The final posting - Reykjavik

Our adventure started and ended in the capical of Iceland, Reykjavik. When we arrived 3 weeks ago, we immediately left the city and started on our clockwise tour of the island. Now we return to the city to explore it. This also marks the end of our trip. Hope you enjoyed it! signed with love, Nicolas and Cathy -- "newly engaged" (in case you missed the posting).

The Blue Lagoon

The famous geothermal pool, with its silica mud and algae. It was really worth the wait!

The Great Geysir

Geysir (sometimes known as The Great Geysir), in the Haukadalur valley, Iceland, is the oldest known geyser. The English word geyser to describe a spouting hot spring derives from Geysir (which itself is derived from the Icelandic verb gjósa meaning to erupt.

Geysir has been dormant for a few decades and it only erupts when there is volcanic activity in the area, especially earthquakes. However, 400m from Geysir stands Strokkur, another geysir. Strokkur erupts every 2-3 minutes. Wow !

I played some camera tricks. If you have a fast speed internet connection, look at the pictures with Cathy (light blue coat). I took a series of photos of her playing a clock ;) The shots are about 1/5 seconds appart. Go to the album by clicking on the photo and move from photo to photo.

Flowing geothermal hot pot

This evening we arrived in a geothermal area. We parked the car, packed our gear, and headed up the rocky mountains. After a hike of about 90 minutes, we reached the warm flowing springs. The temperature was 50C in some places, and cooled downstream as several cold sources of water mixed into the stream. We waded in at about 39C. We setup camp by the stream and spent the night.

Raufarholshellir cave

The Raufarholshellir cave is only 45 minutes from the capital -- but it remains nearly unexplored. I had difficulty finding it with my GPS, but it was literally just off a paved road. It is incredible how a 1.3km cave is unfenced and open to anyone and everyone.
We went about 400m into the cave before turning back. That may not sound like much, but after advancing 10 meters into the cave, there is a complete absence of light!
Let me just say that one does not feel very comfortable when there are collapsed boulders all around and water is dripping from the ceiling. Our two flashlights were just enough to help us dodge various collapsed boulders.

Folk Musuem in Skogar

The most beautiful and complete folk museum in Iceland can be found in the Village of Skogar in the south. Here are a few pictures of items that I found interesting.

The black beach in Vik

The village of Vík is the southernmost village in Iceland. A remarkable nearby feature is the beautiful black beach with the Reynisdrangar, black basalt columns sculpted by the sea. A folk tale says that they are former trolls which were caught outside at dawn. The sea around them is rather wild and stormy, so travelers will not be surprised to discover a monument to the memory of drowned seamen on the beach. In 1991, the American journal Islands Magazine counted this beach as one of the ten most beautiful beaches on Earth.

Svartifoss waterfall in Skaftafell

Svartifoss (Black Fall) is a waterfall in Skaftafell National Park. It is surrounded by dark lava columns, which give rise to its name. The hexagonal columns were formed inside a lava flow which cooled extremely slowly, giving rise to crystallization. These are also known as basalt columns. These are the same formations that I blogged about earlier in my posting on Jokulsargljufur National park "The Red Hill".

Sandfell, early settlement site from 1362

At the base of the great Vatnajökull glacier lies the abandoned farm site of Sandfell. A peaceful place -- today nothing remains excepts walls lined up rocks (formerly house foundations) and a cemetery. The church that once stood there was originally built in 1362, marking the earliest of settlements in Iceland. It was destroyed a few times by the volcano over a period of hundreds of years and was finally pulled down in 1914 and the church of Hof (nearby) became the main church of the region.

What is striking about this peaceful place is that it is barely mentioned in the tourist books, so no one stops here except hikers that wish to climb the glacier. Today, the site is marked by a lone tree in a hayfield. That tree is quite significant because there are no trees in the countryside anywhere in Iceland (except for National Parks), because of the sheeps that are free to roam everywhwere and eat everything. There is an old picture from the late 1800's at the site, which I snapped with my camera. Compare it with my own picture of the area (over 100 years late), one can see by the volcanic formations that it is indeed the same place. A famous Icleandic photographer took a beautiful photo of Sandfell which I found in a book. I will look for it and try to post it.

Jokulsarlon glacial lake

Jökulsárlón is the best known and the largest of a number of glacial lakes in Iceland. It is situated at the south end of the glacier Vatnajökull between Skaftafell National Park and Höfn. Appearing first only in 1934-1935, the lake grew from 7.9 km² in 1975 to at least 18 km² today because of heavy melting of the Icelandic glaciers. Approaching a depth of 200 m, Jökulsárlón is now probably the second deepest lake in Iceland. The lake is filled with icebergs, which are calving off the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier. A number of films have had scenes shot at Jökulsárlón, including Beowulf and Grendel, Tomb Raider, Die Another Day (James Bond), Batman Begins and A View to a Kill (James Bond).

Glacial tongue walk

As we were driving westward on the southern shore (direction Reykjavik), we passed several glacial tongues of the biggest glacier in Europe, the Vatnajokull. One of them fed a cobble stone riverbed, so I put the truck in 4wd and drove up to the glacier.

Sea angling in Stöđvarfjörđur

The fishermen are at it again! We were lucky enough to find a retired bus driver from the small village of Stöđvarfjörđur to bring us out sea angling. He had purchased a boat about a year ago to enjoy fishing in his retirement. He had never taken any ‘foreigners’ out to see before. But he brought along a niece and nephew who were excellent translators. After barely making it out of the port, in about 15 meters of water, eight minutes of jigging with a lure, Cathy and I quickly snagged a cod and a halibut. After an hour of angling, we came back to the port with more than forty fish, mostly cod, haddock and one lonely halibut. We kept four fish. We kindly asked the town’s only restaurant owner to cook one cod and one halibut. Delicious fish and chips! As for the 2 haddocks, I grabbed some ice from the fishery in the port to preserve it overnight next to our tent. The next morning, it took me almost an hour to filet them and make cevice with some fresh lime and other ingredients on the campground picnic table.

Jokulsargljufur National park "The Red Hill"

Jokulsargljufur National park was established in 1973. Its area was 150 km² on a 35 km long stretch along the western side of glacial river Jokulsa a Fjollum. The northernmost part, Asbyrgi, was incorporated in 1978. The river canyon is about 25 km long and resembles the Grand Canyon in Arizona. It has amazing waterfalls, unusual volcanic formations, and some really cool basalt rocks (those that look almost human made, see the pics)

Iceland's most northern point

Today we visited Iceland's most northern point. It consists of a bird cliff with a beautiful lighthouse. This cliff is unlike the Latrabjarg cliff that we visited a few days earlier because we found some Northern Gannets there (Fou de bassant). The walk from an unofficial hard to find parking was tough and took about one hour. On the way back, I was able to photograph some Arctic Tern hatchlings (cute alert!). I had to take the photos from the car because the parents were attacking us.

Whale watching in Husavik

Husavik is a town in the North located in a bay where deep currents flow. It is abundant with Minke whales, Humpbacks, and some blue whales. On today's outing, we saw 3 humpbacks. I felt like a nature killer when we came up literally 3 meters from the last beasts, one of which was about 13m in length. At one point there were two boats that formed a V shape, effectively closing in the whales. It didn't seem to bother them that much as they stayed there, and turned around for us. After that they said 'screw the tourists' and started diving deep and went into erradic patterns. The nice thing about this behavior is that since they were diving deep, they flashed their tails at nearly every time they came up to the surface. Amazing, but too darn close! Apparently Iceland does not respect the European and/or international standards for either fishing or whale watching (fish quotas and distance to the whales).

Mission #2: Phallus Museum in Husavik

The Icelandic Phallological Museum is probably the only museum in the world to contain a collection of phallic specimens belonging to all the various types of mammal found in a single country. The guy who runs the place is a former school teacher .. yes ... a school teacher! There is a human donation that is waiting for the host to expire ... see photo (who could have guessed it would be a German!).

Krafla lava walk

Krafla is one of Iceland's most spectacular and most active volcanoes. During the 1970's and 1980's, it became famous for its "Krafla Fires" - curtains of lava fountains from a system of fissures inside the hige caldera. Krafla has been the source of many rifting and eruptive events during the Holocene, including two in historical time, during 1724-29 and 1975-84. We walked on the 25 year old lava field. Many places are still hot, and underwater streams steam up to the surface in various places.

Namafjall boiling mud pots

Boiling mud pots in Namafjall are a spectacular experience. It barely resembles the solfotara that I've (Nicolas) have seen near Pompei in Italy. There are many more colours (grey, red, yellow). Also there are 'steam volcanoes' in the same area.

Midnight volcano walk

Upon arriving in the Myvatn volcanic region and having a quick crepe dinner, we headed to the Hverfjall crater (also known as Hverfell). It is a tephra cone or tuff ring volcano which erupted in 2500 BC in the southern part of the Krafla fissure swarm. The crater is approximately 1 km in diameter. It is rather unique because it look like a human made pile of gravel. Apparently it was formed with an incredible explosion when a magma pocket met and underground river. There is no lava anywhere, just little volcanic rocks everywhere.
The pictures were taken between 11:20PM and 12:20AM !!! the sun disappeared in the clouds at about 11:50PM.

Stampede

On our way to Akureyri, through the mountains of the north, we noticed a large group of horses amassed. We were there just in time to witness a stampede of sorts, the horses had been rounded up, and three riders guided them in a gallop through the valley to a pen on the other side of a river.

Brown trout fishing in Heydalur

Today we visited a really cool farmhouse at the end of a Fjord. The family owned land boasts geothermal pool(s), horseback riding, fishing for Atlantic salmon, brown trout, and arctic char. The salmon can be caught in the river 100m from the house! Last year the patriarch of the family landed a 30 pounder! Since it was too early in the season for the salmon to run up the river, we took a 4x4 ride up a mountain to a lake filled with brown trout and arctic char. The bait was frozen pieces of frozen mackerel on a hook. Cathy landed a beautiful one ... see the pics!

Horse back riding in Heydalur

This afternoon started with a trot, and ended in full gallop, crazy! Cathy loved it (first time for her on a horse). It had been a long time for me, so consider me a total newbie as well. Crossing the salmon river, riding along the beach in the fjord, with nesting birds all around was pretty cool! The horses were so agile and composed, amazing! They responded to the slightest instruction and were calm the whole way.

Seals!

Today we saw lots of cute seals on the side of the ring road, se we stopped a few minutes to watch them in their funny business. Here are a few cropped photos since they were a little away from shore since it was low tide.

Off the tourist map: Fish processing plant in Sudureyri

Today we visited a fish processing plant in the remote town of Sudureyri, west of Isafjordur, via a ubercool tunnel in the mountain (built in 1996) ... about the tunnel, it is the first one I have ever been into that contained a SPLIT in the tunnel !! There is a T-junction somewhere in the centre, with the distances 2.2km, 5.0km, and 8.2km respectively. I was floored when I saw this. One of the underground junctions was also only 1 lane wide, and there were indents in the rock every 10 meters for one of the directions to drive into to allow incoming traffic to pass. There also wasn't any traffic lights at the junction, only a yield sign! (video to come)

Látrabjarg bird cliff

Látrabjarg marks the western-most part of Europe. It hosts millions of birds and is vital for their survival as it hosts up to 40% of the world population for some species e.g. the Puffin. It is Europe's largest bird cliff, 14km long and up to 440m high.

Rauðasandur Red Beach, West Fjords

As we continue through the Fjords on our way to the amazing bird cliffs, we came accross the famous red sand beach of Rauðasandur, where I caught a rare seagull with my camera ... check out the tail ...

Step Aside Marshall plan, move over Shengen Accord, come forth Hot Pot Engagement

Today was a big day for Cathy and I. I popped the question the best way that I thought ... in a off-the-map geothermal pool, at 11:50PM at night (in daylight) ... in my speedo! I captured the moment with a small camera and GPS :) Well, she said yes ! No date set ...

Olafsik fishermen

One of the busiest fishing ports in Iceland in the North West, the town of Olafsik. We caught the boats near 4PM as they came back with the days catch. One day can bring in over 10 tons of fish. Several species, but mostly cod.

Entering the West Fjords

Tonight we are staying in a cute village stuck between several Fjords .. A whale just passed by earlier in the day, so we might be luck to see one .. its 11:30PM, a few hours after dinner, with of course light outside .. so Cathy and I are off to the 'hot pots' (geothermal pool). Lots of really nice photos today .... wide open tourist-less spaces ...

Success! I was able to find and eat fermented Greenland shark

The flesh of a Greenland shark is poisonous when fresh. This is due to the presence of the toxin trimethylamine oxide, which, upon digestion, breaks down into trimethylamine, producing effects similar to extreme drunkenness. Occasionally, sled dogs that end up eating the flesh are unable to stand up due to the neurotoxins. However, it can be eaten if it is boiled in several changes of water or dried or rotted for some months in a process known as Hákarl (as by being buried in boreal ground, exposing it to several cycles of freezing and thawing). It is considered a delicacy in Iceland and Greenland. View all photos here.

Kverkfjöll volcanic caves

For all our pictures click [here]. This is maybe the most famous glacier cave in the world. It was formed by hot water from volcanic spring below the Vatnajökull glacier. The cave was explored by a French expedition in the eighties. They were able to follow the cave about 2km. Since we were poorly equipped tourists with camera gear, one head flashlight, and one afraid of collapsing rock, we only entered about 20meters... Glacier caves are always dangerous. So it is warned to enter the cave as the entrance is rather unstable. Blocks of ice may fall down. Glacier caves are formed very fast, especially if they are formed by hot springs as in this case. On the other hand they are destroyed very easy by movements or collapses of the ice. So they are the shortest living caves at all.

Camping next to a river

On the longest day of the year, the sun never goes down here. It was shining all night in our tent.
We didn't like the ripoff price at the local camping, so I took a dirt road that followed a river and we decided to set up our camp for the night ...

Deildartunguhver Hot Springs

Today we visited the Deildartunguhver hotsprings in Reykholtsdalur. It is characterized by a very high flow rate for a hot spring (180 liters/second) and water emerges at 97 °C. It is the highest-flow hot spring in Europe.

See full album here.

First day´s drive pictures from Reykjavik to Borgarnes

Various photos from the road ...

Arrived in Borgarnes

After a tiring day of tiring driving after no sleep, we arrived in Borgarnes. The roads are so much better than in Canada, and there are sheep and horses until the eye can see. The Borgarnes B&B was a little full, so we took rooms in the owner´s part of the house ... wow ... granite bathrooms and kitchen, large rooms! One thing we weren´t prepared for was the 24hrs of sun. Yes, you read it, there is no night at this time of year. I woke up at midnight and it was light outside. Thankfully we brought some eyepatches. Today we are off to volcanic coast parks of the west peninsula region. We should be seeing some crazy looking cliffs, and lots of seabirds in the coming days.

Packing

We are both running around trying to finish packing, checking flight info, rushing like chickens