Library of Water

A potential slogan for the Icelandic Tourism Board could be Iceland: You Will Get Wet as that’s been the theme of this trip to date.   Wet, from the rather persistent rainy weather.  Wet, from the spray being cast off the countless waterfalls.  Wet, from relaxing in the geothermal pools that litter the countryside.  And wet, from the beads of sweat that team down your face as you walk over glaciers, lava fields and hike up mountains.    Although they call this the land of “Fire and Ice” and Icelanders live with the constant threat of an imminent volcanic eruption it is water that is the consistent here and to quote a famous Doctor “water always wins”.

My trips to the West, to view the stunning Snaefellsnes Peninsula, and then to the South, to the Glacier Lagoon at Jokulsarlon, were proof in point as it was how water and the landscape interacted that dominated both trips.

First up was the Snaefellsnes Peninsula which is home to Snaefellsjokull the ominous peak that is the entry point for Jules Verne’s “Journey to the Centre of the Earth” (dinosaurs, giant crystals and inland seas anyone?).     The small tour group was assembled in Reyjkavik and told to expect a 12-13 hour round trip which would allow frequent photo stops. 

 

After some brief pitstops, including the town of Botnsdalur, it was not until we reached the tiny fishing village of Hellnar where Iceland provided its moody best scenery.   From a viewing point close to the hamlet I witnessed one of the most inspiring landscapes I’ve ever seen - waterfalls careering off lava cliffs and smashing into the ocean below.    Picture postcard worthy and enhanced by the brooding dark clouds and unforgiving rain that made the scene all the more unforgettable.  

 

After a lunch stop which consisted of freshly baked bread with Icelandic butter (which is mixed with mustard) and acres of Smoked Salmon at the tiniest of café’s, Fjoruhusid, it was on to the black sanded beaches of Dritvik stopping on the way to marvel at the craggy stacks that poke from the sea like hands reaching for the sky.    The black-sanded beach of Djupalonssandur provided another water phenomenon as, once a wave crashes onto the sand, the colour of the ocean becomes a crisp icy blue – a colour that can only be understood by a photograph.

A brief walk over to the adjoining beach of Dritvik allowed ample time to explore the vast black pebbled beach strewn which is speckled with the twisted orange wreckage of the trawler Eding which smashed onto the beach in 1948.   

 

The loop continued on to the coastal towns of Rif and eventually the largest town on the peninsula Stykkisholmur before looping back to the main road and back to Reyjkavik.   One 12 hour day down but unbeknownst to me a longer day was set for the next day on my venture down the South Coast to the Glacier Lagoon at Jokularson (next update).

Icelandic Folklore…

·         The 13 Christmas Elves (children of a Troll) are located in the Hills outside of Reyjkavik and if a child is naughty (as in naughty or nice) the elves will leave a rotten potato in the child’s shoe during the dead of night (as Icelander’s keep their shoes off when indoors).

Don’t be concerned – it’s what Icelanders do…

·         Babies are left in their prams and parked outside of cafes or shops (especially boutiques) – it’s weird to see the first time but I’m assured this is customary