Iceland – Page 2 – Geeky Girl Engineer

Whales, Dolphins, and Puffins

Posted on May 23, 2014 by geek

On Day 9 in Iceland, we took a cruise out of Húsavík to try to see whales. We chose a cruise on a sailboat that took us by an island where we were pretty much guaranteed to see puffins. The puffins did not disappoint. We also lucked out and saw white-beaked dolphins and two blue whales. I have never seen blue whales before, so I was very excited about that. We were also visited by one friendly fulmar, and the cruise included spectacular views of the fjord.

Blue whale

Blue whales

Blue whale

White-beaked dolphin

White-beaked dolphins

Puffin

Puffin taking off

Puffin

Puffins on island

Fulmar

Fjord

Close up of fjord mountain top

Hverir

Posted on May 22, 2014 by geek

While exploring the Mývatn area of Iceland, we also visited Hverir. Hverir is a small area at the base of a mountain with steaming fumaroles and boiling mudpools and is totally cool. I am sure I have already described Iceland as cool, but this area is just so cool and fun to look at. Steam hisses out of fumaroles and mudpools just bubble up in front of you. In one of the mudpools, there was a less dense fluid on top of the bubbling mud, and it formed really interesting patterns as the liquid moved. There is caked mud and bubbling mud. There are sulfur and other mineral deposits on the ground. There is hissing steam. It is awesome.

Hverir landscape

Hverir mud pool

Hverir mud deposits

Hverir cracked dried mud

Hverir mud

Hverir mineral deposits

Hverir mud pool

Hverir mud patterns

Hverir fumarole

Dimmuborgir

Posted on May 22, 2014 by geek

Another site in the Mývatn region of Iceland that we explored is Dimmuborgir. It is an area of unusually shaped formations from volcanic activity. That is a boring way to describe it really. It is awesome, and it looks like hell, and I mean that in the nicest possible way. The formations are just bizarre really. Also the rocks vary in color and are quite pretty.

Dimmuborgir

Formation with clear layers of volcanic rock

Colorful volcanic rock

Grjótagjá

Posted on May 22, 2014 by geek

While exploring the Mývatn region of Iceland, we visited Grjótagjá. Grjótagjá is a small cave that has a geothermally heated natural pool inside it. It used to be used for bathing until volcanic activity in the 1970’s raised the temperature of water too high. It is still really cool though. The water is crystal clear, and steam can be seen rising from it. Above the cave, the landscape is fissured from the volcanic activity. It is just an incredibly interesting area.

Grjotagja

Grjotagja’s crystal clear water

Grjotagja cave entrance

Fissured landscape above the cave

Mývatn

Posted on May 22, 2014 by geek

Day 8 in Iceland had us exploring the Mývatn region of northern Iceland. It is a rather geologically active region, even relative to the fact that it is in Iceland, which is essentially an island of geological activity. Mývatn is located close to the Krafla volcano and besides being pretty and interesting, also has birds in abundance due to the huge lake. If you are ever in Mývatn, I highly recommend lunch at Vogafjos, which has incredibly delicious food, including geysir bread, which is cooked underground using geothermal heat, and insanely fresh cheese due to the cows which sleep in the same building in which you eat. They are very friendly cows too. If you are there, go pet them.

Myvatn

View of Krafla

Myvatn

Quiet inlet of Myvatn

Crystal clear water of Myvatn

Golden Plover

Scaups

View of the Vogafjos farm, from the dining room

A friendly Vogafjos cow

Dettifoss

Posted on May 21, 2014 by geek

While traveling the Ring Road north, we stopped at Dettifoss. Dettifoss is another waterfall in Iceland, but it has the distinction of being the largest waterfall in Europe by volume of water. It is pretty of course and flows through a dramatic canyon. One of the things I found most interesting about it was the patterns in the snow of the other side of the canyon from it. I am not actually sure how the patterns formed, but I assume it has to do with the topography of side and the time difference in which the snow fell.

Dettifoss

Valley into which Dettifoss flows

Dettifoss

Patterns in snow

Rainbow formed from Dettifoss

River that flows into Dettifoss

Seyðisfjörður

Posted on May 21, 2014 by geek

Before traveling the Ring Road north on Day 7 in Iceland, we detoured to the east to visit Seyðisfjörður. Seyðisfjörður is a small village where many artists have taken up residence, and it also happens to be where the ferry from Denmark docks. The road to Seyðisfjörður travels through the mountains before quickly changing altitude to the fjord where the village is located. Near Seyðisfjörður is Gulufoss, another pretty waterfall because you can’t go five minutes in Iceland without passing a waterfall.

looking to Seydisfjordur

Seydisfjordur houses

Seydisfjordur bay

Seydisfjordur church

road to Seydisfjordur

Gufufoss

Ring Road East

Posted on May 21, 2014 by geek

Day 7 in Iceland had us mainly traveling the Ring Road from the east to the north. The Ring Road takes your through the highlands then finally to the fjords and the coast. Much of the highlands were still covered with meters of snow.

Ring Road crossing mountain top in south

Lagarfljót

near Fljótsdalshérað

view of Herðubreið

Herðubreið

River in the highlands

Ring Road South

Posted on May 21, 2014 by geek

Day 6 in Iceland had us traveling the Ring Road from the center south area to the east. Iceland is a country of dramatic landscapes, and I just can’t get over the beauty of the land. We traveled over lava fields, along rocky coasts, and along fjords into the mountains. Below are a few photos of what we saw traveling the Ring Road.

view of Vestmannaeyjar islands

Eldhraun lava fields

Another waterfall

Rocky coast

Fjord

Looking down the glacier valley right before crossing the mountain top

Reindeer

Jökulsárlón, Glacier Lagoon

Posted on May 20, 2014 by geek

Day 6 in Iceland, we traveled from the south to the east via the Ring Road. We made the obligatory stop at Jökulsárlón, the Glacier Lagoon. It is a major tourist attraction for good reason. It is beautiful. The lagoon is at the end of Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, and the glacier breaks off pieces to form icebergs in the lagoon. Icebergs just slowly float through the lagoon before entering the sea. Many types of birds can be found in the lagoon, as well as seals. We spotted at least 15 seals playing in the water, and I managed to get a few photos of some of them.

Jökulsárlón

Birds on Icebergs

Iceberg

Iceberg on beach

Close up of an iceberg on the beach

Seal

Harlequin Ducks

Eider