Iceland Day 7

There was only one activity on the agenda today but what a great day it turned out to be!

It was pouring rain but we were going on a wheeled boat ride to look at glaciers and I thought ‘how wet can I get?’ Ha! Although the boat ride was only about half an hour long, it was pouring, and I mean really pouring! I was wet right through my Gortex jacket and didn’t warm up until hours later.

The boat ride was at Jokulsarlon Lagoon in the southeast of Iceland. The ocean current carries pieces of glacier into the lagoon of various shapes, sizes and colors. It was absolutely breath-taking! (or was that the cold driving rain?) The guide had a piece of 1000 year old ice onboard and chopped it up for us to taste. The ride was over all too fast and I would have liked to go up to the top of the hill and view the lagoon from above. But I wasn’t prepared for the cold and wet today. Rain pants and waterproof boots would have been the wisest choice. Live and learn.

Lunch was at a small authentic little eatery in the town of Hofn. It is known as the lobster capital of Iceland and I had a delicious and reasonably priced lobster baguette. We had a lot more miles to go to our destination in east Iceland so on we went.

I was surprised when we turned off the main road onto gravel but as it turns out, the main road is a gravel one and we hadn’t turned off at all. The coastline began to get real interesting but photos were difficult in the driving rain and it got super foggy. Then we began to see snow (old, not fresh) by the sides of the road – lots of it. Eventually the rain and fog quit. We made a stop for ice cream, then we headed toward the town of Seydisfjordur in the east of Iceland.

Just before we got there we stopped at a pullout by the side of the road to view a raging, waterfall and enjoy the astounding, drop-dead gorgeous views! The town of Seydisfjordur is also a photographers delight and the guesthouse we are in for the night is adorable! Supper was Icelandic lamb served with lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and yogurt in a delicious warm panini type of bun. What fancy restaurant served me this? The food truck across the street!

After supper I went for a walk around the town and up to one of the waterfalls. Seydisfjordur is located at the innermost point of a fjord nestled amongst mountains. Beautiful yellow and pink wildflowers and purple lupins added to the composition of so many photos. There is a harbor here too and ships come in from Scandanavian countries. The wooden buildings are colorful, the architecture is fabulous and I had a ball exploring with my cameras!

Iceland Day 6

This morning started with a half an hour drive to meet our guide for the glacier walk. We got fitted for crampons and were given a serious-looking ice pick as well. Then we drove a further 15 minutes to the base of the Virkisjokull Glacier in southeast Iceland.

We had about a 45 minute walk along a rocky, gravelly path to where we needed to put on the crampons. We didn’t realize we were already walking on the glacier for quite a while as the ground didn’t seem icy. But underneath the loose black stuff that looked like gravel was ice.

Our guide showed us how to put on the crampons, then checked to make sure they were tight. I was wondering what I had signed up for when I was issued the 2 foot long metal ice pick. But it was just so that we could stick the pointy handle end in the ice if we needed extra traction.

Walking on the glacier was easier than I expected. It wasn’t solid ice but kind of soft and crystallized. It was also quite dirty looking. Our guide showed us how much melt had occurred using plastic pipe as a measuring device. There are scientists measuring and photographing the ice on a regular basis to check on the health of the glacier.

There were dangerous looking holes and crevices in the ice. Our guide led us single file and stopped frequently to give us information. I enjoyed hearing what she had to say and I was glad of the chance to catch my breath. This G Adventures tour has been rated a 2/5 in terms of activity level - light walking, nothing too challenging – is how they put it. Ha!

We walked as high up as we could go without ropes, helmets and more serious ice climbing equipment then turned around and made our descent. I was a little worried about slipping as some of the slopes were on the steep side but slow and steady wins the race….or at least gets you back to the bus in one piece!

Our noon meal was a picnic lunch provided for us then we were off again to the next stop – Ingolfshofdi Cape. Our form of transportation to the Cape was quite unique. We piled into a long wheeled wagon and our guide pulled us there with a powerful tractor. I say powerful because there was about 30 of us altogether and we went through quite a deep river right at the beginning much to the amazement of most of us.

It was a bumpy half hour ride across the field of black volcanic ash mixed with basalt. We piled out and hiked up to the top of the cliff where it was grassy. We had to be careful where we walked because of the skua birds nesting right along the path. The parents weren’t too happy with us and swooped pretty close to our heads to show their displeasure. One of these feisty birds attacked a sheep that it thought was getting too close to it’s babies…what a sight!

As we got closer to the ocean side of the cliffs the view was amazing. We were quite high up and I was glad of my fleece and waterproof jacket when it started to rain and blow. I also got good mileage out of my rain pants, gloves and light ear muffs today.

Our guide was a long time resident from the area and knew a lot of history as well as a lot about the local  birds. We saw our first puffin and then some more! They seemed quite curious and posed nicely. The guide set up a spotting scope and we really had a good look!

We hiked for about an hour and a half before we went back for the return tractor ride. I am definitely going to recommend this tour of the Cape on TripAdvisor when I get home.

My new hiking boots got another good workout today