Iceland Day 8

Our stay in the town of Seydisfjordur was a short one. But before we left the area, visiting a farm was on the agenda. 

Seydisfjordur is the innermost point of the fjord which is big enough for large ship traffic. Today there was a ferry in port which was headed for Norway.  We drove out towards the ocean for quite awhile. Pavement turned to gravel, gravel turned to bigger rocks, then the road disappeared into a fast moving river. Our guide actually got out and had a look at the rushing water to see if crossing it was doable. I was aghast as I was sure it wasn't a good idea. He came to the same conclusion. 

So we went back a bit, parked the van, then set off on foot. It was a 4 kilometre walk to get to the farm. We alternated between a footpath and a rocky road, crossing several fast moving streams in the process.  Some had bridges, some did not. I was so glad of my hiking boots and superwool socks today. 

We walked by thousands upon thousands of purple lupins in bloom. The landscape was gorgeous with the fjord moving out to sea on the left and rocky hills to the right. 

The farm is literally in the middle of nowhere. I have no idea where the nearest neighbour would have been...not close enough to easily borrow a cup of sugar. The farm is actually a kind of research facility. Students are working on soil research and they are trying to be completely self-sustainable. There are chickens, pigs, and a garden. 

We were served a delicious bowl of vegetable soup together with bread and butter. I'm getting quite addicted to Icelandic butter...what a treat! And with all this serious physical activity we've been doing, I don't feel one bit guilty. After we ate, we set off again on a hike across to the ocean cliffs for some bird watching.  

We had to pass by some of their nests which the birds really don't like. They show their displeasure by dive bombing whoever is in front. It's important not to lag behind or you will become the new target. They don't just swoop a little like the barn swallows back home. They are quite capable of doing some real damage. A good way to protect oneself is to hold up something high up on the air. Some people held lupins on top of their heads. Haha!

At the cliffs we saw many nesting birds of one type or another, including puffins. Their wings are short in relation to their bodies and they really seem to work hard when they fly. 

When we returned to the farm, I was so glad we were getting a jeep ride back to the van. It was not so much the distance I objected to but the terrain. The jeep actually went through the raging creek where the van had turned around. 4 x 4 transmission makes a big difference!

We drove back through Seydisfjordur one more time and joined up with the main highway once again. The weather turned rainy as we left east Iceland and headed toward the north country. 

A welcome stop was at Dettifoss and Selfoss. A 15 minute walk brings you to some pretty impressive falls.  Dettifoss is the bigger one while Selfoss is a series of smaller ones. 

The countryside has changed. There are lots of huge rocks close to shore. It's 7 PM and I’m starving. The vegetable soup I had 7 hours ago  is no longer sustaining me. Must. Eat. Soon. 

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

Iceland Day 5

The day started out cloudy and grey but it didn't rain and there was no wind. That makes a big difference here in Iceland, well, anywhere really.

We headed east on the main highway that circles Iceland, stopping to buy groceries for our picnic lunch later on. Then we headed to our first waterfall of the day and it was a doozy.

Seljalandsfoss is an impressive 65 meters tall and the cool thing about this goss (waterfall) is that you can walk behind it! Apparently when the sun shines, rainbows appear. We weren't lucky enough to see that but it was pretty spectacular all the same. 

Our next stop on the journey east was Slogafoss Falls. A significant number of steps lead one to a viewpoint at the top of the falls. I decided to stay at the bottom and take my time photographing the beauty there. That and the fact that my leg muscles were sore from yesterday’s hike…haha!

Across the river formed from the flow of the falls, I spied some Icelandic horses peacefully grazing as if they were posing for photographers. The backdrop was a beautiful green mountain and traditional farm buildings. The group included a little baby colt which was nursing, after which he contentedly laid down. 

I walked closer to the main attraction, tucking my 'good camera' under my waterproof jacket. Quite close to the falls, there was a little overhang where I stood somewhat protected from the onslaught of water in the air. There were gulls nesting along the cliffs and beautiful flora and fauna clinging to life on the rocks. We had our picnic lunch at some nearby tables. 

In the afternoon we drove to a wonderful viewpoint overlooking the ocean. The rocks were huge, pointy and quite unique-looking! Below, a mother duck of some sort was walking along the shore with her ducklings. She headed towards the water to escape a human chasing her family for a photo. Stupid human! When the fierce ocean hit the ducklings I thought they were goners but they are ducks of course....no worries!

We piled in the van and headed a little further on towards the black sand beach below. You could feel and hear the fury of the ocean. As I was intently looking through my lens, a big wave came past the 'dry' line and got me good! Silly photographer! 

The cliffs above were made of a brown shale-like type of rock. Above that, the ground was a magnificent green and I was amazed to see a sheep grazing on an extremely steep slope. 

The beach was part sand, part rocks.  And oh, what rocks they were! Although they were mostly black, I managed to fill my pockets with various colored stones. I hope to be able to wire-wrap them when I get home and turn them into jewelry of one kind or another. Some people made inukshuks with the stones. Most of the rocks were smooth and invited ‘play’.

When we went to leave that spot, we discovered we had parked on a soft gravelled area. How soft? It was like getting stuck in mud or snow. Fortunately there was a farmer quite nearby with a tractor. Unfortunately we were the third tour van stuck today, while 5 were stuck yesterday. Really! He pulled us out, but for a fee. Our guide wouldn’t say how much but it wasn’t chicken feed.

Our guide told us today was going to be a 'fossy' kind of day. There are over 10,000 waterfalls in Iceland and we've seen some gooders! Our last stop of the day was yet another fall called Systrafoss. It was tucked away amongst some trees and turned this way and that. Nearby was a picturesque sod house which I photographed from all angles.

We are staying 2 nights at the Islandia Hotel in Nupar in the south of Iceland. There is nothing but the hotel for miles, er, kilometers, all around. Dinner is being served!