Iceland

Much entices a visit and even with just over two weeks to explore the activities are many.

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20230811

A day late to arrive, but I've made it to Iceland. The 'hurricane' northwest of Scotland delayed the departure of the Smyril Ferry, Norrora, from Hirtshals, Denmark. I boarded the ferry in Torshavn, Faroe Islands, and disembarked at Seydisfjordur, Iceland. Seydisfjordur resides on the east side of the Iceland. I wandered around the tiny town for a spell and then made my way to the airport in Egilsstadur to fly to the domestic airport in Reykjavik.

I found the one hour flight to Reykjavik across Iceland to reveal the landscape from a unique perspective. There are glaciers, rivers, waterfalls, lakes, barren moonscape, green fields, dormant volcanos, and undersea tunnel entrances. It formed a bird's eye perspective of the country soon to be explored on the ground.

Checking into the Igdlo Guesthouse demostrated the penetration of technology in society. Arriving a day late and after hours the envelope with information I needed to gain access was not present. A call to a very friendly supportive man started the process. He said he'd call me back...hmm, that would be an international call for him, but ok. What he meant was that he'd call or text me using Whatsapp and assumed I'd have that. Starting the trip Whatsapp did not reside on my iphone. Somewhere along this journey it found a place among my travel apps. My phone rang and a message popped on the iphone instructing me to turn on data for Whatsapp. That moment his assumption about me having Whatsapp become very apparent. The key information in hand I was able to settle in for the night.

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When I was made aware in my planning exuberance I'd exceeded the Schengen Area maximum day visit I've been slightly troubled - like I'd committed a crime that hadn't been. The trip to the UK and to Turkey addressed that on the premise that the published information about the Faroe Islands was correct. The web search information I found said that the Faroe Islands are NOT in the Schengen Area so that my days spent there would not count. Traveling to Hirtshals, Denmark a 9 day Schengen Area day limit cushion existed in the plan. Then boarding the boat in Hirtshals and exiting the boat in Torshavn, no request come to present my passport for leaving Denmark in the Schengen region to enter the Faroe Islands - uh oh. Well maybe Faroe Islands being a territory of Denmark have some special arrangement. Besides there was nothing I could do as my travel to and from Faroe Islands was established. Exiting the boat in Iceland the customs officers had a drug sniffing dog, but did not want to see my passport - uh oh times 2. It looks like I have not left the Schengen Area.

So this morning I decided to contact the US Embassy in Denmark as they must know definitively whether the Faroe Islands are in or out of the Schengen Area agreement. The embassy is closed on weekends, but there is an emergency number - I called it. Once he clearly understood I said something pertaining to the Schengen Area he hung up. I tried calling the help number in the United States but the menu system must have been penultimate model Verizon, AT&T, Amazon, etc based their call systems on - I gave up. America truly is the land of Darwin - survival of the fittest (or richest).

So the Faroe Islands may not be and likely are part of the Schengen Area Agreement being a territory of Denmark which IS. Thinking I'd like to return to the EU someday and not really wanting to gamble with a large governmental agency, I decided to exit the Schengen Area. I'd have stayed longer and just left Iceland early, but I'm excited to spend some days in Iceland with Evelyn later this month. So I'm leaving to come back.

I have this one day in Reykjavik (after working through the above and booking flights, cars, etc.). I visited the Hallgrimskirkja (concrete church), National Museum of Iceland, The Settlement Exhibition, and got share in the Pride Parade! Now I haven't been to a Pride event in the U.S., but it felt like the entire nation celebrates and delightfully supports diversity.

That much of Iceland near the coast contained birch tree forests helped explain the use of birth in the Faroe Island sod roofs. The forests have all since been eradicated (Probably an indicator of what will happen in the Amazon.). I read arguments for and against the period of monopoly trade where one person was granted exclusive trade rights with Iceland (Faroe Islands were part of this.). The long house excavation in the Settlement Museum was enjoyable.

The weather today is outstanding! Blue skies and warm pleasant temperatures like I haven't seen since, hmm, I don't know when.

20230813

The alarm went off at 5:15AM. I silenced it quickly as I was in a dormitory room with five others. The twenty minute walk to the Flybus station in 11C without a jacket felt good. Iceland Air operates buses from the conveniently located BSI facility in Reykjavik to the Keflavik International Airport. It is another beautiful day in Reykjavik as I arrived at the airport. Surprising how many people were there on an early Sunday morning for an airport on a small island nation. I would describe it as crowded with queues everywhere and no clear indication where to start. Maybe, just maybe, the lesson to relax, survey a situation calmly, and try something knowing it may not work and not fault myself finally resides within my core behavior. The kiosks for 'baggage self check-in' littered everywhere suggested a starting point. 'Bingo!' A scan of the boarding pass now on my phone from checking in online yesterday immediately printed out a luggage tag. Deciphering how to peel and attach it presented more of a challenge for me. Then it was off to the empty area with no queues to drop it off. Standing near a row of empty devices for receiving the bag, I needed a moment to remove my food bag. Suddenly forty or so Asians all packed together rushed up pushing past me to create queues at each of the baggage receiving devices. Well, I've come to expect this from traveling Asians; they move as a frantic anxious self-focused horde. Again, calm pervaded and I just took it in stride. One learns to push back a little with these groups and all resolves itself. The baggage device took some coaxing, but conveyed my backpack luggage away eventually. The efficiency of the system impresses - once one experiences how it works.

I comprehend now a benefit of travel. Being and living an experience in another part of the world teaches us in ways reading can't always do. Like smelling a rose, the literary description doesn't match the experience. I've always thought of Greenland and the Faroe Islands as being independent countries (silly me). Wikipedia clearly says they are 'territories of Denmark' but then confuse things with 'not part of the EU' and maps that don't show them as part of the Schengen Area. Kinda like, part of Ireland is in the UK, but remains a member of the EU. I would still like to get a definite answer from a person as to whether the Faroes are part of the Schengen Area, but I must conclude, in the absence of a physical passport control and stamp, that it is - I believe that is the 'on the ground' definitive proof.

Passport Control to leave Iceland and the Schengen Area opened a convenient window to ask the definitive question of a person, "Are the Faroes included in the Schengen Area?"

The passport officer examined my passport and stamped it. I then requested "May I ask you an unrelated question?" She leaned forward in a friendly manner as said, "Yes". I asked the above definitive question. She smiled ever so sweetly and said, "It's a gray area." Those are her exact words! "It's a gray area!" My goodness after the web searches and side trips to the U.K. and Turkey, not even the passport control officer knows! Then she added that it's probably best to assume they are. I thanked her and passed out of the Schengen Area.

I guess a lesson is 'don't accept everything on the internet as fact or accurate'! I wonder who does know the answer to the question? I'm happy with my decision to play it safe.

Me, you, and probably everyone else grows weary of this talk of the Schengen Area.

I type this on an Iceland Air flight selected and booked barely over twenty-four hours ago.

,,,,

20230820

The plane slowly descended from the east passing along the southern coast line of Iceland. The island of Vestmannaeyjabær passed by shortly before the plane landed in Keflavik International Airport (KEF). The arrival had a sense of familiarity. That knowing what to expect. The flight attendants came through the cabin selling Flybus tickets (bus from KEF to Reykjavik) - so perfect as I needed one - adding to that familiarity.

I exited the bus in Reykjavik walking the ten minutes to the B47 Hostel accommodations. The third time charmed as this guest house/hostel turns out as the best yet I've visited in the city. It appears at the very least managed by a woman from southeast Asia who runs a tight clean efficient ship. I met a lady from Sweden while preparing dinner who's iceland visit highlight constituted running the half-marathon around the city; what do you know, a new twist on how to visit a foreign country.

20230821

The rental car company was able to give me the car several hours earlier than I'd originally requested. I had to keep reminding myself to drive on the right hand side of the road! After purchasing groceries and suffered a little flu exhaustion relapse and had to take a short nap.

First top took in the Arkanes Folk Museum. The several hundred year old Arkanes fishing village had expanded in the past to include cement manufacturing and aluminum smelting. The young lady at the museum convinced me to rent an audio guide; it worked very well and really the museum experience benefited dramatically from using it.

I went around the Grunnafjordur, a tidal flat region, continuing north to the town of Borgarnes. There I visited the burial mound of Egill Skallagrimsson a 10th century war poet. The top of the town's water tower offered a nice 360 degree view of the area.

A short drive landed me at a nearby camping site, a rough one by European standards. With the tent pitched I traveled thirty minutes to the Krauma Geothermal baths. The baths might be considered an after thought as the geothermal heat was tapped for heating homes in the greater region. Iceland's symbol for this type of operation appears to be rainbow strips truncated to form a circle.

The Krauma thermal baths are five outdoor pools and different temperatures ranging from 6 to 43 degrees Celsius. I would have availed myself of it if a hotter one were provided. The facility also had a steam room, lounge room with a real fireplace, and an infrared room. This last room was like a dry sauna but instead of hot air had devices on the walls that emitted heat. I spent several hours soaking in the various pools. There were Italians, Americans, Germans, and likely others.

The rain has settled in over the campsite. It's cold (maybe 40ish?) and gray.

20230822

That transpired as one of the colder nights. My feet were cold though the remainder of me felt ok. The car thermometer reported 2 Celsius. The rain ceased at sometime during the night, but the tent remained covered in water on the outside. Part of me simply wanted to remain in the sleeping bag in the tent. And then part of me wanted to start the day and the car to warm up. The night had been such a contrast to the Krauma thermal baths.

I opted to start the car and warm up. Soon new sites came into view driving down the road.

The first stop was a set of waterfalls: Hraunfossar and Barnafossar. The Hraunfossar are falls created by clear water flowing between lava layers then cascading down into the Hvita river.The Barnafossar falls just up stream are on the Hvita river a glacier feed river. A story at the Barnafossar falls tells of two children going to school by crossing a natural stone bridge over the falls. They never made it to school being found drowned in the cold water of the river. The distraught mother demanded the destruction of the natural bridge. The water still flows under a short natural stone bridge observable from a safe point.

The next stop took me to Vidgelmir which translates as lava worm - a lava tube created during an eruption in the early 10th century. This eruption ejected material stretching for 52 kilometers. It turns out the average surface temperature in Iceland hovers at 1 Celsius or 34 F. So the 1-1/2 hour guided tour of the was on the chilly side! We traveled about 800 meters through the 1.6km tunnel. The well informed guide made the tour interesting and fun. He had us all turnoff headlamps and shutoff the installed lights to allow us to experience complete and utter darkness; even knowing it's a 'tunnel', I'm glad we didn't have to find our way out under those conditions!

The next completely unplanned stop took place at the edge of the Langjokull glacier. I had made no plans for this excursion as it looked inaccessible from behind a computer screen thousands of miles away. But with the 4-wheel driver Duster and nicely provided road maps at major intersections it happened. I drove very close to the glacier and another vehicle drove up onto the glacier. (Tour vehicles were taking people much further up using special tires.) There appeared to be some research taking place. The glacier has receded maybe a kilometer since 1940. I saw what I interpreted to be 'blue ice' under foot. The place supports Icelands tag line of 'fire and ice' - a glacier surrounded by recent volcanic activity. The region feels desolate and large punctuated by flowing rivers.

The final stop was also unplanned. An Iceland 'monument' sign prompted a peek that turned out to be a natural thermal bath. Only just bath water temperature, some algae growing, and already into the evening hour, I decided to pass on a dip.

20230823

I slept much better last night with the addition of some insulation over my feet.

To be poised to pick up Evelyn when her plane arrives into Keflavik Airport Thursday morning, I'm camping at Grindavik on the southern coast. Driving there constitutes the only requirement.

Many months ago a Google Maps star marking the Glymur waterfall got saved. The location involves a minor 3km diversion from the route to Grindavik. Well, a 3km driving diversion and a 5 mile hike! With no preparatory research on how to see the falls, the sign at the trailhead indicating a hefty climb and roundtrip distance caught me flat footed. So on came the hiking boots. (I wonder if the boots had consciousness, if they'd be as tired of seeing my feet as my feet are of being inside those boots. They are comfortable, but some unpleasant organisms are growing there after continuous use.) The trail passes through the Pvottahellir Cave for a fun twist. Shortly thereafter it passes on a log over the Botnsa creek. Trail improvements placed a heavy steel cable for you to grab while crossing the log - a questionable addition. If your feet slipped on the log the cable won't stop you from ending up in the creek as it just swings around. It serves only as a confidence booster to your balance. From the east side of the creek the trail climbs determinedly until reaching the top of the 198 meter falls - the highest in Iceland. Many places allow for excruciatingly dangerous peeks down toward the creek and onwards toward the falls. And my the falls are stupendously spectacular falling and cascading so far while wedged into a very narrow canyon. People looked like specs next to the feature. Gulls nested and rested on the cliffs so frequently flew past and eventually below as one rose higher on the trail. After reaching the top, the descent trail involved crossing over the Botnsa creek back to the west side. I almost made it without getting my shoes damp due to the low water level. I asked a German visitor if the falls were more beautiful in June when the creek level was considerably deeper; he paused with a look of disbelief and said, "who could tell with something so magnificent." Near the bottom of the trail out, someone pointed out wild strawberries; I enjoyed eating the ones I could find!

The Grindavik campground seems a mecca for campers. It's chock-a-block full. The campsite manager I paid the fee to is a jovial Polish guy.

Evelyn texted saying she's just waiting to board her flight in Denver. I should see her bright and early tomorrow morning.

20230824

I awoke before the alarm, then dozed off, then the alarm woke me. I moved to pack up the tent and head toward the airport to greet Evelyn as she came through passport and customs. She looked laden down with a bag off her back and one off her chest.

I parked in short term parking and upon leaving realized it simply billed based on the car licenses plate - a matter to be resolved with the car rental firm later.

We drove into Keflavik taking a short walk to the pier area while waiting for a coffee/pastry shop to open at 7AM. After crescents and drinks we drove about 30 minutes to the Blue Lagoon, a famous hot springs. It features milky colored hot water set in black lava. The entrance fee includes lockers, towels, a drink, and some facial mud. Unknowingly, the time slots from 9AM until 8PM at night were already booked, but the 8:30AM slot when we arrived had openings. Whew, that was a close call as we'd have missed the experience had we been just a little later in arriving. We soaked in the seawater thermal bath before departing.

The nearby town of Grindavik, where I'd camped that night, provided a nearby and good place for food supplies. We headed for a lava tube but found ourselves stopped at some mud pots steamily bubbling away. Across the road Icelandic horses posed for pictures. The lava tube is comparable to the one outside of Flagstaff, Arizona. Evelyn enjoyed the cool air inside but we left soon as neither of us was inclined to explore deep into the tunnel. The next segment was a 2 hour drive (long by my standards these days!). We broke it up with a short side trip to see the closeup of a lighthouse and smell the salty and kelpy air of the North Atlantic Ocean. As we approached the Seljalandsfoss waterfall, we were each secretly hoping we hadn't just driven so far to see just a 'waterfall'.

The Seljalandsfoss is not your typical waterfall! Our arrival time in the day brought the low light of the evening sun to create arcs of rainbows in the mist. We chose to walk behind the waterfall along with many other people who moved slowly leaving us to become increasingly wet in the fall's spray - all one could do was laugh. We had proper rain gear, but it was in the car. Walking behind the waterfall delighted and awakened Evelyn. (She did a stellar job staying awake all day!) We walked the quarter mile to the Gljufrabui waterfalls. At first this didn't seem to offer much, but as we looked closer intrigue rose. The low water allowed for stepping on stones in the creek emerging from the cliff face. Inside the cliff about 10 meters, the place opened up and there a 40 meter waterfall slide and plunged into the room we found ourselves in! I've never experienced anything like it!! We stood there in awe of the place just soaking up the unique beauty in the damp spray.

Feeding Evelyn and letting her sleep were our next targets. Five minutes a way we found a campsite. A 500 meter drive to the Paradise Hostel to check in and we let the day unwind camping across from an 80+ meter waterfall. (Tjaldsvaedid Eystra Seljaland campsite)

20230825

The clouds moved in the previous night as we climbed into tents. It had been suggested that the northern lights would be active and visible, but now not visible. The clouds still hung low partially obscuring the top of the waterfall near the campsite.

We started heading toward the Katla Ice Cave but as soon as the Skogafoss Waterfall came into view from the road we quickly decided to stop here. Many people camped nearby to have a view of the falls and feel their thunder. A raised metal stair leads up to the top of the 60 meter high falls meaning we slipped into the steady queue of people as they climbed to the top. We didn't stop though continuing on the dirt trail heading northward. The trail follows the Skoga river with a series of waterfalls like pearls on a necklace. Some of the waterfalls have names though I didn't make an effort to keep track. We passed the 'strawberry' couple of ladies I'd met visiting the Glymur waterfall two days prior. They were hiking northward for the day maybe 20 miles to a place where a bus would then transport them back to their car parked below the Skogafoss waterfall. It turns out many of the people on the trail were making the hike. Evelyn and I turned back after 2-1/4 miles. We stopped at the top of the Skogafoss waterfall timing it perfectly as the sun had come out and a pretty rainbow amplified the beauty of the falls.

Following Google maps for the Katla Ice Cave we found ourselves traveling on a single track dirt road going up and down through some beautiful country with magical formations and spectacular vista views. When the road came to an end one could see that the point on the map that marked the glacier in the distance remained about 3 miles away. We grabbed our daypacks and set out. Coming down from a little ridge were three people so I asked at the ice cave. They quickly said you can't get there from here - there is a major glacier fed muddy braided river called the Mulakvisi we'd have to cross. Climbing the short distance for a view we confirmed their information - Google struck out on this one! We probably weren't alone in following the impossible directions as we passed many cars returning to the main road. We could see plumes of dust and cars near were the Katla Ice Cave was marked on the map so with the Gaia App we climbed back in the car and began our own navigating.

Evelyn suggested turning onto a particular dirt road but there was no sign for the Katla Ice cave. We continued on to another road intersection and again no sign, but this time we turned as it was the last obvious access point based on the maps we had. The raised single track road was a mixture of gravel and black sand. The Kotlujokull Glacier that houses the Katla Ice rests on the Katla volcano. This volcano has erupted at least 20 times since 2900BCE with stories of people being tramped under ash and snow as recently as 1918. Which likely explains the expanse of fine black sand and limited vegetation we found ourselves traveling through. A jeep with special massive fat tires passed us with a huge trail of fine dust; clearly a guide taking a customer to the cave. We pressed on, but eventually came to a dry river crossing. Evelyn walked it to insure it wasn't soft and then I followed in the vehicle. The driving surface turned increasingly sanding. Evelyn encouraged me to "don't stop!". We definitely weren't going to the cave in this vehicle so focused on looping back to the paved highway which we accomplished. I doubt we'd have been the first tourists to get stuck out there!

(If you choose to go to the Katla Ice cave, the suggestion would be to take a guided tour from the town of Vik.)

This marked our most easterly destination we had time for. We needed to camp near the Gullfoss Waterfall for the night - about a two hour drive. We stopped at the Dyrholaey Viewpoint where we made dinner from the back of the car in the carpark. We visited the Hálsanefshellir Cave with it's black sand beach and intriguing lava formations. The rain threatened as we drove to the campground at Faxafoss waterfall arriving just before 10PM at night. We were both very tired and quickly pitched tents. I snuggled in just as the rain became to patter on the tent cloth. The timing made me smile as I didn't care about packing the tent in the rain in the morning, but definitely was glad not to deal with pitching the tent in the rain.

20230826

Today is (almost) all compliments of Evelyn's desires. The rain had continued all night and would continue all day. The tents made soggy spots on the car backseat floor. We found ourselves at the Geysir park before 8AM. This place compares to the Old Faithful region of Yellowstone National Park. The Geysir geyser blows off a head of steam unpredictably and apparently has been quiescent for some time. However, the Strokkur geyser through spouts of water high into the air three times while we walked about the area! Being a chilly damp rainy morning, the clear bubbling hot water looked so deathly inviting!

The behemoth waterfall, Gullfoss, marked our next stop. Gray clouds hung low and a background drizzle didn't dampen the stupendous power and size of this waterfall! It dropped in two steps with the last into a narrow slot driving up a wall of spray that made one ignore the rain. I feel we both felt mesmerized by this power of this waterfall.

The souvenir shop and cafe had opened by the time we'd satiated our waterfall experience so we warmed up with some hot liquids and pastries.

Evelyn had seen a show that included baking bread in the geothermally warmed sand. This was at Laugarvatn Fontana a place that also has thermal baths. It sits on the Laugarvatn Lake. The hot springs are also used to generate electricity for the local community. The bread dough in a metal pot wrapped in plastic to keep the moisture out is buried about a foot in the black sand and then a cone of sand piled on top. Convention calls for a marker of some kind placed on top as the locals cook all manner of things treating the area like an oven. Twenty-four hours later, the removed pot using a shovel with caution due boiling temperature water in the sand is opened and the freshly backed bread consumed. The bread was served with Icelandic butter and smoked trout caught in the lake. We went back for seconds!

Neither of us could pass up the opportunity to wade in the shallow water at the lake's edge to feel the warmth on our feet. We kept our rain coats on to fend off the rain.

The last activity for the day called for us to snorkel the Silfra Rift. This rift forms part of the Mid Atlantic Ridge separating the North American and Eurasian plates. As the plates separate at 2 cm per year at this location, aquifer water from the Longjokull glacier flows into the deep rift filling it before flowing into the Pingvallavatn lake. The 36° F filtered water provides for up to 300 meters of visibility. The water color is a magnificent electric blue. My fingers were numb by the time we exited the rift. I hadn't anticipated the unique awe of the experience. I'm glad Evelyn wanted to do this.

The night found us staying at a hotel across from the Hallgrimskirkja (distinctive church) in Reykjavik to enjoy warm showers and dry out very wet gear. We celebrated our last night in Iceland at a posh French restaurant.

20230827

The last box to tick off for Evelyn required shopping at the Handknitting Association of Iceland store a few short blocks from the hotel. It didn't open until 10AM thus providing an opportunity for Evelyn to see parts of downtown Reykjavik. With sweaters purchased, we made our way to the Keflavik airport and homes in Colorado.