minutes or so. Notice the path. Even as popular as this glacier is becoming, there still isn't a well worn place to walk. You kind of figured it out as you went.

Mom said that all the churches here are white with red roofs. So I started taking pictures of them.

Next stop, Dyrholaey, the southernmost tip of mainland Iceland. It is a nature reserve area and also boasts a massive rock arch, which is so big that boats can cruise under it and one daredevil pilot even flew through it in 1993.

Visibility wasn't the best at the coast, but it was still amazing to be there. You can see the rock arch in the middle of the picture below.

Other rock formations out at sea.

Mom and Dad are always looking for birds. Sadly their binoculars were accidentally dropped here and they broke. :(

The volcanic rock formations were so cool.

Another view of the rock arch that is a result of centuries of erosion.

Dyrholaey is a one of the most reliable locations for spotting the Atlantic Puffin and we had a wonderful encounter! We spent close to thirty minutes watching these majestic birds on the side of this cliff and could have easily spent all day. I was surprised how close we could get.

I managed to get a picture of this guy spreading his wings.

And I managed to get his backside as he flew away! They are quick little things--beating their small wings rapidly and diving into the water for food.

The view the puffins were seeing.

The gang hanging out on this cliff.

Coming in for a landing.

Can you see the puffin flying toward the water?

How about here?

Jared heading to the water closet.

And having the true "Euro-peein" experience by paying $1.60 to use the facilities.

Don't get me wrong. They were very NICE facilities out in the middle of nowhere. But man, what if you didn't have a credit card on you?

The countryside.

A white church with a red roof #2.

We drove over to Reynisfjara--the world famous black sand beach comprised of black volcanic sands and smooth pebbles.

This is where you can see the stunning Hálsanefshellir sea cave and the Gardar cliff, which is composed of dark basalt columns that some say resemble a pyramid or organ pipes.

You have to see these incredible columnar basalt rock formations to believe they exist. I don't think my mind could have imagined this on its own.

These are the Reynisdrangar sea stacks. "These bizarre looking rock pillars are said to be petrified trolls that were caught outside at sunrise and frozen in time, but some strongly believe that they’re actually basalt columns that were once part of the extensive shoreline cliffs that remained standing while other parts were battered down by the ocean."

The side of the cave.

Another part of the beach.

Then it was off to see another waterfall. One might wonder...if I've seen one waterfall, have I seen them all? No siree. Not in the least!! I never thought waterfalls would be so exciting. But in Iceland they sure are! They are all so unique.

This is Seljalandsfoss. It falls 213 feet over an old sea cliff.

We put on our wet gear for this one!

We walked behind it.

And came out on the other side. Seljalandsfoss is fed by melting water from the famed glacier-capped Eyjafjallajokull volcano.

These were smaller waterfalls along the cliffs as we walked down a path to yet another waterfall.

This is the Gljufrabui waterfall. Look how cool it is!

Mom and Jared carefully navigated their way through the rocks and water to see it. There is a certain mystique about Gljufrabui because it falls into a deep chasm, while in front, rocks and boulders block most of the visibility of the falls.

Inside the center of the hidden falls. We felt like we were in Middle Earth. It was really quite mesmerizing.

Me and Mumzy.

Our view looking away from the falls.

We bought some souvenirs--adorable glass puffins handcrafted right in Reykjavik and some Icelandic chocolate. It was pretty tasty!

Back in Reykjavik, my parents pointed out the chapel for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that is right there on the other side of that hill.

Interestingly enough, as we continued on our way, we noticed two elders, half of the missionary population in the entire country by the end of July, walking on the sidewalk.

And when we stopped at the light, they were making a street contact! ;)

We drove a total of 220 miles. Not bad considering all the places we went and the things we saw!

10:54pm.

TUESDAY, July 23rd

This was the day we played more of the traditional tourists in Iceland, but it was no less amazing. We just saw more people in the crowds at certain places.

We drove 120 miles along Iceland's Golden Circle which consists of three stunning locations that you can see in a day: Geysir Geothermal Area, Gullfoss Waterfall, and Thingvellir National Park. Along the way, we took some detours.

We were headed in the direction of church again in Selfoss. The steam vents coming out of the hillside never cease to amaze me. 

It was overcast and gray, but that didn't slow us down or tarnish our mood. I was really excited about the day's itinerary!

First stop was the Kerid Crater. As is customary when you travel with my parents, we leave first thing in the morning, so we can beat the crowds. We were the first visitors to arrive at the crater that morning. We were at the park even before the ranger was. We waited for him to put up the flag for the day and he was kind enough to let us in without having to pay the fee!

I thought this was a cool way to encourage a clean area. Kind of like recycling cans. :) That's 8 cents (USD) per butt.

I need to preface this by saying in all the years we lived in Oregon, I never made it to Crater Lake. And I know, I know, this doesn't even compare. But still. How cool is this little crater lake??

Kerid is "a collapsed magma chamber at the end of a volcanic eruption. It occurred more than 6,000 years ago. The crater is the northernmost one of the crater row called Tjarnarholar and the colourful crater is one of the several crater lakes in what is known as Iceland's Western Volcanic Zone." 

Traces of volcanism are not as obvious here since the eruption sites are low lying and many craters are hidden by vegetation.

There is a path along the rim for visitors to walk around. It was incredibly awe inspiring to hike around the crater. But a little dangerous too. I couldn't keep my eyes off the bowl and I needed to pay more attention to where I was stepping. It's not like it's fenced off or paved.

Kerid is 180 feet deep. The water depth was measured in the 1950s and said to be about 26 feet. The color of that water is unreal.

Even on a cloudy day, it was beautiful.

As we were leaving the crater, the tour bus was pulling in. Perfect timing, as usual!

One last look back.

Then it was off to the Secret Lagoon near the small village of Fludir. The Secret Lagoon, or Gamla Laugin ("the old pool") as natives call it, was constructed in 1891 and is officially the oldest swimming pool in the country. It isn't as heavily trafficked as the Blue Lagoon near the airport. Nor does it boast azure waters and silica masks, but I had no desire to be at the Blue Lagoon and the $100 fee per person sealed the deal for me. Even though Gamla Laugin is the "secret" lagoon, we wanted to make sure we were there before the doors opened because it is becoming more and more popular.

The sign posted out front. :) 

Inside and removing our shoes before heading to the bathrooms.

The one "negative" about the Secret Lagoon is that, while the men and women are segregated, there are no private shower stalls in the bathrooms. And they require you to shower publicly in the nude. Here's a visual sign for anyone who may not be sure which areas to *really* clean. They want to emphasize that the lagoon is not a bath, it's a pool. You are not dirty when you get in.

Mom and I did our due diligence and showered nude. And we raised our eyebrows at the women who came in after us who we noticed did not follow protocol.

The pool isn't very big and fortunately right at opening, it wasn't that busy either.

It felt sooooooooo good. Super warm and soothing.

The water is about four feet deep--plus you had pretty good visibility of your feet--with a smooth, pebble bottom. They said the temperature is around 104 degrees average. But we found some scalding areas where the pool was being fed directly from the hot springs nearby! I take lobster boil showers (as Jared calls them) and those scalding spots were even too hot to me!

A nice lady agreed to take this picture for us before she got in the water and then kindly tucked my phone under my towel on a table nearby.

We spent an hour and a half floating around and enjoying the extra warm, clean mineral water. If we needed to cool off, we got out and took a stroll around the walkway that followed the perimeter of the lagoon so we could see some of the other small geysers and hot springs.

One of the hot springs that trickled into the lagoon.

What we saw as we continued to walk along the outer platform around the Secret Lagoon.

I seriously could have stayed here ALL day.

I highly recommend this lagoon. Plus, it's only a third of the cost of the Blue Lagoon in town.

Relaxing in the lobby before we headed to our next stop. ;)

We drove through the farming belt of Iceland along the Golden Loop. It's hard to see, but there's a glacier just behind these mountains.

Icelandic horses--another one of the big game.

The third stop was the town of Geysir in the geothermal area of Haukadalur Valley. Geysir is most well known for having lent its name to geysers all over the world.

This was the MOST populated tourist area. Crowds are not really my cup of tea. But we managed by not staying for too long!

"Geysir boasts a plethora of hot springs and geysers, including Strokkur. Strokkur is, arguably, the country's most famous hot spring, shooting vast jets of boiling water from 65 feet to 130 feet high. Fortunately, Strokkur erupts every five to ten minutes." 

There it goes!

Going in for a better view for the next eruption.

We barely made it over when the geyser went off again.

This geyser eruption only lasts a few seconds whereas Old Faithful, in comparison, lasts about a minute and a half to five minutes.

Geysir is an actual geyser, but years can go by between eruptions. Currently it's in an inactive phase. But when it does blow, it can shoot water as high as 230 feet. We walked around to see other hot springs and fumaroles.

We checked out the store in Geysir, but there wasn't anything that we felt was worth the exorbitant cost. So we headed drove to Gullfoss for our next waterfall encounter. As we crossed a bridge, I rolled my window down to take a picture of this river. The vibrant colors make it look unreal.

There's an ice field behind these mountains.

To me, Gullfoss is Iceland's Niagara Falls. You hear it before you see it. This is the view from the parking lot.

 This is only the top part of Gullfoss.

I'm not sure it's Iceland's biggest waterfall, but it was enormous to us. See the tiny people walking along the trail?

As the Hvita River flows from the glacier Langjokull, it cascades in two steps, the first at 36 feet and the second, at 69 feet, for a total of 105 feet, into a narrow gorge. Gullfoss translates to Golden Falls.

We walked down as far as we could go. It took us a while though because people kept asking me if I'd take their picture for them. Haha! I'm happy to know that I appear friendly and approachable. ;)

On our way down, we were looking UP for my parents who were watching us from above. Found them!!

A view of the second drop into the gorge. In the summer, 459 cubic feet of water flows down the waterfall every SECOND. In the winter, it slows to 358 cubic feet.

The first drop.

It's a good thing we had our waterproof jackets on. It was pretty wet down there! But pretty awesome!

After we finished up at Gullfoss, we had to drive back past Geysir to get to our next location. As we did so, we got to see Strokkur erupt again from the car.

We went to Laugarvatn Fontana for their all-you-can-eat soup and bread lunch around 3pm. Several months prior to this trip when we were making plans, my mom gave us a few options for the lagoon experience. They've done the Blue Lagoon, but as I mentioned, it's pretty pricey and very busy (though they do have private showers). Fontana has a mineral pool as well, though Mom and Dad had never been in it. However, they have eaten lunch there before and have seen the facilities. The thing about Fontana that sounded super cool was a bread tour where the staff walks you through how they use the geothermal heat to bake bread in the ground. And then you get to eat some. That was a real pull for Fontana with me. The final option presented was the Secret Lagoon. Mom and Dad were interested in trying that location as they'd never been there before, so I said we definitely should do that one. Mom said even though we were going to the Secret Lagoon for the hot springs, we could still try catching the 2pm bread tour at Fontana. Well, because the Secret Lagoon was so amazing and we spent so much time there, we missed the bread tour, but I didn't care. And after arriving at Fontana and seeing the swimming pool (that's exactly what it looks like--tiled bottoms and everything), I was SO GRATEFUL that we didn't go to Fontana. We would have missed out big time. I mean look at the picture. This is so...cruise ship. We truly got the authentic Icelandic experience that morning.

While we waited on a table, I ran to the bathroom. This is their toilet paper dispenser where you pull out one little section at a time and I yelled, "Yes!!" Why can't we have these in America? Or in my house for that matter? I realize kids could pull out the whole roll, but at least it would require more effort on their part than just spinning it like they're on the Wheel of Fortune.

When I returned to the table, I noticed the 2pm bread tour coming back in with their freshly baked bread. I hung around in the back to listen and snap a few pictures. I made sure I didn't get in line to eat any, though, because I didn't pay for the tour.

As it turns out, there was plenty of bread and when everyone on the tour had eaten their fill, the staff member added it to the all-you-can-eat bread basket for the rest of us. So I got to try the geothermal bread baked in the ground in Iceland after all!! Yay for small miracles!!

The flavor was similar to pumpernickel. Though it had a moist, cake-like texture. It was interesting, but good.

When we were finished with lunch, we took a walk down by the lake. The sand on Fontana beach is very warm. We found one of the mounds where a pot with bread dough is buried in the ground. Notice the small pool of boiling water in the background. It takes 24 hours to bake the bread using geothermal heat.

We happened upon a lovely burial site for someone important. My dad told me the story, but I forgot. :)

Lastly, we traveled to Thingvellir National Park. It's the most important historical site, fundamental to Icelandic history. When Viking settlers arrived in the 10th Century, it was the site they chose as the meeting place of Althingi, the world's oldest parliament.

Iceland is the only place in the world where this rift is above sea-level, and nowhere can you see the edges of both plates as clearly as in Thingvellir. We took a walk in the rift valley in between both plates. 

And here we are at the site of Althingi, established in 930. It was raining a bit here--the first time we got rained on!

A license plate picture in honor of Jared's hospital--St. Joseph. 

It took flying to Iceland, but I finally stepped foot inside an IKEA store.

And I got a picture to prove it!

While I do miss Costco and still call Sams Club Costco from time to time, I was actually taking a picture of the rainbow. :)

That was ONE amazingly filled day!!!