17.05.2021
Preparations & Departure
Oops, I did it again … 6 weeks after returning from my incredible off the beaten track iron ore train adventure in Mauritania, I was off once more … I had been hoping to finally start work again in April, but it had gone all pearshaped in Germany while I was having the time of my life in the Sahara desert. Oh well …
Just when leaving for Africa in mid March, it had been all over the news … well I was not watching the news … but over instagram … that a new volcano had erupted in Iceland! I had been following along this eruption whenever possible and was jealous of everybody who could watch the spectacle. Seeing an active volcano erupt from close up had been on my bucket list forever … at least since we had seen the Stromboli glow in the night from a far distance on my very first cruise ship stint in 1996!
Having returned home from Africa to an extended and even tightened lockdown in Germany and no assignment on the horizon, I was depressed to say the least. But I kept looking at this volcano in Iceland … When initially it was reported that this eruption might only be short termed, it so happened to keep going on and on and on … And then Iceland opened up for tourism again … fully vaccinated tourists could come and visit without having to quarantine … This was my chance! … I mean … if there is an easily accessable volconic eruption so close, I had to see it!
My final dose of vaccine was due on 15.05. … Of course, I did not book anything before checking and making sure this all applied. The Health Authority in Iceland had an online chat available and the first thing I made sure that they would let me in without having to quarantine even if my 2nd dose of vaccine had only been 3 days before arrival. They said it is fine! … In Germany they say one only counts as fully vaccinated 14 days after the 2nd dose … This is Europe, I guess … I wanted to leave as soon as possible, because the hope for work in June was still there … and all the time I was closely watching that eruption on all possible channels … checking the webcam became a daily morning routine …
Hoping that eruption would not die out suddenly, I went on to book a flight. I had been watching the availabilities for a couple of weeks already and finally I found a reasonably priced and suitable connection from Berlin-Brandenburg Airport … Only … it was at 06:00 in the morning and a strict curfew still applied from 22:00 til 05:00 … Lucky, the airport terminal was 24 hrs open just for this circumstance … They would have been stupid to schedule flights at 06:00 and not allow people to hang around the night before … The only airport hotel was just out of my league, though …
I booked that flight in the very end of April and was hoping for a change in the situation until I was leaving. In the end, there was still the curfew, but I found going on the last local train arriving at the airport just before 22:00 and then loitering in the terminal for 6 hrs until check-in opened was not a bad idea at all … It saved me a massive amount of money … the train was all of € 17.70 vice a rental car plus gasoline which would have amounted to a good € 150 easily and a night drive of 2 hrs and 180 km. Still it would have been a short night. So the train it would be.
I had also looked at rental cars before booking the flight … I can multitask … at least when it comes to organizing … The Keflavik Airport website had a useful rental car booking section and I found a reasonably priced – actually pretty cheap for Iceland – small car for 2 weeks with the rental desk being located at the airport terminal in Reykjavik … Avis/Budget via Payless it was – including a € 6 per day damage refund insurance the car cost a total of € 503 for the 2 weeks I planned to stay … Excellent! Booked!
Now I just had to hope that my vaccination appointment was not being rescheduled or anything … nowadays nothing is for sure or should be taken for granted … But I was lucky. I roll up at the vaccination center and I was on the list! I had been all prepared to get Biontech/Pfizer or Moderna … I had Astra Zeneca for the first dose and then with all the hiccups in Germany it was said that at the vaccination centers citizens under 60 years of age – yeah, that would be me! – would not receive Astra Zeneca for the 2nd dose, but get one of the mRNA vaccines instead … Well … fine with me, as long as I get my shot! At the first appointment checkpoint I was waved through. That was good! That meant I was going to get vaccinated! The next checkpoint was to make sure all waivers were filled in correctly and to get a running number. That guy there seriously asked me which vaccine I prefer! … Excuse me? I can choose? … Well … fine with me, as long as I get my shot! But … I had not thought about it, because the information for under 60 years of age at the vaccination center was clear … But I have filled in waivers for all types of vaccines just in case! – OK, no problem. Here is your number and at the check-in over at the next desk you tell them to leave the type of vaccine open! … This is just what I did … and I received the approval slip indeed without any specification for the vaccine … hmm … so far I had not met any medical personal … the desks were manned my administrative personnel only … – Take a seat in the waiting area! – Fine! I do not mind if I do! As long as I eventually get my shot!
I did not have to wait long. Appointments were made in 3 min intervals and eventhough I had been a good 20 min too early … as most of the Germans … it was running smoothly here. Soon I was called into one of the cubicles. I waited there for a while as well … then a nurse appeared and checked the papers once more … Oh, you are not sure which vaccine to take … No problem, the doctor has to do the talk anyway! And he showed up soon after … Oh … so you got Astra Zeneca for the first dose … Now you can choose which vaccine do you want! Have you decided? – Ah, no, because it had been rather confusing and I had been sure I would get an mRNA here only, but now they all tell me I can choose … – No problem, I will explain … And he did … most of the things I knew already … It had been just the rules for vaccination centers that were confusing … Secretly I had been hoping to receive Astra Zeneca, because – let’s face it – on top of that nobody knew how long the protection of the COVID-19 vaccines would last … if it had to be done annually like the influenza vaccine or every 10 years like the yellow fever vaccine … nobody knew … let alone, if mixing a vector vaccine with an mRNA vaccine would actually be improving or reducing the protection against the shit … Nobody knew … But what was known … and probably common sense … was that different types of vaccines should not be mixed … like you do not mix gasoline and diesel … I would think … as a layperson … So when that doctor mentioned just that, I was sold … Astra Zeneca it would be, there was no question about it … I had to wait another few minutes for the preparation of the syringe … and FINALLY I received my second dose of COVID-19 vaccine! Damn … was I happy or not? – You bet! Now I was ready to rock and roll again!
I had no time to relax the next couple of days … there was food to be cooked for the family, last minute preparations, packing … the online registration had to be done for arrival in Iceland as well … Online check-in for the flight was not possible however. In lieu of a direct flight from Berlin to Reykjavik, I was flying with a 6.5 hrs stop-over via Amsterdam … The return flight had been a direct flight, though … until a week ago … when an e-mail from Icelandair informed me that the direct flight from Reykjavik to Berlin had been cancelled … Please claim your refund! … WTF … edreams had reacted a couple of hours later … Please be patient, we are working on it! … Nothing had happened, though, from Friday afternoon to Monday morning … Then I had called the hotline. The callcenter guy had no glue … It has to be a flight with the same airline! – Well, I fly there via Amsterdam on KLM then Icelandair! Just book me on the same connection return! – There is no flight! – YES! There is! … I am not stupid, I checked before I called! … There is a flight from Reykjavik to Amsterdam by Icelandair at the same time as the cancelled flight had been! – OK, let me check … Oh … yes! – Exactly! Now book me on that and there is a KLM connection from Amsterdam to Berlin less than 3 hrs later! – No, there is not! – Yes, there is! You want me to give you the flight number? – Oh … yes, there it is. But I have to check, if I can book that. I put you on hold! Be patient! – Oh no! – Yes, I have to check! – OK … To his defense, he came back on the line less that 5 min later … Madam, I booked you that connection! – Great! Now please give me the ticketnumber! – I already send you an e-mail with your new flightplan! – Oh … OK, let me check! … And what can I say … the new flightplan was there, same price of € 567, luggage included as on the original … Fine with me! – Thank you very much! … The question remains – would have somebody who had called with the same problem and had not checked the options before, gotten the same re-booking? … I dare to think … NO! … But I was happy!
Now, this morning I got up really early and made the trip – 1 hr drive – to Dresden once more to have my sister stick a new cotton swap into my throat for the required C-test. Things are very confusing nowadays … while apparently for Iceland I did not need a negative C-test beforehand – even being vaccinated they would perform a test upon arrival … I was certain – and right – that I needed one to be allowed to have the lay-over in transit at Amsterdam Airport. And as usual – eventhough I was sure there was no real chance I could have possibly been positive … but you never know … I was nervous … until mid-afternoon when the app beeped with the test result and my sister send me the message with the printable version at the same time … Negative! … Phew … I was good to go!
Quickly I finished packing and checked everything I needed was there … and at 19:15 I got in the car with Mom and drove her to the train station some 20 km away … my train was at 20:14 and it was virtually empty … The 2 hrs went by quickly. I did not even have to change trains … it went directly to the airport.
It was on time and I arrived at BER Berlin-Brandenburg Airport just 10 min short of curfew … I was not sure if it still applied for this region, but at my home region it for sure did. There were absolutely no flights displayed on the monitors … imagine that … all desks were closed except for a C-test station. And some security personnel and police officers were patrolling at the end of their shift. Very few passengers were around … but there were some …
Unfortunately there were no benches suitable for loitering … I think, if I wanted to sleep, I needed to do it sitting up … Oh well … I found a seat where there were at least power outlets to charge the mobile and the laptop. And I got down to writing journal.
18.05.2021
Arriving in Iceland
Finally I did sleep a bit … After midnight they slightly dimmed the lights … only slightly … and I slept until 02:45. Then some strange person sat next to me and started talking to me. I was not the least interested in her tangled story about being evicted from her apartment … I thought only passengers with a valid tickets were allowed in the terminal building at this hour … not that anybody checked it, though … But I was sleepy and absolutely did not want to get involved with that. So I grabbed all my junk and went to check the display … this time all flights were listed and mine would be the first one leaving in the morning. There is a night flight ban for passenger flights … A surprising number of people was in the Terminal this early in the morning – more than last time when I was here on my way to Mauritania and flew in the evening.
I had time to find the facilities and do a bit repacking … making sure the suitcase was no more that 23 kg … Check in only opened at 04:00, though. At least they opened the entire row of counters … it was quick. Unfortunately, I had been able to check-in online only for the KLM flight to Amsterdam in the KLM app. For the Icelandair flight onwards to Reykjavik I had to use the Icelandair web check-in and it did not allow me to change my seat … I wanted a window seat to have a chance to maybe spot the volcano … But while there was the option, it did not work. And the lady at check-in could only give me the seat already pre-assigned to me … an aisle seat in the middle … She was not allowed to change it because it was a different airline … Well, at least the suitcase was checked all the way through.
Security check was not open yet, though … They only opened 04:30 … and then it took forever … I do not know if there were new rules or the officers on duty were just so picky … but they made everybody unpack everything … not only fluids and laptops … but also all electronics and anything edible … Of course they also did the explosives test on both my camera bag and my handbag … and then tried to rush me to pack it all up again … No, sorry. You made me unpack and now I have to put it back so it all fits again … Hopefully I did not forget anything …
In the duty free – which at least was open this early in the morning! – I bought my medicinal vodka. Only Absolut was on sale. When I handed my miles & more card to collect miles, the cashier ask me, if I wanted to pay with miles … Yeah, but I am not sure if there are enough … He tried and … it worked! Saved me € 18! I had bought a couple of cartons of water as well. In hindsight I realized that I had flown Star Alliance to Uganda and to Mauritania – both Ethiopian and Turkish Airlines were Star Alliance members and I had collected a substantial amount of miles this year already. Good … a free bottle of Vodka!
I did not have to wait long at the gate. The flight was on time and it was packed! The plane was not only small, but very small with little space. Always my camera bag fit into the overhead hold … not this time … so I put it in front of my seat and my handbag on top … a big guy sat next to me … I ended up wedged in by the window not being able to move at all. Good thing it was only an hour long flight!
I barely noticed take off sharply at 06:00. The sun was just rising … My eyes were already closed. But then I remembered to look out to try and spot the Berlin TV Tower … and I did! Very small in the distance behind the yellow rapeseed fields …
Then I slept. Until they came by with a snack and drinks … I took a coffee with a cookie … it was really really sweet, though … It was cloudy over Amsterdam, but I could see the coastline and the polders below.
We landed slightly ahead of schedule at Amsterdam Schiphol, but had to taxi for miles to reach the gate. The airport was surprisingly busy even this early in the morning. I had quite a ways to walk to my new gate … which was still closed … of course … I had 7 hrs lay-over. So I found a seat on a lounging chair by the window and slept! For a good 3 hrs I was out …
Later I walked around some. I did not need to visit the duty free shop … I was set. But I checked out the cheese and tulip shops – they reminded me of regular times, when April/May would be the time to work on the tulip spring cruises in the Netherlands. Amsterdam was one of my favourite destinations. I might have to buy some Dutch cheese and tulips on my way home …
All the restaurants and snack bars were open – some with only take away … the paradoxon at airports … but most with seating – limited seating, though, but with the airport not running at full capacity yet, that was no problem. I found Burger King and felt the urge to have a huge Double Cheese Bacon King!
Wandering around I eventually ended up at my gate and had another nap … I got woken up by the incoming Icelandair flight from Reykjavik docking at the gate. It was on time and I was ready!
When the gate staff arrived, I went to ask if I could change my seat for a window. The lady there said no problem and she confirmed the new volcano would be on the right side. Boy, I was happy when she gave me the new boarding pass.
Boarding was early … Dutch customs officers with a sniffing dog were at the gate … Everybody got sniffed out … That doggy was well interested in my handbag and stuck his nose inside, then plopped down beside me and stared me down … Oh oh … The friendly lady officer stepped closer and asked if I had money in that bag … Well, yes … How much? – Maybe € 200. – Any US dollars? – Yeah, maybe US$ 150. – Not more? – No! – OK. Have a good flight! – Thank you! … A money sniffing dog! Believe it!
The plane was big and very quickly the announcement came … Boarding completed! … I was like …WHAT? Already completed? … The huge airplane was literally empty. I could only count a few people in the back section of the plane where I was seated. I think the front was slightly more busy, though. But I should not have worried about my window seat … there were sooooo many empty seats around me! I could have chosen any!
Take off was well on time and I looked out for tulip fields. A friend had messaged me that he lived only 2 km from the airport in Amstelveen and I should look out for his house … yeah, well … but I think we took off in the wrong direction … I waved anyway.
Upon boarding everybody had received a bottle of water and a disinfection set. The rest of the service was payable. But I did not need a snack or anything. I fell asleep as soon as we had ascended and broken through the clouds … waking up just in time … Iceland was near! But there was a thick cloud cover. The captain had already announced before takeoff, that we will most probably not see the new volcano today due to the clouds … I was already devastated … I had so much been looking forward to have a first glimpse of it when flying in …
For now there was brilliant sunshine above the clouds and I spotted this optical phenomenon again – the Glory – which I had seen for the very first time on my Escape to Madeira when climbing the island’s highest peak. Now it was the first time I consciously noticed it from an airplane.
Only a few snowy bits were to be seen from the highest mountains of Iceland’s through the clouds … When we had arrived in 2019 for our Ringroad Roadtrip with Mom, we had even seen the glaciers … Today it was indeed very cloudy.
However, eventually the plane descended through the clouds and the coast line became visible. I was getting excited. From having tracked this flight over the last 2 weeks and from watching the inflight tracker, I knew exactly where we where … I was sure that I might after all catch sight of the new volcano in the distance …
And THEN … there was the Blue Lagoon … and an all black lava field and smoke … and … THERE … oh gosh … a spout of red-hot lava! … It was far, but sure it was there! And it was erupting. The new volcano! I was so excited I messed up the camera settings …
My small camera had seriously been suffering during my recent off the beaten track tour in Mauritania – it had not liked the Sahara sand and iron ore dust and will probably never recover – but it still worked … only I was too excited … and the plane window too scratched … but I saw it and tomorrow I would go and hike there! For sure!
We landed on time and quickly were out of the plane. Since Keflavik Airport was a hub for intercontinental flights between Europe and the States it seemed relatively busy.
Now came the complicated part … border procedures were strict in Iceland. But I was prepared. Signs were everywhere – download the Rakning C-19 tracking app … done that! … complete arrival registration online … done that! … have the bar code ready … Yes, have it! … Having been vaccinated, though, the registration was rather straight forward and did not need too many details. I had the bar code screenshot and it already stated Valid Certificate.
The first of many checkpoints had already a social distanced line-up … many people had not done the registration … believe it … how ignorant … When it was my turn, I was through there quickly. I had to show the bar code and produce the vaccination certificate.
Up the stairs there was a second checkpoint – again I had to show the bar code … here they separated in 2 groups – with certificate and without certificate. With certificate included vaccinated people and people who had proof of having tested positive within the last 6 months and had now recovered. All those were moved to the next checkpoint on the right. All others without certificate – that being everybody else – were moved to line up on the left directly for the PCR test.
I had to go for another checkpoint – here the border police checked the bar code, passport and vaccination certificate. That officer eyed my rather well-lived vaccination booklet, studied several pages and then inspected the Astra Zeneca labels in great depth … OK, you good to go! Line up for the PCR test over there! … Phew! Thank you! First hurdle taken.
There was a long row of test cubicles and quite a line up. But it moved very quickly. In the cubicle … show bar code … stand with your back to the wall … the bar code generated a label which was stuck on the test tube … open your mouth … first cotton swap deep in the throat … second cotton swap very deep in the nose … damn that was unpleasant as hell … Thank you! That was it. In case of a positive result we will call you. A negative test result will show up in your Rakning C-19 app. In case you do not receive anything within 24 hrs you are negative and good to go … Thank you! …
Latest news I had heard – from mid-June vaccinated tourists would not be tested upon arrival anymore … another step towards normality! Another reason to go see the volcano!
Yet another checkpoint followed – the immigration boarder control. Show bar code and passport. I got a yellow post-it with an entry stamp stuck in my passport. The lady officer said to keep it so they would let me out of the airport. Without the yellow post-it I would be moved to a quarantine hotel … people without valid certificate had to quarantine for 5 days and then take another PCR test …
I passed the duty free – I was well stocked with Vodka and a little detox would do me good in any case. My suitcase was already turning the most probably umpteenth circle on the luggage carousel and I quickly redeemed it. At customs I moved through the green channel, but nobody was there. Outside there was another checkpoint, though. An officer checked my passport and when he saw the yellow post-it he wished me a happy stay and waved me through.
Finding the car rental desks quickly, I did not have to wait at all. I had forgone the rather expensive offers by europcar and not even looked at any of the others. On the Keflavik Airport website’s car rental page I had put in my dates, the smallest car and that pickup must be located inside the terminal – as opposed to having to take a shuttle bus somewhere else – and had chosen the cheapest option – the Payless Avis/Budget desk was right there.
The paperword was straight forward as well. They asked me, if I could drive automatic – well, of course! And after a few minutes I had the digital rental statement on my e-mail and the keys and Iceland driving instructions in hand. I got a Hyundai i20 with a solid 91253 km under its belt.
I found the car quickly at the parking lot just outside the terminal. It was bigger than expected and looked good. The guy had told me about some little scratches … I looked and they were indeed tiny. The one in the windshield I did not even find … But it meant, if something happened to the windshield for example, I would not have to pay.
I packed the car and walked back to the terminal to fill up my water bottle and use the facilities, then set up my mobile for navigation and off I was. It was 16:30 local time – 2 hrs behind German time – as I was leaving the airport parking. It was approx 90 km to Bakki Apartments & Hostel at Eyrarbakki on the south coast. I had booked a Deluxe Studio Appartment for 5 nights – just in case I would have to do quarantine … and I wanted to visit that volcano at least twice!
The road there led right by the new volcano. Already from the airport I could spot the smoky column that appeared every few minutes after it had spouted hot lava. I took the Road #41 towards Reykjavik and soon turned onto #43 towards the Blue Lagoon and Grindavík. I was getting closer to the volcano which was however hidden by some hills.
In Grindavík I reached the south coast and turned east onto #427 along the coast. That was also the access road for the volcano hike I planned on doing tomorrow. Frequently I saw the smoke column … that volcano was spitting! I was so excited to go there tomorrow! There were several large parking lots and I could make out the wide and well marked hiking trail starting by the road! … Tomorrow! … breaking the rules and going now was not an option. I would wait until I get my negative result and I had to sleep anyway after this long trip here ….
The drive along the coast was pleasant and the weather was good, too. It was overcast with 9°C and I even encountered a short rain shower. But at approx 17:30 I arrived in sunshine at Eyrarbakki. I had been told to call upon arrival since the reception was closed due to the circumstances. That was no problem and check-in was quick. For 5 nights in the small apartment I paid € 310, which was very reasonable.
I talked some diving shop with the reception guy – he had been working as SCUBA instructor in Thailand same as me … a live time ago. My apartment had a large porch with the parking lot right in front of it. Just to the side was the Atlantic Ocean and if I get lucky I might be able to see the lava glow of the new volcano in the far distance … only now it was raining over there or in between here and there and nothing was to be seen.
My Deluxe Suite Apartment was huge. It surely exceeded my expectations. For this price I had not thought I would get such a great place. Hopefully the weather would be good enough to use it …
Settling in, I checked out Netflix … for the first time in my life … and video called home as well. Then I tried to get the induction stove going … for the first time in my life as well … induction is complicated and after I had googled it I still had to call the reception guy for a hint … ahhh … the punch-the-button-for-10-seconds-rule! Should have thought about it myself …
I had brought several ready-made one-pot-pasta dishes from home for the first days, so I did not have to go out to eat too often. Since I had an apartment with kitchen, I could cook. Until the test result came through, I was not even supposed to go to the supermarket … So I pimped the pasta with some of the left-over vegetable snacks I had brought for the journey.
After dinner I posted some photos and then went to bed. I had been travelling 24 hrs since leaving home … the essential flight time had been less than 4 hrs … I was tired and fell asleep well before 21:00.
19.05.2021
The mighty monster is waiting!
Having set the alarm for 05:30 I woke up after a good night’s sleep. First thing I did was check the mobile and there was a notification via the Rakning C-19 app – Your border test was negative! Yipee! I screenshot this message – then it disappeared … But I had the screenshot!
Overnight it must have snowed a little. My porch had a slight snowy sprinkle on it … just a little. I made some coffee and then settled down to write. I planned on leaving around 09:00 to go to the supermarket in Selfoss – they all seemed to open 10:00 only – and after that do the hike to the volcano!
In the end I found a supermarket that was already open before 09:00 … I left 08:30 to drive the 12 km to Selfoss. Shopping was quick. I just needed some essentials – cream cheese, cheese, salami, some carrots and corn to pimp my ready-made pasta dishes, skyr … It all came to ISK 5600 … € 37 … did I really buy this much? … No, but Iceland is not cheap … Nevertheless, supermarkets are always interesting for me and I studied of course the shelves with Cod Liver products and fish specialties …
Quickly I went back to the apartment, stored everything in the fridge, made a sandwich for the hike and by 09:30 I was stepping on the gas to drive the 65 km to the parking lot for the volcano hike. The weather did not look promising, though … In Selfoss I had seen cars covered in snowslush … on the way the landscape had also a white dusting … And it was raining for a bit … Would I do the hike even if it rained? I had brought enough clothes and also the rain poncho … a little weather was not going to stop me … but the weather can be unpredictable in Iceland … and what if they had closed the area for safety reasons?
As I drew closer, the weather changed … I left the rain behind and it looked a little bit lighter … just a little bit … and above the hills along the roadside up ahead I could catch my first glimpse of the day of the spitting volcano! That was awesome! A white cloud of smoke announced it and then I could even see the red hot lava being hurled in the air … my excitement rose … I was so in awe, I did not even stop to take a photo …
By approx 10:30 I reached the parking lot. I had scouted out the area yesterday on my way from the airport and knew where the parking lot entrance was. You have to know … there is no huge sign … or sign at all … to point the way to the volcano hike … at all … but a huge field had been turned into a parking lot … because when Mount Fagradalsfjall – a long dormant volcano on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula – began to erupt in the evening of 19.03.2021 thousands of locals came to see the amazing happenings. This was the first eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula in nearly 800 years. A swarm of more than 50000 small earthquakes in February and early March had experts warning that magma was moving beneath the ground and could soon erupt. That had locals bracing for some nasty fire-weather. Late on a Friday night, an eruption officially began as lava broke through the surface near Fagradalsfjall, one of several shield volcanoes on the peninsula. Just in time for the weekend … and when this eruption proved to be substantially more harmless than first thought and there was a complete lack of ash and pumice being spewed into the atmosphere – immediately thousands of Icelanders had flocked to go and see it so conveniently located only 60 km by road or 30 km as the crow flies from Reykjavik … Back then there had been no parking lot or hiking trail … and nobody knew how long this volcano would be spitting … for all it could just stop the next day …
But seeing it getting so much attention, soon a couple of large parking areas had been designated and 2 hiking trails were marked … those trails had changed over time because the eruption kept going on and on … new vents opened, other vents died out … lava was moving and had eaten at least 1 webcam and a newly placed geocache so far …
Now – exactly 2 months after the first eruption – it was still going strong and the attention it got was not less than before. And maybe they thought that this site did not need special signage … Icelanders knew it, it was visible from afar and tourists were only just now starting to slowly return … So there was only a small sign pointing to a parking lot … along a dirt track …
I parked the car on the field – which was already substantially busy – and first went back to the entrance sign … it did state a parking fee of ISK 1000 had to be paid online. Being an honest person, I scanned the QR code and – well-behaved as I am – paid. It was a straight forward matter – select the parking lot, put in the license plate of the car, pay by credit card – done.
It was really fresh today, though and the thermometer showed 2°C only. I was cold and to be on the safe side, I put on some more clothes before starting the hike. I had already my warm winter pants on, but put the long johns underneath. A long sleeved and a short sleeved t-shirt were topped by a jumper and my 2 jackets. My wooly hat and gloves came as well – the wind was icy. My camera bag was heavy … but I wanted to bring all gadgets just in case … my picnic and the water bottle had to come as well. Armed with Mom’s new hiking poles I had confiscated for the occasion, I was off at 10:45!
The trail was well visible – actually it was a wide gravel track. There was a sign stating Hiking Trail A. I had researched before and found a map to show the lava field and hiking trails – I knew there would be a path B as well. I had not decided which one to take … I just wanted to have the best view …
From the parking lot, the site was not visible – only when the spout of lava was very high, then it could be made out over the hills in the distance. First the trail led relatively level along the hills side and around. I passed the turn off of trail B … the decision on which way to go was easily made … trail A was very well trotten, while trail B was just about visible … I followed the hikers ahead of me along trail A.
About 20 min in, the trail started climbing over the hills … it was steep … still it was this wide gravel track … I already started to huff and puff … but I pushed on with few breaks to take quick photos of the stunning landscape behind me … I had a purpose … that volcano was waiting for me!
I was getting really sweaty now and I stopped to take my jumper off. Also the gloves I packed away. While the wind was icy in places, it was blocked by hills most of the time. I took my big camera out and attached it to the new clip I had fitted on my backpack. It would make it easier to carry than have it hanging around my neck. I had to fiddle a bit with the thing, though. It needs a bit getting used to. Of course, for a try-out I also bought a cheap version of the real thing. But it did the job and by the end of the day I had it adjusted and could use it easily.
So close in the hills now the spouts and smoke were not visible anymore … but I could hear the monster roar in the distance! Still … it was far away. Online reports stated a round trip of 3-4 hrs from the parking lot … did this include photo time? The guy from the hostel yesterday had said, he walked up in 1.5 hrs – mind you, he looked young and fit – and his wife did it in 1 hr! Oh gosh … I was prepared for up to 3 hrs one way … This hike was my sole objective today and for my visit to Iceland! I did not care how long it took – I just wanted to see this volcano!
The trail was leading up a ridge and then sort of leveled out for a short bit. In the far distance behind me I could see the ocean towards the south and to the side also the trail, the road and the parking lot. It was still very overcast.
And there … up ahead … must be the volcano … along steep and exhausting ridge had to be climbed and seemed to be ending in the clouds … but coming over this last long ridge … all of a sudden down below in the valley was the end of the lava field … still smoking and glowing in places … Up ahead behind the lava in the far distance there was a huge black cone … could this be the volcano? … it looked so massive … and as if it could have read my mind it all of a sudden started to spit … Oh my gosh! … I could not get my camera up fast enough …
It was sooooo HUGE! I could not believe my eyes! It was still a good at least 2 km away, but I sure had not expected it to be so massive! The photos I had seen on the internet did not do it justice! You have to see it in person!
While watching in awe I chatted with a guy from Reykjavik – his group had parked next to me and they were a few minutes ahead of me. But he had decided to call it in this spot. Somebody had told him that it was another half hour to hike and it was getting steeper. But I was determinded and I had all day – and night – after all. The sun set around 23:00 and rose at around 04:00 at the moment … so the day was long. My excitment grew by the second …
The next part of the trail was actually level and descending somewhat into the next lava-filled valley. The lava had flown on both sides of the hills ahead. I got a good view of the lava field to the left – west – of the trail far below. Still it was glowing amber in several places, eventhough the actual vent was a long way away.
Soon the lavafield on the other side of the the trail and hill came into view. This side was even more extensive … a huge lava field still steaming and glowing … Heavy bulldozer machinery was at work there … I could not make out, if they were trying to stop the lava from flowing this way or if they wanted to make the lava flow this way … At this point the lava advanced very slowly and invisibly.
Later I found an article on RUV – The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service – stating they were trying to divert the lava flow into this valley in order to protect the #427 Suðurstrandarvegur road and a fiber optic cable.
https://www.ruv.is/frett/2021/05/17/trying-to-divert-lava-with-earth-banks?
The trail skirted this field and I took the opportunity to walk the few meters … less than 20 m … off trail to have closer look … It was not glowing anymore in this spot, but it was smoking! Still being active … probably still being liquid inside and only cooled off outside … I sure was close! The field itself was active … loud cracks and clinking sounds could be heard frequently … it was alive …
I got all distracted from the lava by the distant roar of another eruption. At the moment the volcano spat every 7-8 minutes for approx 2 min. Some of the spouts were high and could be seen from below here close to the lava field. The main vent was hidden behind the viewpoint hill … I had to get up there!
As the trail now very steeply ascended, I could see that very much of the lava was still glowing amber. I was wheezing up this hill now … I had to stop frequently to catch my breath and take in the landscape … there were lava fields now on either side down below. Still from here the main vent was not visible … but I could hear it rumbling closer now … The trail was very narrow now and it was busy … I was happy I had brought the hiking poles … it was tricky moving uphill over ancient lava rubble.
After 1 hr 45 min I finally reached the top of that viewpoint hill! All of a sudden the trail leveled out and … BAM! … there was the volcano … Some people stopped right there for a first look. But after a couple of quick photos I pushed on the last 200 or 300 m to the very top of the hill and closest to the crater.
I wanted to get as close as possible. And while I still looked for a suitable spot to plop down … it started spewing furiously! Jeezz … it was incredible … I was totally lost in awe! Good thing I had come up there by myself … I was speechless … I could just stare … It started with a slow stream of red-hot liquid lava bubbling over and spilling into the lava river and then the mighty monster started hurling liquid earth furiously …
I found a spot to sit out of the wind. It was still blowing icily, but luckily from behind the viewpoint hill. Very convenient! The volcano was in front while I could sit on the leeward side of the hill. Having lugged the tripod for the big camera up here, I of course set it up so I could take photos with several gadgets simultaneously! I put the GoPro on timelapse and stuck its tripod between some rocks next to me.
Iceland is among the most volcanically active places in the world, with roughly one eruption every 5 years – not including submarine eruptions. Iceland borders the Arctic Circle where it straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge – a crack on the ocean floor separating the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. The shifting of these plates is in part responsible for Iceland’s intense volcanic activity. I had already learnt about this on our Ringroad Roadtrip in 2019! We had not only stood on the Bridge Between Continents … I had also SCUBA dived the Silfra Fissure between the continents! It had been absolutely outstanding!
Up here on the viewpoint I was so close to the central vent of the volcano – I could not believe it! A totally democratic natural phenomenon, the only controls placed on the eruption event by Icelandic Search and Rescue involved shepherding people away from areas which were being bathed in noxious gases, but based on one of the most sacred laws of Iceland, there was nothing the government could do to prevent people from coming to see the volcano, since Icelanders have the “right to roam” on any uncultivated land they please.
They could go to this unique type of eruption that wasn’t explosive,
that wasn’t spewing ash into the air,
and they could sit there and just relax almost and try to just take it all in.
Donal Boyd
Munching on my picnic and splurging in my celebratory Piccolo I settled in for a long watch of this monumental force of nature in action. A volcano is a rupture in the crust of the Earth that allows hot lava, volcanic ash and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface – most often found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging and most are found underwater. A mid-oceanic ridge – such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge – has volcanoes caused by divergent tectonic plates whereas the Pacific Ring of Fire has volcanoes caused by convergent tectonic plates. Volcanoes can also form where there is stretching and thinning of the crust’s plates – such as in the East African Rift, the Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field and Rio Grande Rift in North America. Volcanism away from plate boundaries has been postulated to arise from upwelling diapirs from the core–mantle boundary, 3000 km deep in the Earth. This results in hotspot volcanism – of which the Hawaiian hotspot is an example. Volcanoes are usually not created where 2 tectonic plates slide past one another.
There was a lot of people sort of looking into the birth of our planet
or the creation of land,
because literally land is being created right in front of you.
New land.
And this whole country’s been shaped by the lava,
so right in front of us this country is being created and shaped even more.
Frank Nieuwenhuis
Fagradalsfjall is a shield volcano of the Krýsuvík-Trölladyngja volcanic system and its highest summit is Langhóll with 385 m. A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile – resembling a warrior’s shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid low viscosity lava, which travels further and forms thinner flows than the more viscous lava erupted from a stratovolcano. Repeated eruptions result in the steady accumulation of broad sheets of lava, building up the shield volcano’s distinctive form.
A volcanic eruption began on 19.03.2021 in Geldingadalir to the south of Fagradalsfjall. The name is a compound of the Icelandic words fagur – beautiful, dalur – valley and fjall – mountain. The mountain massif is named after Fagridalur – beautiful valley – which is situated at its northwest. The 2021 lava field is to be named Fagradalshraun.
The volcano is situated within a zone of active rifting at the divergent boundary between the Eurasian and North American plates. The Krýsuvík volcanic system has been moderately active in the Holocene – the current geological epoch which began after the last glacial period – with the most recent eruptive episode before the 21st century having occurred in the 12th century. However, some scientists propose that Fagradalsfjall could represent a separate volcanic system. Currently, the lava flow poses no threat to residents as the area is mostly uninhabited. The eruption has been called Geldingadalsgos – Geldingadalur eruption – and its discharge of molten lava may last for several years.
I was utterly intrigued by the eruptions. I counted the minutes between the spouts … impatiently waiting for the next belch of the monster … I was so excited. Every eruption was different … the spouts were of different heights … sometimes the monster was blowing several hundred meters high … other times the lava fountains were lower but it spat over the rim of the crater … When I noticed there was actual a strong phone signal up there, I video called Mom to show her the next eruption.
When I started to get cold, I moved position to get somewhat lower and closer. The discharged lava formed a huge and rather long lava river. It seemed to be floating over the lava field with dams of hardened lava on each side. However, it was very windy on my new vantage point … I had to hold on to the tripod so the camera would not get blown over. But the view from here was spectacular … not that it had not been that further up – it was incredible to be this close to a very active volcano in any case. The perspective was just very slightly different. I did not even need to use the zoom on the cameras … I was this close … The eruptions had a very unique sound – it was like an airplane roaring to a start … very loud … and the lava made an almost ocean-like sound when crashing down on the crater walls …
I was getting too cold after a while and decided to move further back up the hill in the lee out of the wind. There was a guy with a drone and I watch that thing for a bit. But then I remembered – I had almost forgotten! – There was a new geocache hidden up here! The very first one near the eruption had already been eaten by the lava … This one up here was another one and sure I needed to find it. How to do it with all those people up here, though … I should not have worried … the hiding place was on the other side of the hill and nobody was looking in this direction … I located the box very quickly and was delighted to be the STF – 2nd to find – this secret box!
Deciding that it was time to leave, I turned to the top again to have a last look … Just then a particularly impressive eruption happened and I got all distracted again … I found a good spot to sit once more and got the tripod out again … Those eruptions were addictive!
The paradox of volcanoes was that they were symbols of destruction but also life.
Once the lava slows and cools, it solidifies
and then breaks down over time to become soil – rich, fertile soil.
She wasn’t a black hole, she decided.
She was a volcano.
And like a volcano she couldn’t run away from herself.
She’d have to stay there and tend to that wasteland.
She could plant a forest inside herself.
Matt Haig – The Midnight Library
Since I had my lensball in my backpack as well – one of those gadgets permanently living in my camera bag – I thought it might be cool to try it with the volcano as well. Only with the rocky slope and all I could not set it up anywhere, so had to hold it. It was great playing with it, though …
I just could not tear myself away from this marvelous spectacle. Nature is brilliant! It is really hard to decribe the awe I felt watching this natural phenomenon! Everytime I thought … OK, this is the last one! … I watched mesmerized and then was like … OK, only one more! Just one more! … and everytime this next one seemed more sensational than the one before … It was literally overwhelming …
Finally I made myself leave … I had been up on this viewpoint almost 3 hrs now … There was more to see in Iceland … more geocaches to find … I was cold up here in the wind … I packed up … undecided I stood and watched the dazzling fire show one more time … just one more …
It was so hard to turn away … Before I did I had a last look and asked somebody to take a photo of me. I was lucky – just then the monster spat furiously again! Damn … it was magnificent! … I think in that moment I decided to come back again! That decision gave me the strength to finally tear away and start the hike down. By now I was shivering in my body core and desperately needed to walk myself warm again.
The first stretch of the trail was leading along the top of the hill … of course I had to turn around to see the crater frequently … When I heard the now familiar roar starting, I stopped once more for a very last dose of fiery eruption …
Going down was faster than up. The viewpoint was packed with people now and the trail was busy with people going either direction. The first steep part from the viewpoint down towards the lava field was treacherous. But it gave a great view over the lava towards the dam that was being built. Coming around the other hill I was tempted to go down to the edge of the other lava field. There were still glowing spots at the edge and I was dying to get close to such a spot. But there were no people down there and Danger signs stood by the trail. I was a good German person and I was not going down by myself.
Once I reached the wide track again I was basically running down the mountain … everybody was running down the mountain … it was steep. From the ridge I could see the parking lot in the far distance near the snaking road to Grindavík … it was packed now!
I reached my car after a quick 1 hr hike down just around 16:00. I was warm again. The last even stretch in the valley was probably the hardest. I was in no good form this year and after a good 5 hrs up on this mountain everything hurt … But it had been sooooo worth it! I was beyond happy! Never in my life had I expected to get that close to an active volcano and so easily, too … Iceland had not been on my radar since our Ringroad Roadtrip in 2019 … and when that volcano started spitting I had thought it to be so close and yet too far away … But here I was! Who would have thunk that!
And the only think I can tell you all is … Get vaccinated! Buy a ticket! Go!
