Nature, travel, pets, home renovation, and geekery
Day 5 in Iceland, after hiking up a glacier, we decided we needed more hiking, so we hiked to Svartifoss, yet another waterfall in Iceland. Svartifoss is particularly neat because it flows over basalt columns. Also there are of course more waterfalls on the way to Svartifoss, including Hundefoss.
Svartifoss
Svartifoss
Svartifoss
Svartifoss closeup with basalt columns
Basalt Columns
Basalt Columns morphed
Basalt Columns pieces
Hundafoss
Hundafoss
Stream from Hundafoss
Day 5 in Iceland started with us taking an amazing hike up a glacier. We went on a tour with Glacier Guides (our guide Robin was great!), who gave us crampons, ice axes, helmets, and safety harnesses (in case we fell down a crevasse!?), and then we hiked up a glacier. I still can’t believe I hiked up a glacier. Part of the reason I can’t believe I hiked up a glacier is because I have known issues with gravity, especially when frozen water is involved. The amazing part was, that with crampons on, walking on ice was much easier than walking on snow. Anyway, we hiked up Falljökull which is located in the Skaftafell area of Vatnajökull National Park. We completely lucked out with the weather. A storm passed to the south of us, which made for some absolutely amazing photographs, but we didn’t get any precipitation. I am not one to brag about my photography, but I got some amazing photographs. I can’t really credit my skills though because with the scenery I had, I could not shoot a bad photograph. The glacier was white with amazing blues, and the sky was gray then white then blue, ever changing with the storm.
While traveling east along the Ring Road on Day 4 in Iceland, we stopped to the west of Vik at Reynisfjall and Reynisdrangur. These are two spots right on the coast that offer spectacular views. The waves were crashing, a rainbow formed, and the view was gorgeous even without that drama. Also there are basalt columns which are just amazing.
Reynisdrangur basalt columns
Reynisdrangur beach
view of Reynisfjall from Reynisdrangur
view of Reynisdrangur from Reynisfjall
Reynisfjall beach
Reynisfjall view of rock outcrops
Reynisfjall view of bay
Rainbow to Reynisdrangur
Wave crashing at Reynisfjall
Day 4 in Iceland had us traveling east. We stopped at Skogafoss, which is another must see waterfall in Iceland. Iceland is an island full of waterfalls. Seriously, you can’t go 10 minutes without seeing one. However Skogafoss is beautiful, and if you take the stairs to the top, you will be treated to magnificent views of the countryside. You can then hike past the waterfall viewing platform, where it follows the river that feeds it and reveals one waterfall after another. All of them are gorgeous. Lonely Planet refers to it as Waterfall Way. I don’t know if that is the official name, but it is certainly an apt name.
Skogafoss
Skogafoss
Skogafoss
Skogafoss
View from top of Skogafoss
Waterfall Way
Waterfall Way
Waterfall Way
Waterfall Way
Waterfall Way
Day 4 in Iceland. Today we left the little village of Eyrarbakki, where we had been renting a house, and traveled eastward along the Ring Road. I thought Eyrarbakki was such a cute village, that I decided just to post a few photos of it. It is a small little village right on the coast that evidently is a very old village that used to be an important fishing area.
Eyrarbakki
The church
A little museum
One of the houses
Cute little houses
Right on the coast
While visiting the Golden Triangle, we visited a second waterfall besides Gullfoss. Bruarfoss is a waterfall that my sister found out about through lots of researching on Iceland. It is kind of hidden, and it was not that easy to find. It is between Geysir and Þingvellir Park, just east of 355. You have to go into a summer house neighborhood to get there. You have to earn the waterfall, you might say, but it is totally worth it. The blue of the water is just beautiful.
Edited to add: Due to inquires, the following is best way I can describe how to get there. Take 37 northeast until you pass 355. Right after 355, look to your left (north), and you will see a neighborhood of summer homes. In May 2014, the first two turnoffs (i.e. closest to 355) into that summer home neighborhood had gates. The third did not. Thus after you pass 355, take the third left into the neighborhood. The roads were poorly marked in the neighborhood, but basically follow the road you took in past most of the houses to the back of the neighborhood, there was a very small turnoff to the left with enough room for about two cars to park. The turnoff was not at the end of the road, and it was not marked, but it was at the edge of a grassy area with no houses. There was short foot trail to a creek. At this location on the creek, there was a short foot bridge. My camera recorded the GPS coordinates of this foot bridge as Latitude: 64° 15′ 48.372″ N, Longitude: 20° 30′ 34.308″ W. Cross this bridge and follow the trail to a larger foot bridge that overlooks Bruarfoss whose GPS coordinates are Latitude: 64° 15′ 51.282″ N, Longitude: 20° 30′ 53.322″ W.
Bruarfoss
Bruarfoss
Bruarfoss
Bruarfoss pool
Bruarfoss pool
Bruarfoss outfall
Bruarfoss downstream
Bruarfoss water
During the Golden Triangle visit, we of course visited Gullfoss. Gullfoss is an absolutely stunning waterfall. It is well worth the visit.
View of entire Gullfoss falls
Gullfoss, some of the highest falls
Gullfoss, middle section
Gullfoss, middle section
Gullfoss canyon formed at end
Rainbow formed from Gullfoss
Day 3 in Iceland. We did the Golden Triangle today. I’ve decided to post photos separately because there are just too many. Iceland is just amazing and amazingly beautiful. So first post today are from Geysir. Geysir, the original geyser from which all other geysers are named, actually rarely erupts. However, there are several other geysers and hot spots near it, and Strokkur does erupt quite frequently.
Geysir
Strokkur
Strokkur starting to erupt
Strokkur erupting
Strokkur flow deposits
Blesi
Fata
Fata water edge
Day 2 in Iceland. We drove to Landeyjaharbour to catch the ferry to Heimaey. Generally tourists, including us, go to Heimaey to try to see puffins. Unfortunately we seemed to have visited the island too early in the season. We took a cruise around the island but didn’t see any puffins. However the island is beautiful, and the terrain is impressive, all of which is a result of the volcanic origin of the island. On the south side of the island, the effects of the 1973 volcanic eruption are evident. I am disappointed not to have seen puffins, but at least we did see gulls, guillemots, and eiders. Also, our cruise featured a trip into a cave where our captain played the saxophone to demonstrate the cave’s acoustical properties.
We walked around the town a little and had lunch a neat little coffee shop called Vinaminni Kaffihus, which is next to Arnor Bakari, and now I feel like I am gaining the ability to read Icelandic. On the ferry back, we were accompanied by I think almost the entire town. They were going to support the town’s school’s handball team which was evidently playing in the national championships or something like that. The entire ferry was decked out in support of the team, and there were eight buses waiting for the them on the mainland. We briefly discussed that since the entire town seemed to have left the island, that we could invade and take possession of the island like modern day pirates. However, we had no idea what to do with the island, and Icelanders are so nice, we didn’t want to do that to them. We decided just to go to Reykavik for dinner instead.
Island near Heimaey
Heimaey islands
Cave on Heimaey, in which our captain played a saxophone to demonstrate the acoustical properties
Heimaey shore
Heimaey harbor
Colorful ships in port
Street sign. Puffins everywhere.
Eiders
Gulls and Guillemots
sea urchins
