Iceland 2019

Iceland - The Island of Ice and Fire

  

  This year, my dream of visiting Iceland became true. Since I'm a big fan of Scandinavian cultures and the beautiful nature there, it was a pleasure for me to travel to the Island of Ice and Fire. The journey started in Reykjavík, the world's northernmost capital, which is located on the southwestern coastline of Iceland. So it was possible to sea beautiful sunsets on the seaside, but since I was there in July, it didn't really get that dark during the night. Nevertheless, I will keep the warm summer evenings with the beautiful view over the sea and with the Sólfar sculpture - an ode to the sun in a shape of a Viking ship - in my mind.   

  Too be honest, the city itself has not too many real sightseeing spots, but that doesn't mean, that the city is boring. Starting with the beautiful colored houses, many beautiful scenic squares with flowers, the coffee shops in the Laugavegur or the historical parts with museums, the city has something to offer. One of the famous buildings in the city center is the Alþingishúsið, the Icelandic Parliament House, which was built from 1880 to 1881 and also housed the Icelandic National Library and Icelandic National Gallery in the past. 

  Also a little walk to the old harbor is really worthwile, passing by the Saga Museum. It was interesting to learn a little bit about the Viking history, but the most funniest thing was dressing up as a Viking afterwards.

  The most  impressive building in Reykjavík is definitely the Hallgrímskirkja, a Lutheran church and with 74.5 meters the largest chruch in Iceland. From the observation platform, there's a great panoramic view over the whole city on a sunny day. In front of the church, there is a statue of Leif Erikson, the first known European, who explored the continent of North America and established a Norse settlement at Vinland.  

  Moreover, the Skólavörðustígur, the connecting street from the Hallgrímskirkja to the Laugavegur is full of absolute insider tips. The Nutella Cheese Cake at Café Babalu and the ice cream at Eldur of Ìs should be definitely tasted while being in Reykjavík.
 

  Another place, I really liked, was the Botanical Garden of the city. I went there a couple of times, just to enjoy the silence and the beautiful flowers or for watching the ducks swimming in the little lake. It was a great place for keeping calm for the moment, doing yoga or also for having a picnic with Icelandic Skyr and Hot Dogs. Sometimes, it was also interesting to see families or old people walking around, who also seemed to be relaxed by going through the Botanical Garden.    

  Even if I explored the most places of Reykjavík by my own, it was also a great experience to join the Free Walking Tour for learning more about the history of the city and the country. The tour started at the square in front of the Parliament Building. Then, we went to the Ráðhús Reykjavíkur, the City Hall, which was constructed in 1992. Inside the City Hall, there is a large 3D map of the whole island and it's also used for art exhibitions or music concerts. Outside of the building, there is the Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat -  Óþekkti Embættismaðurinn - on the city lake Tjörnin. The boulder is not only a metaphor for the burden of everyday life, but also casts a spotlight on the faceless officials, who appear for most people only as a cog in the transmission, but never as human being. 

  Our tour guide Nonna also showed us the place for the most famous Icelandic Hot Dog and then, she also brought us to Höfði, the location for the 1986 Reykjavík Summit meeting of the presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, which was a step to the end of the Cold War. The Walking Tour finally ended near to the Hallgrímskirkja.
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  I also made a little 6 km walk to see Gróttuviti, the lighthouse on the island of Grótta, which was unfortunately closed due to the breeding season of the birds, but at least I could enjoy the fresh sea air on the stone beach by having a beautiful scenery around me. I also made a boat tour to see some puffins. Actually, seeing puffins was also on my list, what I really wanted to do while staying in Iceland. But even if I could see some puffins, I was a bit disappointed, that it wasn't possible to go closer to the puffin island, especially, because of the tour wasn't that cheap. So I could see them through the binoculars. The real highlight of the tour was the view of the city of Reykjavík from a different perspective. 

  Probably the most interesting museum, especially for people who are interested in nature and the Icelandic lifestlye of the past, is the Árbæjarsafn open-air museum. In this historical museum, it's possible to have an insight into the living conditions, work and recreational activities of the people of Reykjavík in earlier times. This museum is quite special, because around 30 historic buildings from the capital and other parts of the country have been translocated and rebuilt in the whole area.  
 

 

  A 45 minutes bus ride away is Hafnarfjörður, the third-most populous city in Iceland, in the conurbation of Reykjavík. Unfortunately, the annual Viking festival already took place in June. But for escaping from the tourism in Reykjavík, it's the perfect place by having an ice cream at the beautiful harbor or by getting lost in the elfgarden called Hellisgerði, a calm park and home of little elfs. 

  The most impressive parts of the island can be found outside the cities in the nature. Here, one of my highlights was the daily tour around the Snæfellsnes peninsula, situated in the west of Iceland. Snæfellsness - also named Iceland in Miniature - is full of many national sights, which are incredible beautiful. Luckily, we could enjoy the tour and all the wonders of nature on a warm summer day. 

  We started our tour in Reykjavík and after almost three hours, we reached our first sightseeing spot. At first, we enjoyed the panoramic view over the wide countryside, before we found a beautiful waterfall after a short hiking trip. Then, we continued the tour in the footsteps of Game of Thrones and we found the "mountain, shaped like an arrowhead" - the Kirkjufell mountain. Together with the Kirkjufellsfoss, it's  supposed to be one of the most beautiful sights and the most photographed mountain on the island.

   After a break in one of the small fishing villages with eating fish, we started to explore the southern parts of the peninsula, starting with a walk around the Djúpalónssandur, a black sandy beach on foot of the Snæfellsjökull glacier, where four lifting stones are located, which were used by fishermen to test their strength. Then we just had to follow the street for less than ten minutes until we arrived at the Lóndrangar rock pinnacles. All those rock formations and the cliffs were absolutely breathtaking and if I wouldn't have seen those places, I couldn't believe that they really exist. Also Arnarstapi and the harbor were worthwile to visit, especially in a combination with a hike to Gatklettur, another awesome rock formation out of basalt and lava stone. Before we went back to Reykjavík after this great tour, we also take the chance to take pictures of the Black Church of Búðir, which was first constructed in 1703 and rebuild in 1848.

  Then, we also made a tour in the South of the island. One of the places, I really wanted to see was the Diamond Beach and the Jökulsárlón glacial river lagoon. But before we reached the lagoon, we also had the chance to enjoy the lava fields and waterfalls of the South of Iceland. Two of those waterfalls were the Stjórnarfoss and the Seljalandsfoss. I was quite impressed of the clean blue water at the Stjórnarfoss waterfall, were also many people jumped inside for swimming, since there was also a camping site. Moreover, walking around the slippy way of the Seljalandsfoss gave an indescribable feeling.    

  The closer we came to the lagoon, the more cloudy and rainy it was. So when we made a little break, I wanted to hike, so that I followed a little path to a volcano and glacier area. On the one hand, it was simply a natural spectacle, on the other hand, it was also a bit scary with the wide land and the fog over the glacier.
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  Finally arrived at the Jökulsárlón lagoon, we realized, that it was really cold due to the rain and wind and it wasn't comparable with the weather, we had on our Snæfellsnes tour a day before. We climbed up a hill to enjoy the breathtaking view over the lagoon with all the ice floes. We also thought about a boat tour there, but since it was too expensvie, we skipped it and spend more time on the Diamond Beach. The black volcanic sand beach is famous, because icebergs from the lagoon drift ashore to create a magical place. It was so fascinating to see all the blue, black and transparent icebergs on the beach.

  During the week, we explored the next glacier area. We visited the Langjökull glacier, the second largest ice cap in Iceland. There, we joined the Into the Glacier tour, which allowed us to visit an artificial tunnel system inside the Langjökull glacier. When we arrived at the base camp, we had to change our clothes, because it was supposed to be around 0 °C inside the ice tunnel. After changing clothes, a monster truck brought us to the tunnel entrance from where we followed the guide through the icy corridors. Since it was summer, the ice was also melting and drops of water drip down from the ceiling. But even if it was cold and wet inside the tunnel, I felt like being in a winter wonderland with all the beautiful ice crystals and crevasses around me. Moreover, it was interesting to learn more about the history and the glacier meltings due to global warming in Iceland in generally.   

  Not too far away from the Langjökull glacier, we visited Iceland's largest lava cave, Viðgelmir, where we experienced the wonders of one of the most spectacular caves of the island. It was possible to enjoy the colorful lava walls and stalagmites on the way to the dark underground of the cave. The highlight of the tour were the shimmering icicles, which grew at the bottom of the cave, but I guess, in winter season, it will be even more impressive, when those icicles are much larger. Moreover, I would say, that the price of the guided tour was too expensive for what we could see. 

  Since we were a little bit disappointed by the lava cave, we decided to join an even more spectacular tour to the center of the earth. We were picked up in Reykjavík and brought to a parking area approximately 15 km in the South of the city. To reach the Þríhnúkagígur volcano, we had to hike for around 45 minutes. But the landscape was absolutely marvelous and in my opinion, it was the best hiking route during our trip. We walked through a volcanic landscape with different kinds of craters and when we reached the base camp to get our equipment for entering the crater of Þríhnúkagígur, we had the chance to see the city of Reykjavík at the horizon.

  The volcano can only be entered through the top crater. Using an open elevator system, we descended 120 meters to the floor of the volcano, which last eruption was 4,000 years ago. Inside the magma chamber, which is often called the heart of the volcano, it was possible to admire the colorful lava walls and stones. We could walk around for half an hour, exploring the whole inner side of the crater. It was definitely a greater experience in comparison to the Viðgelmir lava cave.

  After exploring the volcano, we went back to the base camp to eat a bowl of a traditional Icelandic meat soup as refreshment before hiking back to the parking area. In addition, we found out, that a baby arctic fox is raised by the people working at the base camp. So we tried to find the cute fox, running around in the area and luckily, we could find her. She was really confiding and came closer to us, since she was also curious, but unfortunately, we couldn't take her home for being our new pet.    

  On our second weekend in Iceland, we rented a car for doing the Golden Circle tour and for visiting the northern parts. Since we just had a small car, driving on the gravelled road was always an adventure. Nevertheless, we arrived at the Þingvellir Nationalpark without any problems, so that we could start hiking. Our first stop on our hiking route was Öxarárfoss, a waterfall with a water basin filled with stones. Then, we watched the ducks swimming and searching for food in the Þingvallavatn lake, the largest natural lake in Iceland. By walking around the lake, we also saw the Silfra fissure, a rift formed in the divergent tectonic boundary between the North American and Eurasian plates. But since we didn't take any diving equipment with us, we skipped that diving part and continued our Golden Circle tour.

  Unfortunately, it started to rain, the closer we came to Strokkur, a geyser located in the geothermal area in the hot water valley Haukadalur. Strokkur - unlike the Great Geyser next to it -  typically erupts every ten minutes by having a usual height of around 25 meters. Not that far away, we also visited Gullfoss, the Golden Falls, but since it was already getting dark and there was a strong wind, we left the waterfall quite early and returned back to Reykjavík   

  We booked an accomodation in Akureyri, the fifth largest municipality of the country, and on Saturday morning, we started our adventure to the North of Iceland. During the driving time, we experienced all kinds of weather scenarios, from sunshine to rain, from strong wind to fog. It was even so foggy, that it wasn't possible to see anything at all, so luckily we had a GPS with us, so that we could at least know, when there were curves on the street. 

  When we left the foggy mountain area, we could start enjoying the nature again and it didn't last that long and we reached the coasts of the Northwest. We decided to follow the route 72/711 to Hvammstangi to visit the Icelandic Seal Center and then, we wanted to continue the gravelled road for seal watching. Unfortunately, there were only a few seals on an island, which was too far away from the mainland to take good pictures of them.  

  One of my highlights in the Northwest of Iceland was definitely the Víðidalur valley with the imposing Kolufossar Waterfall. It's not even a normal waterfall, it's a cascade of many waterfalls, where the water flows through the deep rugged gorge of the Kolugljúfur Canyon. It was also possible to hike around on both sides of the waterfall and even more impressive was the opportunity to climb to some of the rock formations to have a special view over the gorge and to enjoy the sound of the falling water.

  The next morning, we explored the harbor of Akureyri, nicknamed the Capital of North Iceland, and after finding a geocache, we started to explore more of the region. At first, we stopped to see a wonderful panoramic view of Akureyri with the surrounding snowy mountains and the coasts of the Northeast around Húsavík. Then, we visited the two most important waterfalls in the North of the island - the Goðafoss and the Dettifoss. Especially, the Dettifoss was quite impressive. The waterfall is reputed to be the second most powerful waterfall in Europe after the Rhine falls and the falls are 100 meters wide and have a drop of 44 meters down to the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon. But to be honest, at the beginning, it was hard to expect, that there could be any waterfall, since there is a wide land of volcanic ash and stones. That's also a reason for the dirty grey-brownish water, flowing through the gorge. We were also really glad about observing a rainbow in the gorge of the waterfall.  

  Then, we also wanted to see Ásbyrgi, a glacial canyon located 30 km away from Dettifoss. The horsehoe-shaped deepening is part of the Vatnajökull National Park. During the way, we didn't only had to pass gravelled roads, we also had to cross small rivers and potholes. So we definitely regretted not to have a jeep at that time, because it was quite difficult to drive around with our small car and when we reached the parking area, we were even more unhappy, because two hikers told us, that it was a two hours walk to reach the canyon side, so since we had to drive back to Reykjavík on the same day too, we skipped that route. 

  Since we skipped the two hours hike, we could spend more time at the Mývatn lake. The lake and the surrounding wetlands are protected as a nature reserve and it was worthwile to walk around the whole lake area, which was created by a large basaltic lava eruption more than 2,000 years ago. The area was definitely a photographer's paradise. I really loved that the clouds were reflected in the clear water of the lake. Also different lava stone fragments in the middle of the lake were quite fascinating, so that we definitely made a good decision to spend enough time there. Then, on our way back, we also saw a hotspring in a geothermal area, where it wasn't allowed to go swimming, but the light blue water looked really amazing. After that stop, we just went back to Reykjavík and arrived there in the middle of the night, being quite tired after that long weekend trip.

  At the end of our Iceland adventure, we made a tour in the South again. I really wanted to see the Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck. In 1973, a US Navy DC plane crashed on the black beach at Sólheimasandur, but luckily, everyone in the plane survived. The remains of the plane wreck are still on the sand, close to the sea. From the parking area on the Ring Road to the plane wreck, it's a walk of almost one hour, but the scenery of the white abandoned plane on the black beach is worthwile to see and the whole surrounding looks like in a science fiction movie, even if I still have the feeling, that it's strange, that a plane wreck can be a sightseeing place.   

  On the way, we also stopped at the Lava Center, an exhibition about the formation of Iceland, its volcanic origins and current volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. At the beginning of the museum, there's a possibility to watch a 20 minutes movie about the volcanic activities of the past, which is quite exciting and stunning. In the exhibition part, it's possible to learn a lot about the volcanos in general, so it was great to go there.  

  Before driving back to Reykjavík, we visited the cute turf houses close to the Rútshellir Cave. I really liked those houses, in the midst of the nature in a quiet environment. Furthermore, we also wanted to see the impressive Skógafoss, a waterfall located directly on the Ring Road. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to climb up the staircase for the great view over the coastal landscape. For the next Iceland adventure, I would definitely visit this area again, because there is the beginning of the famous Fimmvörðuháls hiking trail up to Eyjafjallajökull glacier. But there are also other places to visit, so I will definitely come back to Iceland someday.