New Year Travels 5 - Iceland - Waterfalls, Volcanos, Beaches and the Fabulous Mr Tomasson

January 7th

We were up early for our day trip the South Shore Adventure.  The guide told us that modernity came late to Iceland. In 1940's the UK, then the US had a base there, when they left they left their vehicles and airports in Reykjavik and Keflavik. Gradually Iceland moved into the modern era. However it was only in 1956 that the last turf house was inhabited.

Some of the Westman Islands

The first hour and a half driving was in darkness. We passed through Hveragerdi which has the ominous distinction of being the place in Iceland that has the most earthquakes.  We had a short break at Hvolsvollur. As we continued east with the ocean to our right the Westman Islands came into sight, looking like mountain tops rising from the water, a sea mist at their base making them look as if they were floating on the water. They looked beautiful, and this belied their violent past. One of my earliest memories is of seeing the birth of one of these islands, Surtsey, on black and white TV in 1963, I can remember marvelling at this island literally being created during a volcanic eruption that started below the sea, eventually reaching the surface and once the eruption finished in 1967 leaving an island.

Heimaey, the largest and the only populated Westman Island, also had a major volcanic eruption when Eldfell blew in 1973 destroying half of the town. At Volcano House we had watched a film about this, many of the residents had said that, although destructive, the eruption was also very beautiful. Once over the people just picked themselves up and started over again.

The Westmans are also home to eight million puffins. Puffins always next in the same site, and our guide, who

Seljalandsfoss

seemed to know the islands well, said that during the eruption when they came back to their nesting area they flew in and immediately died with the heat, thousands of birds died this way.

We had snow covered mountains to our left, the snow lay in crevasses, ledges, some areas free of snow, it looked like an amazing abstract work of art, Mother Natures creations are pretty awe-inspiring!

Our first stop was at Seljalandsfoss, a waterfall that is 200 feet high. At other times of the year you can walk behind the falls, but due to the ice that was impossible today. It was a lovely setting, any direction you turned to there was a fabulous view, no houses, just wild Iceland. The falls were not as dramatic as in the summer because some of it was frozen, it was still a wonderful sight. I noted that the Icelandic word for waterfall is foss, and here in Cumbria, where there was a strong Viking influence especially in place names, it is force.

The next stop was a short, but memorable one, Eyjafjallajokull (which means island mountain glacier), the volcano that stopped air travel when it decided to stir in 2010.  Our guide joked that only Icelanders can pronounce the name and everyone else should all in E+15, which I think is a brilliant idea!  Though Dianne bravely got the guide to teach her how to say the full name, she did very well too. It looked 

Eyjafjallajökull

deceptively tranquil glinting in the noonday sun, white farm buildings with red rooves stood at its base. A dog bounded excitedly towards us and enjoyed a play with the guide, apparently the dog comes every day when the tour bus stops there. The guide said that farm was the worst affected by the eruption. Animals died, sheep went blind, but luckily regained their sight after about two weeks and now it's up working again, until the next time. These Icelanders are resilient people!

Skogarfoss

Next stop was another waterfall, Skogarfoss. This waterfall is wider than Seljafoss but has the same drop. There was a rainbow across the top of the falls, which apparently is usual here due to amount of spray produced.  There was a steep flight of steps up the side of the waterfall which must have had a great view from the top but we had neither the time nor the stamina to get to the top. There is a legend that  the first Viking settler in the area, Þrasi Þórólfsson, buried a treasure in a cave behind the waterfall. Locals found the chest years later, but were only able to grasp the ring on the side of the chest before it disappeared again. The ring was said to have been given to the local church and can now be found in the nearby museum.

Normally there would now have been a lunch break next but the guide said that because of the short days he had rearranged the stops so we could see places in the daylight.  The next stop was the Solheimajokull glacier. We left Route 1 and travelled along an increasingly windy and bumpy road that turned into nothing more than a stony track until we arrived at a small car park. From there it was a ten minute walk to the foot of the glacier. You had to watch your footing as the ground was stony with patches of ice. To the left was a frozen lake containing huge lumps of layered ice that must have calved off the glacier at some time.  There was a stillness in the air and I

Solheimajokull Glacial Lake

felt awe as I approached the glacier which was white with patches of vivid blue and black - the latter was ash from the E+15 eruption.  There were people climbing on the glacier, they were on one of the glacier walk tours you can go on. 

There was a wall of rippled ice as clear as glass as tall as me, that stretched for yards.  I also noticed some rocks that were partially melted. I thought it was great that we could walk right up to the glacier like that, to be so close to something  like that was awe-inspiring for me. The guide said that we were very lucky with the weather as often you can't get close to the glacier because of it, and the tour itself often has to be cancelled because of bad weather. For the whole of our stay the weather had been fantastic.

We headed back to the coach and trundled along the bumpy road to Route 1 again, I noticed the flood plain stretching to the sea and it brought back memories of seeing the floods caused by the E+15 eruption melting ice and snow that swept down to the sea taking many roads with it. It occurred to me that Icelanders have

Solheimajokull

learned to live and respect their wild and unpredictable country. They harness the power it gives them via the geothermal energy (they call it white oil), they accept the eruptions and earthquakes, clear up afterwards and then get on with their lives again. 

By now I was getting very hungry, the bus continued to head east and soon we descended into the village of Vik (the most southerly village in Iceland) by the sea and stopped off at a cafe there.  We all had beefburger with a fried egg on top and fries, unusual but it really went together well. The cafe was obviously used to serving tourists and we got our food very quickly which we were pleased about!

After our meal we started west again, but first stopped at Vik beach which is on the other side of Reynisfjall mountain from the village, and takes about ten minutes to reach. Our guide said that the beach was voted the most beautiful in the world.

Vik Beach

By now the long Icelandic dusk was falling and no one else was on the beach. The sand was black and our footprint were the first since the tide started to go out.  To the left was Reynisfjall and a large cave called Hálsanefshellir which was framed by huge basalt columns. In the sea are stone pillars, Reynisdrangar, the sky is a rich blue with wispy pink clouds and a sickle moon, it is ethereal, magical, truly stunning.  I find it hard to find words to describe it, all I know is that I will never forget that time on Vik Beach, we found it hard to tear ourselves away when the time came to leave. I picked up a small stone from the beach, I had to take a small piece away with me.

We continued to head west until we were back near Skogarfoss, but this time we stopped off at Skogar Folk Museum.  The museum was first opened by Mr Tomasson in 1949, and the same man, now 93, is still the museum's curator. He wanted to preserve the area's history, even moving turf houses to the museum and built up the collection over the years. 

We were shown round the museum by a woman who looked like a blond Bjork who was very informative. Then Mr Tomasson came in, he had a friendly face with a mischievous glint in his eye.  He took over from the guide and it was clear he was very proud of his museum. He showed us how to spin wool just with a hand spindle and then took us (at a very sprightly pace for a 93 year old!) the short distance to the tiny little white church where he told us a little about its history and then played the organ.  He played

Mr Tomasson at Skogar Folk Museum

Amazing Grace, psalms, even God Save the Queen! He was a real character.  We had a look at the tiny turf houses on the museum site, people had it hard in the past!  I would have liked to have stayed longer at the museum as there is so much to see. Good job Mr Tomasson is a hoarder, he has made something very special in this place.

Skogar was our last stop and the rest of the trip was heading back to Reykjavik. What a fabulous day it had been, that trip was worth every penny.

We were booked in for a special last night meal at The Pearl Restaurant and once in Reykjavik had no time to go back to the apartment we just hopped into a taxi to the restaurant.  It is a revolving restaurant so we had lovely views over the city. The seating was comfortable and the actual restaurant very nice. The food and wine was very good, but the service was not, which was disappointing especially as it was expensive.  For me and my friends the service is as important as the food when in a restaurant. We wouldn't go back.

So that was it, our holiday in Iceland over. It exceeded expectations by a long way. Our accommodation was perfect, the weather was good, the people warm and friendly and the scenery stunning.  Iceland is a place that captivates me as few places do, it keeps drawing me back - and we're already talking about visiting one summer!

In the Pearl Restaurant

Iceland Part 3 - Comedy and Ocean Waves

Our last full day in Iceland, and we were up early  and picked up by the bus for our whale watching tour, this was something that both Glenys and I have always wanted to do. The weather wasn't too good, a threatening grey sky and little spits of rain, it was also markedly colder than the previous two days. 

We arrived at the harbour and got onboard the boat.  On offer were all in one padded, waterproof suits, Glenys and I decided to have them.  Well, what a performance getting them on!  We already had quite a few layers of clothing on (in my case, knickers, tights, thermal long johns, jeans, thick socks, walking boots, bra, thermal vest, thick jumper and warm jacket and fleece gloves, chola hat - I am rather cold-blooded ).  Because of all the clothes we weren't exactly supple and needed to help each other into the suits, it was a bit of a struggle and we gave people around us a laugh that's for sure!  Once in the suit I found it hard to bend my legs as I had so many layers on and my gait was a bit like a zombie as I ambled along!  But later in the day I was glad to have that suit on and didn't care how I looked.

There was a snug inside area, but we decided to go out onto the top deck.  We watched Reykjavik slowly disappear into the horizon as we headed out into Faxaflói Bay, the largest bay in Iceland.  Various types of seabirds swooped and glided over sea their wingtips almost touching the water, this was their world, and their elegance and grace was beautiful to see.

The guide spoke - in excellent English, as do most Icelanders - over the tannoy and told us they used a "clock" system for anything that she wanted to bring to our attention.  We were to look out for gatherings of birds, spouts of water in our quest to see a whale.

After about three quarters of an hour at sea the weather very quickly worsened, a strong, icy wind tossed the boat in the choppy sea and water spray shot over our upper deck.  I pulled hood of the suit up as far as I could and the only part of me that was exposed to the elements was my eyes, thank heavens for those suits!  It was almost impossible to walk so most people just stayed where they were in the wind and spray.  And, despite our hardy, dogged determination the whales were a no show today.  It was disappointing, but we knew a sighting wasn't guaranteed.  In the angry weather Iceland looked almost primeval and our little boat quite insignificant.  Humankind can be very arrogant thinking we have everything sorted to our satisfaction, but nature still is ultimately in charge in places like this. 

Getting out of the suits was much easier than getting into them LOL!  But they did the job perfectly, the only parts of me that were cold were my feet and hands, the only parts not covered by the suit.  We disembarked, and as we walked along the harbour I tried to ignored the whaling boats on the other side of the quay.  It was a strange juxtaposition, on one side boats setting out to celebrate and watch whales and on the side boats setting out to kill them.

We got a taxi back to the hotel in order to take off all our thermal wear before going back into the city centre to do some shopping.  First we had scrumptious chocolate cake and coffee in a place called Sufistinn (it had said in our guide book that they are supposed to have the best cakes in Reykjavik and I think they must be right). 

Iceland is a notoriously expensive place (even by British standards!) so we knew we wouldn't be buying much.   We went to the main shopping street Laugavegur and pottered round the places there.  Reykjavik doesn't really feel like a city, the centre is small by most city's standards, but I thought that was a good thing.  Down some streets you would get grand vistas to the sea or mountains.  It was very clean and hardly any litter.

By now the weather was miserable, drizzly with a strong icy wind.  We got a few souvenirs and then started to look for somewhere to eat.  We checked on prices, some were very expensive, some more reasonable, we settled on a modern place called Solon that was amongst the reasonable batch.  We had a lovely meal there and there was a good atmosphere in the restaurant.

We took a taxi back to our hotel and packed.  We had to be up very early next morning (4am!) for our flight home, so after a glass of wine (from a bottle we had brought with us as alcohol is unbelieveably expensive there) we had an early night.

4am, oh no.  Glenys and I are both not the best first thing so there was little conversation as we got our stuff together and boarded the bus to Keflavik.   At the airport we had to use self service check ins of which there weren't very many so it was a long wait to get to one.  Then almost every other person, including us, who used them could not get checked in!  So then you had to join the bag drop queue to check in the usual way.  It took ages and as I'm ratty anyway at such a ridiculous hour I was not best pleased!  Luckily security was fast and efficient.

Our plane was first going to Manchester, dropping off and picking up before going to Glasgow to do the same.  We thought that we would just wait on the plane, but no, UK regulations meant we had to get off the plane in Manchester, go to the transit area and through security before getting back on the plane!  I'm all for being careful with security, but this was pointless, we'd been screened in Iceland.  Or do the British authorities not trust the Icelandic security?

Finally we were back on the plane, in the same seats.  The flight to Glasgow was quick and there were some mutterings when the flight attendants announced that passengers going on to Iceland should just stay in their seats!  Ahh well.  At Passport Control there was a horrendous queue, it took about half an hour to get through, and then when we got to baggage reclaim our bags were not there!  Another 20 minute wait and they came through.  Then finally we were on our last leg home.

Iceland is an amazing place to visit for anyone who loves wildlife, nature and stunning landscapes.  For me there was a beauty in its dramatic volcanic vistas,  bubbling geysers, waterfalls, glacier sharp mountains and moody seas that I found both awe-inspiring and humbling.  Mother Nature is definitely still boss in Iceland and her "angry volcano" has recently told the whole world that!  Below is a fantastic photo taken of Eyjafjallajökull and the northern lights recently.

Picture: REUTERS/Ingolfur Juliusson

Iceland Part 2 - Enchanted Plains and the Language of Geysers

We set off on the famous Golden Circle Tour at 1pm, Steiner was our driver/guide once more.  We drove out of the city on a road that led us to the mountains.  Some parts were a bit like Cumbria, some like Scotland and some could only be Icelandic.  Sparsely inhabited, we could go for ages and until we saw a farm nestling in a hollow by a mountain.

Our first stop was Þingvellir National Park.  This a plain surrounded by mountains and fractured rocks and there is a large lake called Þingvallavatn.  The lake's water was co clear and still that the mountains were reflected perfectly onto its mirror-like surface.  It took my breath away, an alien, desolate landscape of immense beauty.  The photo I took that I've added here doesn't really do the place justice.  It was silent and the air pure, magical.

The first Icelandic parliament (Þingvellir means parliament plain), the Alþingi was set up here in 930 and the General Assembly continued to meet there until 1798 when the seat of government was moved to Reykjavik.   Iceland has the longest continually running parliament in the world.

Now for a lesson in plate tectonics - The Eurasian and North American plate boundaries run right through Iceland  that is why is a very geologically active area.  At Þingvellir, the two plates are pulling apart and the land between is subsiding. This is happening at the amazing rate of two centimetres a year!  We walked down by one of the fault lines, it looked so solid and permanent, yet this place is anything but!  I found it very awe inspiring to be in such a place.

Back on the bus we headed for Gullfoss (Golden Falls).    The animals we saw the most of were ponies, sturdy and tough with long coats, a bit like the fell ponies that roam around parts of Cumbria.  Part of the road to it was very poor and we were joggled about a bit.  The road had only recently re-opened after the winter.  

Gullfoss is situated on River Hvita, the water cascades down two steps that face in different directions, one is 11 meters high, and the other 22 meters, then the water roars into a very narrow canyon that is 70 meters deep.  Gullfoss is the biggest waterfall in Europe. It was very beautiful, some of the falls were still iced up forming strangely shaped mega-icicles.  Spray reached high into the air. 


It was getting quite cold now, so we went into the visitor's centre for refreshments.  I decided to go Icelandic and try their traditional meat soup, Kjötsúpa.  It is made with lamb and vegetable and was delicious, feeding and warming, just what I needed.

Then it was back to our bus for our last stop, Geysir, just a few miles along the road in the Haukadalur valley.  This is a very active geo-thermal area named after the biggest geyser there (our  "geyser" comes from Geysir).  Geysir erupts approximately once a day, the smaller Stokkur erupts roughly once every five minutes and we saw this happen, with little warning, a few times, sending boiling water and steam about 30 meters into the air with a huge whoosh, very spectacular.  

In a relatively small area there are about 30 geysers and bubbling pools, steam drifts in the air and there is a strong smell of sulphur.  It's like being on another planet, everything about it is so alien.  If you stand quietly you can hear the "language" of Geysir - bubbling, popping, hissing, gloopy thuds, deep gutteral moans, even high pitched whistle-like sounds, each geyser has it's own voice.  I found it absolutely fascinating.

No wonder the Golden Circle Tour is popular, in a few hours you see so many wonders of nature.  And seeing the fissures at Þingvellir and the boiling geysers and pools at Geysir made me realise that our earth is very active beneath the surface, and in places like Iceland even on the surface.  The power of nature in Iceland has recently shown itself once more with the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull sending ash into the atmosphere and grounding airlines all over Europe for days.  Sometimes Mother Nature is still in charge.....   

Then it was time to go back to Reykjavik, we came back another way so saw different scenery.  Every now and then by the roadside mounted on rocks were mangled cars - these were crashed cars, used as a warning to drive carefully, never seen anything like that before.

We ate at our hotel that night and it was delicious.  Then we went to Bedtime Stories, held every Thursday night at our hotel.  And there you listen to an actor reading Icelandic stories, old and new, whilst drinking hot chocolate.  You also can use pillows and blankets to snuggle into if you want.  I really enjoyed it and it has inspired me to buy one of the books.  Then it was off to bed, it had been a long, but enjoyable day.