22.05.2021
Reykjavik
Being still totally hyper from my incredible helicopter flight to the new volcano, I drove to Reykjavik city center … since I was here anyway, might as well have a look around. Driving a couple circles I found a parking lot near Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre. With my head still in the clouds and by the volcano, I read the signs at the parking meter wrong … I fed the machine with coins worth ISK 360 … I only noticed when I had a look at the receipt later … I had paid until Tuesday morning … since Monday was a bank holiday … Saturday it was only chargeable until 16:00 … so I would have had to pay only for 45 min … ISK 150 would have been more than enough … I totally forgot that today is Saturday … Vacation mode is on!
We had visited Reykjavik in depth during our tour in 2019, so I was not going to hang around the city too much. I did not feel like big city … I wanted to process my impression from the volcano and I wanted country side and nature. But I had to at least take a stroll around … I could not come to Iceland without at least a quick look at the capital … And I wanted to see the The Sun Voyager – Sólfar in Icelandic – a sculpture by Jón Gunnar Árnason – which we had somehow missed last time. There was a geocache to be found nearby as well …
The Sun Voyager is described as a dreamboat or an ode to the sun and symbolizes the promise of new, undiscovered territory. The artist intended it to convey the promise of undiscovered territory, a dream of hope, progress and freedom. It was unveiled on the birthday of Reykjavík – 18.08.1990 – to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the city. The work is constructed of quality stainless steel and stands on a circle of granite slabs surrounded by so-called town-hall concrete. Unfortunately, there was not much sun today in Reykjavik … it was overcast once more …
Apparently, there have been speculations that the Icelanders as a race originated in Mongolia. The artists concept and legend behind the history of their migration to Iceland has it that many centuries ago, a mighty warlord was living in the centre of the known world. He dispatched his bravest and most experienced warriors, along with some women, scribes and other followers, on an exploratory expedition to the cardinal directions – the north, west, south and east – in order to discover and conquer new, unknown territories. Those who headed east followed the rising sun until they reached the steppes of Mongolia. There they settled down and lived in comfort. Those scribes who accompanied the warriors were expected to document the expedition for the king. Several centuries later, when the documents written by the scribes eventually came to be examined, the people discovered that they had another fatherland in the west. They therefore decided to gather together their belongings and head back west towards the setting sun. They followed the sun for days and years, walking, riding and sailing and their determination grew in strength as their journey progressed. They recorded everything that they saw and experienced – endless pine forests, mountains and waterfalls, lakes, islands, rivers and seas before reaching the ocean. Then they constructed huge ships and sailed on westwards towards the setting sun and thus landed in Iceland.
There has been some dispute about the eventual location of The Sun Voyager – some people have complained that the ship does not face west, towards the setting sun in accordance with the concept behind it. The artist Jón Gunnar’s original idea had been for the ship to be placed on Landakot hill – the prow facing the centre of Reykjavík and the stern to Landakotskirkja. Another possibility was by the harbour or at the coastline by Ánanaust. Unfortunately, changes in the town planning for Reykjavík came to rule out those locations and in the end, The Sun Voyager was located on Sæbraut on a small headland – which the artist jokingly called Jónsnes – Jón’s Peninsula. He was well aware that when bolted to its platform, Sun Voyager would be facing north, but felt that that made little difference when it came down to it. The Sun Voyagers irregular form with the ever-flowing lines and poetic movement make it seem as if the ship is floating on air. It reaches out into space in such a way that the sea, the sky and the mind of the observer become part of the work as a whole. As a result, The Sun Voyager has the unique quality of being able to carry each and every observer to wherever their mind takes them.
I found the sculpture intriguing, but did not forget to look for the secret box hidden really close to the platform. I was all alone here today … only the odd jogger passed by as well as a couple people obviously busy with themselves heading home. I could search without having to worry about being too obvious … nobody paid attention to me. The difficulty rating of the geocache was set to 1.5 … well, today that was absolutely correct … I found it in a jiffy … but I did not want to think about a sunny day or in high season when this place gets visited by many people … Quickly I signed the logbook and hid the small box again properly …
Having accomplished my one and only objective in Reykjavik, I walked up to the main street Laugavegur – the primary commercial artery of downtown and one of the oldest shopping streets. The name means wash road, as it used to lead to the hot springs in Laugardalur where in former times the women of Reykjavík took their laundry for washing. It was constructed in 1885 as a result of town council’s decision and experiencd economic setbacks mostly because shopping malls opened elsewhere recently. However, it maintains the charm of a historical shopping street and is still home to the more exclusive stores in Iceland, many bars, nightclubs and restaurants.
Despite being the world’s northernmost capital, Reykjavík is home to a thriving and prevalent street art scene. On our tour in 2019 I made a point of tracing many of the murals … I am a sucker for street art murals … one of my favourite places is Lodhi District in New Delhi! Absolutely awesome. But Reykjavik is cool too. Today I was not on a mural hunt, though and just looked at the ones I happened to walk past … At Laugavegur 25 I found this amazing American eagle.
I even discovered a half finished dragon … probably a piece in progress … I guess, I will have to come back to see it finished!
Of course I had to take a photo of the Rainbow Street as well. Apart from stunning waterfalls, breathtaking glaciers and magnificent volcanoes, Iceland is also home to 2 colorful streets. One of these streets is located in Seyðisfjörður – we had been there on our tour in 2019 – and the other one is located in the heart of Reykjavik. We had been here, too – actually right during Pride 2019. As a part of the 20th Reykjavík Pride celebration in 2019, Skólavörðustígur Street had been painted in rainbow colors and this rainbow street had by now become permanent. The residents were allowed to participate in the painting of this street so everyone had the chance to contribute to this piece of art leading to Hallgrimskirkja. It was still there and sparkeling like on the first day …
There was not much happening in the city on this Saturday afternoon … as my theory had been in the last days … the few tourists who were in the country, were probably at the volcano right now … and locals were maybe too … or resting and getting ready for a Saturday night out … even if it would be an early one thanks to the circumstances. Anyway, there were only a few shops open and I bought some postcards to send … they even had stamps … The tragic this was … THEY DID NOT HAVE POSTCARDS WITH THE NEW VOLCAON ON IT! … I mean, how can that be? … Scandal! … There were so many photos flying about the internet! That would have been a business opportunity! Sell postcards with the brandnew volcano to the few tourists … or interested locals, for that matter … I would have bought a load of them! … But … NO! … There were only old photos of previous volcanic eruptions … Old news, if you asked me! … I bought some anyway …
I had a notion to maybe get a drink at Hard Rock Café Reykjavik … but it only opened at 17:00 nowadays … and I could not be bothered to wait … Anyway … I still had volcano on my mind … so … a quick walk around and by 16:15 I was back in the car and off again! On the way back to the apartment. I could not wait to get out of city traffic again … and just as I reached the city limits I also reached the rain … it was pouring down all the way back … By 17:15 I reached the apartment and I was hungry! I had not eaten anything today other than some skyr and pretzels … I had been too excited all day … So now I got cooking right away!
Deciding on … well … what was there? … some more Danish piglet I had bought yesterday and some carrots and cabbage and onions … with that and some Thai curry paste I pimped a package of instant noodles and I was set. Along with a Carrot & V it sure hit the spot!
With half an eye I watched some Netflix … basically it was just background sound … while I sorted through today’s photos to post a few for the family. Later I did a little bit of packing for tomorrow. I planned on leaving as early as possible in the morning … I had a long way to go tomorrow! Watching some TV and jotting down notes for the journal, I decided to sleep early. I was tired after so many breathtaking impressions today … so I fell asleep in no time.
23.05.2021
652 km Eyrarbakki to Egilsstaðir
Having a lot of kilometers to cover today, I had set the alarm to 05:00. When I woke up slightly before that, I quickly booked a room for my last 2 nights in Iceland. I found a very reasonably priced one – € 34 per night – close to Keflavik Airport – perfect location to hike the volcano again and just 5 km from the airport for my very early morning flight home. But that was still a good week off …
That done I got up – coffee, shower and pack … The weather looked good this morning – the sun was out – and by 06:00 I started to pack the car. I had called the reception guy last night to see about check-out and was told to leave the key in the apartment and just pull the door shut. A last look around the apartment … nothing forgotten … all charging cables … settle in the car … adjust the offline map … I did not really need a map since the Ringroad was pretty straight forward and I wanted to drive all the way to the northeast today. The day before yesterday I had booked a room with shared bathroom and kitchen at Lyngás Guesthouse in Egilsstaðir for € 42. Just for one night. We had spent 3 or 4 days along the southern coast of Iceland which had been absolutely outstanding. But therefore I was going on a road trip today with only a few photo stops along the way … maybe …
At 06:15 I pulled out of the parking lot in front of my apartment and was off. Today I made a point to look back as I was leaving the village to maybe catch sight of the volcano one last time … and I was lucky! Just then the monster had been spitting and while I could not see the red glow, the white gas plume billowed high over the ridge. There seemed to be no wind today. The visibility was great and the mountains towards the northwest had a dusting of fresh snow. I had passed this area on road #39 yesterday afternoon in the rain … and the higher elevations had obviously gotten some snow.
First stop was in Selfoss to fill up the car … 29.5 liters for ISK 6903 fit in today. The full tank would hopefully last until Egilsstaðir. From Selfoss I headed east along the Ringroad #1. The road was empty so early on this sunny Pentecost Sunday morning … Selfoss was deserted and for the first 50 km or so I did not meet any other car at all … and after that only a few as well …
I had been driving this part the other day on the way to the airplane wreck, but it was still beautiful this morning. After Hvolsvöllur it was not far until I reached the turn off for the ferry to Vestmannaeyjar – the Westman Islands. I only stopped at the information point next to the Ringroad, because a huge Puffin sculpture was marking the spot and I had seen it last time passing by. The Westman Islands consist of 15 volcanically active islands and 30 rock stacks and skerries off the south coast. They have a total size of only 16.3 km². The archipelago is approx 38 km long and 29 km wide, the closest point lying some 8 km from Iceland’s mainland. “You have not seen Iceland until you have visited the Westman Islands.” That is the local wisdom that Icelanders often say to visitors. It is true that the Westman Islands are one of Iceland’s most exciting locations geographically, historically and scenery-wise as well. We did not have the time to visit them in 2019 and this time around I plainly have not had them on the radar … my main objective had been the visit to the volcano … oh well … I guess I will have to come back to visit them some other time …
I had planned a first stop in Vík í Mýrdal this morning. The road was leading along the base of the hulking and infamous Eyjafjallajökull – glacier of the mountains of the islands – past the haunches of the foothills rising to more glaciers, mountaintops and volcanoes further inland. The parking lot for the Sólheimasandur Airplane Wreck was deserted this morning as well. It was roughly 140 km to the southernmost village in Iceland and this morning I met exactly 5 cars – Believe it! I counted! – since leaving Eyrarbakki approx 2 hrs ago! But there were considerably more sheep crossing the road today!
While we had visited the sights around Vík on our tour in 2019, we had missed out on the view from church. There was also a geocache next to the church, so I wanted to stop there. Víkurkirkja was built 1932 – 1934. The most significant relic the church holds is an altar containing paintings by the famous Icelandic painter Brynjólfur Þórðarson. The church is situated above the village and offers some very nice views. I had expected it to be busy on Pentecost Sunday … but it was closed … maybe I was just too early …
Vík lies directly south of the Mýrdalsjökull glacier, which itself is on top of the Katla volcano. Katla has not erupted since 1918 and this longer than typical dormant period has led to speculation that an eruption may occur soon. An eruption of Katla could melt enough ice to trigger an enormous flash flood, potentially large enough to obliterate the entire town. The town’s church, located high on a hill, is believed to be the only building that would survive such a flood. Thus, the people of Vík practice periodic drills and are trained to rush to the church at the first sign of an eruption. Despite its small size with a population of approx 320, Vík is the largest settlement for some 70 km around and is an important service center for the inhabitants of and visitors to the coastal strip between Skógar and the west edge of the Mýrdalssandur glacial outwash plain.
Before I went in search of the geocache I climbed up the hill behind the church parking lot to enjoy the magnificent view … with my lone car in parking lot … The village’s stretch of black basalt sand beach is counted as one of the 10 most beautiful non-tropical beaches in the world … is one of the wettest places in Iceland. The cliffs west of the beach are home to many seabirds, most notably Puffins which burrow into the shallow soils during the nesting season. Offshore lie stacks of basalt rock – Reynisdrangar – remnants of a once more extensive cliffline of Reynisfjall, now battered by the sea. There is no landmass between here and the Antarctic and the Atlantic rollers can attack with full force. According to folklore, the basalt stacks are former trolls who tried to drag their boats out to sea only to be caught by the rising dawn. Contemporary legends note the story of a husband who found his wife taken by 2 trolls, frozen at night. His wife was the love of his life, whose free spirit he was unable to provide a home for – she found her fate out among the trolls.
The secret box was hidden on the slope behind the church. It was an easy find since it was under the only bush there was in the vicinity … The Lupinus – commonly known as Lupin, Lupine or regionally as Bluebonnet – were just about to start blooming. It was the first time I saw them in Iceland. Last time in 2019 we had been too late in the season and they had already finished blooming. This time around I was too early … oh my … another reason to come back …
For me it was time to get going east again. I still had a lot of plans today! Here along the southern Ringroad – or at Iceland’s Ringroad per se – the road was the destination. The landscape was just breathtaking in the morning sun. I was so lucky with the weather! It was just beautiful. Mýrdalssandur outwash plain formed by the eruptions of Katla volcano – and then Eldhraun, remarkable moss-covered lavafields created by the epic Laki eruptions in 1783 – flew by. The road was absolutely straight and I met very few cars … however, it seemed people were waking up now … The clouds were just amazing over the plains … I had attached the GoPro on top of the mobile holder and recorded some timelapse sequences during the day. They turned out great.
Having passed those plains, the road skirted the cliff side again for a while. Waterfalls were tumbling down from the cliffs, red-roofed white-washed farmhouses were dotting the green pastures and everything was interspersed with gravelly riverbeds. I did not stop or look for any geocaches along this stretch … all of the ones conveniently close to the road we had already found and logged in 2019. Briefly I had scanned the the map before, but it looked as nothing new had turned up. So I just enjoyed the drive. There was so little traffic and such a straight road that I could do quick photostops basically in the middle of the road …
Soon I reached Skeiðarársandur – another barren glacial outwash plain – a vast expanse of sand generated by the transport of debris by the Skeiðará and other rivers, whose flow is generated by the Skeiðarárjökull glacier and fed by the volcanic systems of Grímsvötn and Öræfajökull. The coastline of the Sandur is 56 km long from Hvalsík to Hnappavallaós. It was a flat area of black-grey sand and the road was almost totally straight … roughly 50 km … of flat and very straight road … little traffic … barren landscape … the odd narrow bridge crossing a glacial river … The good thing was that on the horizon I could see the glaciers …
Skeiðarárjökull is a wide glacier tongue – a valley glacier – one of the southern arms of Vatnajökull, the largest and most voluminous ice cap in Iceland – covering approximately 8% of the country – and the 2nd largest in area in Europe. From Skeiðarárjökullto the sea is 20-30 km … therefore the vistas were totally magnificent the entire time.
Skeiðará – in spite of its short length – has a bad reputation and is especially feared because of the frequent glacier runs – tidal waves resulting from eruptions in the Grímsvötn volcanic system that can be fatal. The last major glacial outburst flood – a Jökulhlaup – so far triggered by a volcanic eruption in Gjálp happened in 1996. Water masses and house-sized boulders of ice washed away part of the Hringvegur – the Ringroad – on the upstream plain of the Skeiðarársandur. At the peak of this glacier run 50000 m³/s of water were coming down and temporarily destroyed the bridge – which was immediately restored, though. Some remains are set as a monument near a road side viewpoint. I had studied the informations boards in depth last time we were here, so today I just did a quick photo stop to soak up the view.
More ice-tinted landscape lined the road on the left while on the right the coast came into view again after I had passed Skeiðarársandur. It was only a good 50 km or 30 min on when I already neared Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon – Iceland’s deepest and most spectacular glacial lake full of broken icebergs, streaked blue and black while floating with the tide – beloved by tourists, photographers, adventurers – even world-famous Hollywood super-spies. But I was not going to visit there today … we had done the boat tour last time … I turned off towards the coast and Diamond Beach!
Diamond Beach is the result of the glacial ice breaking off of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacial tongue into Jökulsárlón Lagoon. This ice slowly makes its way out into the sea with the tide. The whole process breaks up huge glacial icebergs into thousands of incredible chunks that wash up on the jet black sand of Breiðamerkursandur. I had been so impressed with this last time we were here … I had to see it again! The contrast between ice and sand makes for truly breathtaking sights … eventhough the sun had largely disappeared and it was overcast once more. Last time we were here in August 2019, the lagoon and the beach had been really busy … today the parking lot was virtually empty … there were 2 other cars there. The wind was cold, so I put on all my warm clothes and took all my photographic gadgets … I was off to take photos of ice diamonds.
The Diamond Beach or Black Diamond Beach is not called that in Icelandic – that strip of sand is just part of a longer stretch of glacial plains called Breiðamerkursandur. However, Diamond Beach is undeniably a very appropriate name – the ice really does look like diamonds, glistening on the black sand even on a partly cloudy day!
It really did feel magical. Black sand beaches already were special, but huge chunks of ice added to the equation and maybe even some sunrays … or the moody ambience of an overcast sky … made them spectacular. The majority of Iceland beaches are made up of jet black sand. This is a result of the volcanic nature of the island. The rocks and ash are ground down over time and eventually become the black sand that makes up these vast stretches of shore. The contrast between the phenomenal black sand, the thunderous waves, the glistering ice diamonds and the atmosphere in total was amazing and truly unique.
I wandered along the beach and only encountered 4 other people. They were as much in taking icy photos as me. Everybody was totally involved and mezmerized by the ice. But the further I walked away from the river mouth the less ice there was … so I started heading back.
I played around with my favourite Piccolo a lot … and before you ask … NO! Unfortunately I am not getting sponsored by them! … I had brought it solely as a prop today. The contrast made for great photos. But it was quite a mission … a few times it was almost taken away by the retreating waves … but I always caught it in time … more than once I got my trouser legs wet up … good thing my hiking boots are waterproof!
The ice diamonds were just of all kinds of different sizes and all were sparkly. I think I got some really awesome photos … which is actually not hard to achieve in such a breathtaking location … I could not get enough of the scenery and the waves crashing over the icy diamonds …
I spent a good hour on the beach before slowly heading back to the car … of course I kept getting distracted by more ice diamonds … it was just too beautiful here … the contrasts … the colours … the ocean smell … I know … I am repeating myself …
The chunks of ice on black sand were reminiscent of precious stones on a black velvet cover … they looked like a spectacle from a movie glistening with impressive hues when struck by a ray of sunlight …
Eventually I had to get going, though … but not before taking some more diamond photos … and did my car not look absolutely cool on the embankment in front of Breiðamerkurjökull glacier?
Back on the road, I had to cross the bridge over the outflow river of Jökulsárlón Lagoon. Thanks to the very light traffic … a basically empty road … I could stop in the middle of the narrow bridge – unthinkable of in regular times – for a quick photo. Despite the overcast sky it was a marvelous view over the lagoon and the glacier!
From now on the road along the southeastern coastline was super scenic. Only the weather was a little iffy again … Typical for Iceland … the weather changed around every road bend … but a little rain could not put me off … not only because … I spotted the first Rendeer! Really! First there was only the road sign to pay attention … Yeah! Right! I had been here before and we had only seen the sign … but no Reindeer! … But then … I could hardly believe my eyes … There were quite a few Reindeer peacefully grazing on a pasture near the road! Cool!
Of course there were also plenty sheep around as well … There were freaking sheep literally everywhere in this country! But they are not wild … Every sheep belongs to somebody. When it is spring, the famers set them free so they can graze everywhere in the country as wild animal. In September, it is the Sheep Round-up. Groups of farmers and pretty much everybody who want to help, round-up sheep and sort them to bring them back to their owner. Every sheep has an identification in its ear. There is no wild sheep. And at the moment it was lambing season – which starts usually in early May and is an important part of the year as it signals the end of a long winter and the start of summer and warmer days. I came to Iceland right in the middle of it.
And more Reindeer! Reindeer are not native to Iceland. Like all other land mammals, Reindeer were brought to Iceland by humans – The only native land mammal in Iceland is the Arctic Fox. Following a royal decree, the Reindeer were brought in the 18th century. The king and his advisors believed Reindeer would thrive in Icelandic conditions and farmers could then be taught Reindeer herding. 4 different groups of Reindeer were brought to Iceland in the 1770s and 1780s and released in Vestmannaeyjar archipelago off the south coast, in Reykjanes Peninsula in the southwest, in Eyjafjörður Fjord in North Iceland and in Vopnafjörður Fjord the Eastfjords. Only some of the animals managed to survive the transplantation from Finmark in Norway to Iceland, though. All the animals in the group in Vestmannaeyjar died within a few years, while the groups in Reykjanes and Eyjafjörður survived until the early 20th century. The only animals which managed to prosper were those released in the Eastfjords. Today the population in the mountains of the Eastfjords and the eastern part of the Central Highlands counts some 6000-7000 animals.
Attempts to introduce Reindeer farming were a complete failure. A recent study by the Ministry of Agriculture found that large scale Reindeer farming was incompatible with the maintenance of the wild population. The ministry has therefore opposed any ideas to begin commercial Reindeer farming in Iceland.
Reindeers in Iceland usually stay in the higher ground. During the summer months they mostly hang around Snæfell mountain – with a height of 1833 m the highest mountain in Iceland that lies outside Vatnajökull – beacuse at its feet was the largest contiguous overgrown area in the Icelandic highlands and thus an important pasture for Reindeer. A considerable part of this area is now under the Hálslón Reservoir, which is part of the Kárahnjúkar Dam, however. Best time to see the Reindeers in Iceland is in winter time when the herds head down to the lowland searching for food. They can sometimes be seen as far south as the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon … close to there I spotted the first ones and I encountered several more along the coastal road.
Driving along I was keeping an eye out for a picnic spot as well. It was almost 15:00 already and I felt a bit peckish. In this vicinity we had a lunch picnic as well on our tour in 2019 … I also found the exact spot … only it was not to inviting today with a light drizzle and strong wind … so I kept going and being on the lookout. In the end I stopped in a spot slightly above the road with a great view and had my lunch picnic in the car. Crispy bread and Karrísíld – fine herring fillet pieces in a delicious curry sauce. Very yummy!
That the weather constantly changed between sunny stretches and overcast and some drizzle did not affect the scenic drive. I passed several rural properties … there were Icelandic Horses calmly grazing, more Reindeer lounging around and snowcapped mountains in the distance.
Most of the settlements had glaciers right in their backyards. From Vatnajökull several glacier tongues reached down to the lowlands and made for an amazing backdrop. Vatnajökull National Park is one of only 3 national parks in Iceland. It encompasses all of Vatnajökull glacier and extensive surrounding areas. The park now covers 14141 km² or approximately 14% of Iceland, making it Europe’s 2nd largest national park in terms of area. In 2019, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The vistas were stunning all along – I bypassed Höfn and followed the Ringroad which skirted Skarðsförðür and then crossed the headland of Stokksnes with Vestrahorn – a 454 m tall scree mountain, mainly made up of gabbro and granophyre rocks.
Coming out of the tunnel and around the corner, I did another photo stop in a sunny moment. There was a red chair – as some sort of art installation. We had seen it on our last tour and had stopped there for a photo and a geocache which was hidden below it. Today I just had to stop, because I found the red chair really cool.
What followed was another impossibly beautiful part of the drive … the road curved past a handful of farms backed by precipitous peaks and the swan-filled lagoon of Lónsfjörður with the Hvalnes Nature Reserve before rising high above the coastal cliffs.
This was one of my favourite sections of the Ringroad. I did a couple of photo stops along the cliffs. Parking bays were conveniently located at the best viewpoints. And the views were just breathtaking.
Below the road, the cliffs leveled out a bit and there were little coves with black sand beaches. Down there a geocache was hidden. While last time around I did not dare to go down the gravel track, this time I was more courageous and did not hesitate. I would say, I already had more experience in driving gravel now and also the old car with all the scratches already would handle it better than the comparatively fancy and brandnew car we had last time.
I parked the car and walked the last hundred meters to the hiding place of the secret box, which I quickly found. It was a beautiful place – close to the ocean, the black beaches and the tall mountains. I swiftly signed the logbook and took in the views before heading back to the car. The wind was very strong and very cold here!
East Iceland has many … many narrow fjords surrounded by steep cliffs. Fishing villages sit in most of them. Broad valleys open up superb vistas. Those East Fjords represent some the very best and most beautiful of what Iceland has to offer. Considering only 3.2% of the entire population of the country lives in this region … there is a level of privacy and peace around here that is insane. The road was literally empty … Once more I only passed through on the way to Egilsstaðir, though … but plenty of photo stops were in order!
This region is especially famous for its herds of wild Reindeer. Of course, I met some more! A small herd was grazing right next to the road. The Reindeer – Rangifer Tarandus – a species of Deer with circumpolar distribution native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, boreal and mountainous regions of northern Europe, Siberia and North America – can grow antlers annually, although the proportion of females that grow antlers varies greatly. Antlers are typically larger on males.
I stopped right in the middle of the road … there was no traffic at all … taking some photos I was sstunned … all of a sudden the animals just decided to walk on the road … not sure what they wanted there … but they were very calm … after a few minutes they walked off again …
All wild mammals in Iceland – apart from Mink, Mice and Rats are protected in their natural environment according to a law about protection, conservation and hunting of wild birds and mammals. However, the Reindeers have always enjoyed more protection than other mammals in Iceland. It is allowed to hunt reindeer in Iceland but a special hunting quota is issued annually and is estimated for each hunting area, based on the number of animals of each gender. Every year around 1200 animals are randomly issued to applicants – local and international. The environment agency of Iceland takes care of hunting management and issuing hunting licenses.
After this impressive Reindeer encounter I sort of needed to step on the gas. I still had a good 2.5 hrs to go to Egilsstaðir … While some 160 km were not much on the German Autobahn … here the speed limit was 90 km/h and even the Ringroad was nothing like the German Autobahn … not considering the many distractions …
That’s the thing about Iceland.
It constantly challenges your senses and expectations
and seemingly around every bend in the road,
lies something truly unexpected.
Re.is
Coming around the next headland I hit a wall of dark grey clouds and rain … but a beautiful rainbow appeared! This is the thing with Icelandic light … together with the Icelandic weather … it makes the greatest rainbows.
In the midst of the rain I observed another small herd of Reindeer. They were loitering in the mossy pasture by the side of the road. The clouds were just high enough to let me have a glimpse of the very low snow line …
From Breiðdalsvík there were 2 options to reach Egilsstaðir – west over the mountain road #95 or east along the more scenic fjord-side route of the Ringroad #1. Following google maps’ directions, chances were it told me to take #95. It would likely save me 30 min of driving time as it was some 10 km shorter. But I was not up for driving a mountainous gravel road in this rainy weather with it likely to be snowy up there. And there was one more geocache I wanted to find … it was located near the Ringroad … It was raining quite hard now and I could not see too much eventhough the road hugged the coast of Fáskrúðsfjörður before it turned up into the mountains and passed in the 5850 m long Fáskrúðsfjarðargöng tunnel under a ridge only to emerge again at the shores of Reyðarfjörður. From there the road led over a pass through the snowy mountains. It had stopped raining, but it was cold and windy up here. The slopes were still partially covered in snow.
There was a small parking lot by the side of the road, because the geocache was located at the start of a hiking trail into the mountains. I only stopped for the cache, though … it was an easy find. Quickly I signed the logbook and got back in the car to drive the last few kilometers to reach today’s destination.
We had passed Egilsstaðir in 2019, but we did not stay in town then. However, it is the main regional transport hub and center of commerce. This time around I had searched the cheapest and most conveniently located short-notice accommodation option on the way to the far north … preferably with a kitchen attached … that had been Lyngás Guesthouse in Egilsstaðir. It was right in the center of town and I found it easyly. By 18:00 I pulled into the parking lot.
They had sent me a message that my room was #6 and the key was in keybox #6 right next to the door. The code had arrived as well … should not have been a problem … only keybox #6 was open already and no key was inside … Somebody else had taken my room? … WTF … Good thing, there was an emergency contact number on the door and I called it … First the lady on the line was a bit surprised, but quickly she figured out my problem and sent her husband … he came speeding down the road and arrived within 2 minutes … It turned out that there had been a mix up … somebody else had arrived today as well and had not received the message about the keybox and when they had called … they had assumed it was me and had given them my room … But nevermind … I just got room #5 now and the key was in the respective keybox! Problem solved!
My room was on the 2nd floor of the relatively new looking and spotless clean guesthouse. There was a Canadian couple there – they were the culprits who took my room – they were friendly, though. In the end I was really happy with the mix up, because the room I got had 2 sides of huge windows. It was small as I had expected when booking … I did not mind … but I liked the windows … even though there was no visibility today and I looked at the townscape anyway … but it was light all the time … and the window fronts gave a sense of wide open space …
I was beat after this long day of driving. Nevertheless, it had been a fantastic day as well … so many impressions, beautiful landscapes, black beaches, picturesque coastal villages, Reindeers … Before I went to sleep, though, I had to eat something. The shared kitchen was on the same floor … as were the bathrooms and showers. I chatted a bit with the Canadians, yet I got cooking pronto. Can you guess what was for dinner today? Yeah! One-pot ready-to-eat Asian Noodles with duck flavour which I added some sweet corn and cream to. My Carrot & V went down exceptionally well today as well …
Once I had washed the dishes and cleaned up, I decided on skipping the shower tonight and instead lounged in my bed. I figured, it was probably best to book the last 5 nights of accommodation today … So far, I was only set until tomorrow and the last 2 nights before going home. I had already scanned my options and set my eyes on possible places. The prices had not changed over the last few days, so I might as well book them. I was in the far northwest of Iceland now … I had to go back one way or the other in any case. So I settled on one night at a farm guest house en route to the west, 2 nights in a hostel in Ísafjörður in the Westfjords and 2 nights in a hostel on Snæfellsnes Peninsula. All of them were great value, with shared facilities and none of them more than € 46 per night. Now I had a framework of accommodation … I just had to fill in the gabs in between with incredible adventures …
Before my eyes closed I managed to sort and post a few photos … It was late at home already with the 2 hrs difference, but Mom would always get up in the middle of the night and check photos … My duty done, I fell asleep in no time … Tomorrow I planned an early start as well … By the way … the light all night did not bother me at all … with eyes closed it was dark anyway …
24.05.2021
75 km to Stuðlagil Basalt Column Canyon
Without having set the alarm I was up really early this morning. I did not linger at all … brushed my teeth, packed up and started packing the car. There was no coffee maker in the kitchen like in my last Deluxe Suite, so there was no point in staying any longer. It was raining this morning … 06:35 I started the car and was off … first I stopped opposite the guesthouse at the gas station. After the long ride yesterday, the car drank 40.2 liters for ISK 9403 … Phew …
This morning I headed – despite of the weather – on the Ringroad west. I had a plan … I wanted to visit Stuðlagil Canyon! I had seen photos of it and so it became one of my adventure objectives … I could not be picky about the weather. I did not want instagram worthy photos … I just wanted to see it …
It was a good 55 km along the Ringroad first and it was miserable! The weather, I mean! There was absolutely no traffic this morning. I indeed did not meet any other car at all. Whit Monday was a bank holiday … and why would anybody get out this early in this weather at all … I did!
Access to Stuðlagil Canyon is relatively straightforward – there were 2 options. The 1st option was to drive to Grund farm and view the canyon from the west side – from the top basically. The 2nd option required some hiking along the east riverbank – the total trip return would be approx 8 km … I had planned on doing this … but was not sure now about the weather …
Near Skjödólfsstaðir I turned onto a side road – a gravel track #923 … to drive 19 km to Grund Farm. With the weather I would take the 2nd option first and look at the canyon – if it was worth the effort to hike – and the conditions improved – if it was safe to hike in this weather … I would do it. I should not have worried about the gravel track … it seemed to be newly leveled and was easy to navigate … The weather I was more concerned about … It was pouring down with rain and then it even started snowing … sleet to be precise … luckily only for a few minutes.
Obviously I was passing farm country … there were plenty sheep around. They were not so active in this weather, though. Preferring to stay or lay just watching me, they were not at all bothered with me stopping the car for a quick photo. I let the window down for that … but fast I shut it again … the wind drove the sleet inside and it was cold!
Only a few years ago, no one had been to or heard of Stuðlagil Canyon apart from a few local people. It was an untouched natural wonder. With an article by Einar Páll Svavarsson – a Landscape Photographer, travel writer, photo and private tour guide – about this stunning place in Wow Air Magazine in 2016, everything changed. In a few years, Stuðlagil became one of the most popular attractions in Iceland. In 2020 it was the most visited tourist attraction among Icelanders. It is on a fast track, becoming one of the 10 most popular attractions in Iceland. So it came as no surprise to me that the gravel road leading to Grund farm was in a very good condition … and the further I got the better the weather became …
At Grund farm there was a seemingly newly constructed parking lot. It was still cold and windy, but at least the rain and sleet had stopped. Also the metal stairs to the viewpoint over the canyon had been obviously constructed recently … Once more I was the only visitor this early in the morning. I put on the warm jackets and my woolly hat, grabbed the camera and walked down the stairs.
It was quite a long and steep staircase which ended in a platform high above the glacial river Jökulsá á Brú. Until a few years ago, this canyon was completely flooded, so that the characteristic basalt columns were below the water surface of the Jökulsá. But a large dam project – the Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant which opened in 2009 – cut off almost all of the tributaries of the longest river in East Iceland and once one of the most voluminous rivers of Iceland. The water level decreased by 7-8 m – the once wild and untamed Jökulsá, which had been rather brownish from the glacial sediments carried along, turned into a clear and leisurely river and the canyon in all its glory was revealed.
The view was good from the platform, but it was not yet impressed. The greenish-turquoise color of the river formed a nice contrast to the grey and partly reddish shimmering basalt columns that flanked it. In the overcast weather the contrast was not as spectacular as I had hoped for and also this was not yet the view I had hoped for.
It was exceptionally beautiful, no doubt. The basalt columns’ regularity was stunning and almost unbelievable. They could almost be mistaken for man-made creations rather than a part of solidified lava and a creation of Mother Nature. The view was great … however, I wanted to get closer … I was going to hike to the canyon from the other side! But first I had to climb back up the staircase …
So, I drove back approx 5 km and turned off towards Klaustursel farm which was on the other side of a river. There was a parking lot next to 2 bridges. The bridge on the left was apparently the oldest steel bridge in eastern Iceland. Driving over the bridge is not allowed. The other bridge seemed to be newly built – it was much wider than the old one and obviously made for heavy farm vehicles. But I did not cross the bridge and parked on the west of the river. It was 08:30 in the morning and only a few farm workers were going about their work. Quickly I got ready for the 4 km hike to Stuðlagil canyon!
Indeed there were signs pointing in the direction of the canyon. I had to follow gravel roads through the farm land along the eastern side of the Jökulsá river. The weather looked better now. It was still quite cold this early in the morning, but the rain and sleet had stopped. I only encountered a few minutes of slight drizzle on the way and then it stayed dry for the rest of the adventure.
I walked briskly. The trail was easy … almost level and wide. Soon I reached the half-way-point. There was Stuðlafoss – a waterfall in a sideriver of the Jökulsá called Laugará. The water falls approx 15 m down in the middle of numerous different sized stacked basalt columns. There was not much water coming down at the moment and some of it was still frozen solid. But it was an impressive sight nevertheless.
Only a few hundred meters further down the track I passed a sheep house with many Mama Sheep and Baby Sheep! May is the high lambing season – sheep baby boom! – and it signals the end of a long winter and the start of summer. I had already seen many sheep along the roads in the last few days. But here I was right close to them and there were many.
There are almost half a million sheep in Iceland – outnumbering the human population by a good margin. In May the flock grows even larger when the lambing season starts. Counts of Icelandic sheep are always given in terms of the winter flock and thus do not include the lambs – that number could be almost 3 times as large, because many Icelandic ewes have twins – the breed’s lambing rate is 170 to 180% or even higher.
The only type of sheep in Iceland is the native northern European short-tailed sheep brought there by settlers – the Vikings – some 1200 years ago. Since then, the Icelandic sheep strain has remained pure. Rich with tradition and an essential element to Iceland’s heritage, Icelandic sheep have also been key to the Icelanders’ survival. It is a strong, hardy race, which has been bred in a very harsh environment. The race was formerly common in northwestern Europe, but can now only be found in very few areas of the world.
For the first time I noticed the ewes funny haircuts … they seemed to have been shorn only from head to hip … their bum had still the full winter coat on … I could not find out why that was … But at least I have solved the mystery of the 3 Icelandic sheep! When we were on our tour in August 2019 we always saw sheep in groups of 3 … Obviously they were ewes and their lambs … only in August the babies had already grown considerably and were the same size as their mothers …
It was not long after the sheep house that the canyon came into sight. The path turned into a narrow hiking trail … maybe I even left the main trail and ended up following a wild footpath close to the edge of the canyon … and even before I reached the spot where the most amazing photos had been taken, I congratulated myself for having decided to come here, for having driven all the way to the northeast, to having hiked the 4 km … even with the overcast weather it was stunning sight!
The trail I had chosen led through narrow and sometimes slippery passages close to the edge. The views of the basalt columns were awesome. I was so taken by it that I nearly stumbled over a breeding Pink-Footed Goose – Anser Brachyrhynchus. The Iceland Pink-Footed Goose population winters almost exclusively in Britain. This population breeds primarily in central Iceland with smaller numbers also occurring along the east coast of Greenland. The name is often abbreviated in colloquial usage to Pinkfoot. I carefully moved around the nest in a safe distance, but the bird did not even blink … it either did not care about me or played it as a means of camouflage …
Some corners of the canyon were still covered in the last remaining snow and ice from the recent winter. Technically, springtime in the Northern Hemisphere begins 20.03. and ends 21.06., but Iceland has its own way of deciding when spring begins. Traditionally, Icelanders considering the beginning of spring to be whenever the first Golden Plover, a seasonal bird, is spotted on the island. This typically happens sometime in March. However, this would make the season incredibly short, as the country celebrates the “First Day of Summer” on the first Thursday after 18.04. – a tradition from the Old Norse calendar. It might be best to say springtime in Iceland is when the weather is warmer, but not too sunny. In regular times more museums and hotels are open, but roads in the central highlands are still closed due to snow. Fewer tourists are around, but more and more arrive as the weeks go on. Snow and ice still linger wherever the sun could not reach …
Carefully following the narrow trail along the edge, I had reached the canyon at the same level as the viewing platform was located at the other side of the river where I had been earlier. The view from this side, however, was way more impressive! The hike had been well worth it … From here the basalt colums below the viewing plattform were amazingly visible … I could already see into the lenght of the canyon which had been mostly hidden behind a bend when viewing it from the platform.
Photographers visiting Iceland often prepare their visit months in advance. It is essential to visit a place like Stuðlagil at the right time. The large reservoir in the highlands fills up around the middle of August and the milky and brownish glacial water starts to flow changing the colour of the river and increasing the level of water in the canyon. So, the best period for a photographer to visit Stuðlagil Canyon is from the middle of June until the middle of August, preferably from late July to the first week of August. It is a short window, but it is when daylight lasts for at least 20 hrs. That is what is said … Considering that I was here in mid-May … on rather short notice … I was off photographic season. But morning light is supposed to be best … if the sun is out … not today, though. Nevermind! This canyon was breathtakingly beautiful in any light.
Climbing down to the river in the canyon was possible at one spot and required carefully set footsteps. I was lucky I had brought my hiking poles – in wise anticipation. I was all by my lonesome this early in the morning. By now it was around 10:30, though. Nevertheless, I had not met anybody along the trail … other than sheep … and over at the viewing platform only 2 other tourists waved at me as I searched for a safe way down. I had safely secured all cameras and carefully navigated over slippery mud sections and boulders using the hiking poles as support. The last thing I needed was a broken ankle or such … But I made it without major difficulty and then stood stunned for a few minutes taking in the magnificence of Stuðlagil Canyon!
It was just phenomenal to stand down there and look at those awesome grey basalt columns, the turquoise glacial water and the orange tinted exist of the waterfall. Basalt is a volcanic rock formed from the superheated magma that emerged as lava during an eruption. The iron and magnesium-rich basalt lava cooled and contracted very quickly once exposed to the surface air and hardened as it solidified.
Iceland is a minefield of explosive energy and because of this beautiful shapes and patterns are formed across the landscape. As basaltic lava cools over an extended period of time, beautiful geometric forms emerge – incredible columns of hexagonal basalt rock that often form cliffs that stretch as high as the eye can see. These wondrous formations can be found all around the world, but Iceland is one of the best places for it without a doubt – with Stuðlagil Basalt Column Canyon being one of the most exceptional examples.
These basalt pillars and hexagonal rock formations have a special feature called columnar jointing. This is what gives each basalt column their unmistakable hexagonal shape and makes them so neat to look at. Here those formations were so vast and jaw-droppingly beautiful, they looked as though they did not belong on our planet. It is incredible to think that after a violent eruption of lava, almost perfectly symmetrical sculptures are born. Basaltic lava is hotter and flows faster than other forms of lava – and as it cools it forms seemingly perfect hexagonal forms. This process is known as columnar jointing. Generally, these basaltic columns are found near sources of water, most commonly along coastlines or in the middle of rivers and streams.
I spent a long time taking tons of photos. The colour contrasts were so beautiful. The basalt blocks at my vantage point were slippery … I would have loved to get closer to the columns and the water edge, but did not dare. Instead I gathered all my gadgets and climbed past the still frozen waterfall to the top of the canyon.
It was short but challenging climb as well, but at least it was not slippery. The view into the canyon was magnificent – those basalt columns were just incredible … Once more I was amazed that there was not even a warning sign to stay away from the edge or such … in Germany they would have fenced everything off completely … But it seems Iceland trusts the Icelanders – and tourists – and their common sense much more … I was for sure careful and refrained from getting to close to the abyss below.
The geological wonder of basalt rocks has even inspired Icelandic architecture. Mother Nature’s influence is for example visible in the facades of buildings like Hallgrímskirkja Church in Reykjavik and Akureyrarkirkja in Akureyri. While sometimes it is thought they are meant to look like the organ inside, they are actually supposed to be reminiscent of a basaltic rock formation. The architect wanted to recreate the look of Iceland basalt columns on the front sides of these imposing buildings.
Hardly was I able to tear myself away from the grandiose views over this impressive canyon! I had spent just under an hour here – taking photos … staring in awe … But I had to turn around and head back … I still had more plans today … However, climbing back out of the canyon I had a look at the waterfall at the canyon entrance and walking back I stopped for even more photos … This place was beautiful!
I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it.
William Shakespeare
Trekking the same trail back as I came on, I was now heading against the cold wind. I did meet a few other hikers. Not many … just a couple of local ladies taking their morning walk. While I walked briskly I got distracted again by the lambs at the sheep house …
When set free a few weeks after the lambing, most of the ewes head to the mountain pastures with two lambs, some even 3 or 4. The sheep graze on the rich and nourishing vegetation in the mountains until autumn. Then farmers round-up their flocks, usually on foot or horseback with the assistance of sheepdogs.
The fleece of the sheep is dual-coated and comes in white as well as a variety of other colors – including a range of browns, grays and blacks. True to tradition, the young lambs born this season will spend their summers in the highlands and graze on grass, berries and arctic herbs – growing necessary strength from their diet and will acquire their exceptional flavor and texture – which is renowned all over the world and delicious beyond compare. The circle of life.
Leaving the lambs behind I soon reached the parking lot near Klaustursel farm – to my surprise there were several other cars now arriving and people got ready for the hike. By 12:00 noon I was back in the car and while I had hoped to have a quick picnic outside, I opted against it – the wind was strong and cold, but I had hiked up a sweat. So it was better to munch on my skyr in the car – protected from the elements. Quickly I was back on the road heading towards the Ringroad once more … the far north of Iceland was waiting for me … Arctic Henge in particular …. and the weather started to clear up more and more … some blue sky appeared …
If you can’t be in awe of Mother Nature, there’s something wrong with you.
Alex Trebek
