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Ísland 2018

September - October 2018
Mama Bear, Papa Bear, Danielle and Jason checking out the land of fire and ice! Read more
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  • Jason and Danielle ÅkeÍsland 2018
    Day 1

    LAX -> SEA -> KEF

    September 16, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Day 1:

    Halló,

    It's time for us to hop on a plane again and see a new country! The start to the trip was.... let's say complicated. We went all sorts of fancy had the nicest driver ever drop us off at LAX. On our way through security, we met several TSA agents who were completely immune to our collective charm, but that was okay because we all got through and posted up at our gate nice and early. That's where the ease of travel came to a bit of a screeching halt...

    Fast forward to landing in SEA 2 minutes before boarding our next flight, without knowing the gate we were going to or the layout of the airport. About 17 strange metro-like tram rides later, we scooted onto the plane right at the last call. Disaster averted. A 7 hour flight filled with microwave pizza, a sweet view of the aurora borealis and a screaming (shockingly old) child later, we landed in KEF. Maybe direct flights are the way to go?

    Landing at 6 in the morning is a bit surreal when you left home at 7 in the morning the previous day... sort of a groundhog day feeling. After some much needed coffee, rental car mayhem and an early example of the Icelandic driving style, we hit the road to the Blue Lagoon. Full tourist mode. More on that in the next post. See what I mean? It's weird losing a day...

    **NOTE: we would be using more of the local language for places and such, but we're embarrassed to admit that it's a deer-in-the-headlights situation. Words are as long as in German and sound completely different than they look. Especially due to the fact that half of the language is to be hissed over the molars.    Read more

  • Jason and Danielle ÅkeÍsland 2018
    Day 2

    Reykjavik, Ísland

    September 17, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    Days 2-3:

    Foreword: the first few days of the itinerary (yes, we have one of those this time) are about as touristy as we've planned, but with the shift to tourism as the major export of the country, it seems like that is a bit of a rite of passage here.

    After landing, feeling bourgeois driving a Land Rover and attempting to take decent photos with the sun at an eye piercingly low angle in the sky, we stepped into the world of Bláa Lónið. Don't ask how to say that. The Blue Lagoon is a pretty sexy name for a geothermal plant's waste water dumping site, but you can't mock the allure that they have created!

    A greeting from a staff member, a quick scrub, robes and slippers thrown on, and we were outside in the 4°C. Of course, we were joined by about two thousand of our closest American, British, and Chinese friends... The water was a perfect bath temperature, not quite up to the heat of a spa, so the ever patient, very pregnant Danielle was able to float around in the milky blue waters too. We honestly could have fallen asleep the second we dipped in, but the primordial surroundings of lava and columns of steam really kept us going. The silica face mask and the added algae one really served to strip away the inner zombie we were all experiencing at the time.

    Shower, fresh clothes, a quick realization that the option of taking those lovely masks home were priced for the elite, and we were again on our way. This time we were making a beeline for the exotic... Costco. We loaded up on lovely carbs, sparkling water and fruit, ate the classic Icelandic meal of fried BBQ chicken wings in the car, and continued to our accommodations for the night. After almost falling asleep at the wheel, we made it safely to our quaint basement apartment in the neighborhood of Vogar, Reykjavik.

    The rest of our first day in Iceland is a bit of a blur, but we made a quick drive downtown, looked at geese, and realized that sleep is, in fact, a necessary part of life.

    We started to feel a little more human after a good night's sleep and a stiff cup of coffee and headed into town in the morning. The first landmark we came across was a statue of Ingólfur Arnarson on Arnarhóll. According to legend, this was the first Icelandic settler and serves as a sort of symbol of the town of Reykjavik. The statue itself came with a bit of disagreement between the artist and the financial backers and was erected incomplete. Artistic freedom be damned!

    After making a few stops through the shopping district, we quickly realized that the most common language spoken in the town is English. Sad? Yes. Convenient? Definitely. For lunch, we went to a nice little restaurant called Ostabúðin, Icelandic for "cheese shop". Homemade bread with salted butter, huge filet of cod with lobster sauce, creamy fish soup, smoked goose salad... we were off to a good start.

    Next on the docket after the thoroughly satisfying meal, we made our way up to Hallgrímskirkja and the statue of Leifur Eiríksson. First, the statue... it was a gift from the USA to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Alþingi. Of course, the gift had to have ties to North America, hence Eiríksson as the subject (he was one of a few Viking sailor who arrived in North America half a millennium before ol' Chris Columbo). But in the American way, the gift picked a side in a centuries long argument... was Leifur Norwegian or Icelandic? Now the world knew America's opinion. Sort of. In the 1960's the US double dipped a bit by choosing the date of Leif Erikson Day as the date that an influx of Norwegian immigrants arrived on American soil. Basically, from start to finish, the statue has been one bumbling mistake to another. From demanding the highest location to knocking down old monuments... it is in all shapes an American gift.

    Hallgrímskirkja is quite a sight to behold. Being completed in the 1980's, it's a far cry from the old churches of mainland Europe, but it has a bit of edginess, like if Edvard Munch designed a church. Complete with an elevator to the viewing deck, it gave us the perfect view of just about as quaint of a capital city as you could ask for. Not the most breathtaking cathedral in the world, but other than Michael Jackson music videos, what came out of the 80's that was the best of its kind?

    We meandered back down the hill, tired from travel and happy to have the freedom of a car at our disposal. The next stop we made was Perlan, a museum atop Öskjuhlíð. As Iceland moves into their future, funded by tourism, construction is a constant. Most of the museum was closed, so we opted to just enjoy the view from the hill instead of attempting to force enjoyment amidst hammering and drilling. Little did we know, this was no ordinary hill... First and foremost, it is covered in trees. Rare for this country after the vikings chopped the pine for boats and houses and let their sheep mow down the dense birch. But the hill also has ruins from a war that Iceland never joined. During WWII, the British invaded the neutral country, attempting to gain some air and naval advantage in the wake of U-boats doing a number on their fleet. Öskjuhlíð is littered with bunkers, observation posts, pillboxes and fuel tanks. It's a dark look into how small, neutral countries are treated in times of war, but it could have been much worse if the fighting made its way into the Atlantic.

    After a day of sightseeing through the city, we stopped at a funky little burger joint called Le Kock, near the place we were staying. It was a really cool environment, their bread and pastries were baked fresh daily, vegetables were from a local farm, the walls were tagged up by past patrons with chalk pens, Icelandic potatoes were roasted to perfection with neat toppings, and the burgers were innovative and interesting. Needless to say, we loved it the second we walked in. Two great meals in a day, of course we were happy.

    That pretty much sums up our time in Reykjavik and we're looking forward to getting out into the countryside!

    Góða Nótt!    Read more

  • Jason and Danielle ÅkeÍsland 2018
    Day 4

    Bláskógabyggð, Ísland

    September 19, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    Day 4:

    Go ahead, try to pronounce this one... Okay, to be fair, the area is more commonly called the Golden Circle (not a translation). This was another day we spent side by side with tour buses filled to the brim with Chinese and American passports. We had quite the introduction to the extreme nature of the Icelandic environment too...

    Our first stop after leaving Reykjavik was Þingvellir, a national park and the site of the parliament of Iceland for over 850 years. This place is jaw droppingly beautiful and we could spend weeks writing out the history and significance and barely be scratching the surface. Using the widest of brushes, we'll try to paint a little history from the beginning...

    When earth was a little baby planet and the surface began to cool and solidify, this developing crust began to crack, forming what we know of as tectonic plates... kidding. Not really, but the brush was looking a little too fine on that path! Anyway, this park is situated right where two of those big plates come together. They bump, grind, slide, and crush each other, causing a myriad of physical phenomena, all the while being pressed apart by those same forces. In summary, we parked in North America and walked to Europe. It is super rare for one of these fissures to be over land, so it is a very unique experience. When the first parliament in the world was created in Iceland in the year 930, Þingvellir was chosen as the the location for the parliamentary sessions. This continued until a hiatus in 1800 until 1844, when they moved the sessions to Reykjavik. For literally centuries, citizens from all around Iceland would gather at Þingvellir for a sort of week long farmers market and trade fair and to be honest, that sounds awesome!

    History aside, Þingvellir is home to the largest lake in Iceland, littered with waterfalls, and has an adorable little church. Unfortunately, that is about all we saw of the park since the main road through it was closed for improvements. With the recent increase in tourism, the small country roads are having trouble handling the high traffic. That in conjunction with the merciless and ever changing landscape puts Iceland's roads in a near-constant state of construction.

    The next stop was Laugarvatn, a nice little lake with 3 geothermal springs along its edge. We had the awesome experience of watching (and tasting!) geothermally baked rye bread. Our tour guide/baker, brought us to the edge of the lake, where there were areas of intensely boiling water. He dug out a pot that had been buried the previous day and buried one for the following day and covered it in sand. The bread was sweet, hearty and baked so perfectly it's hard to believe it was just thrown in the ground for a day! There was a spa on the lake, as well, which has steam rooms directly above one of the springs. A completely natural sauna... so wild. Of course, saunas and pregnancy don't go well together, so we all skipped out on it this time around. But have no fear, there is a list forming for the next visit!

    Another short drive down the road, we made our way to the Geysir Geothermal Field. At this point, the infamous Icelandic wind was making itself known. The geothermal park is home to the Great Geysir, the root of the word geyser in English. This particular geyser, through earthquakes and some human influence (putting soap in it to make eruptions more dramatic), rarely erupts anymore. However, Strokkur, a few steps away, erupts every 6-10 minutes! It wasn't a massive eruption, but definitely fun to see. In the rest of the field were dozens of hot springs and a few ADORABLE little geysers. Little as in like 3 inches high... amazing.

    The last stop on the golden circle was Gullfoss, or Golden Falls. It's a really powerful waterfall, which made it a great prospect for hydroelectric energy, but considering that we visited a waterfall and not a power plant, there's a story behind that... as told by our Airbnb host later: Tómas Tómasson owned the land that the waterfall was on and offers came in from English investors, to which he said "I do not sell my friends", a polite middle finger. Later on, when his daughter, Sigríður Tómasdóttir, was in charge of the land, she sold it to some financiers (we're not sure if the family was having money troubles or what). These financiers were frantically looking to develop the hydroelectric plant when Sigríður realized that she wanted to save the falls she grew up with. Now here is where legend and truth get blurred... she apparently would walk to Reykjavik to protest the plant being built and at some point threatened to jump off the waterfall. Legend has it that her dramatic exhibitions saved the falls, but it seems that her lawyer got the contract to build revoked and the land sold to Iceland, then became the first president of Iceland. They sing her praises, but it seems that Sveinn Bjornsson was the real saving grace for the waterfall!

    We're staying at a show horse breeding farm called Jaðar. It's downstream from the very river that forms Gullfoss. Right now, the river is in the transition from the summer white, milky, mineral-filled water from the glacier runoff, to the clear, green, oxygen-rich water from rain and snow of the winter. It's lovely having kind hosts who share about their homes or we would have no idea! On the property, there is also a 6,000 year old arch from an old lava flow. Simply amazing. Aside from that pesky wind, the location is perfect. Clear skies, vast farmland, massive river, horses, sheep, stars... idyllic.

    Next up... more geothermal action!    Read more

  • Jason and Danielle ÅkeÍsland 2018
    Day 5

    Skalholt, Keriđ, Hveragerđi

    September 20, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ 🌬 5 °C

    Day 5:

    Leaving our lovely horse ranch in the country, we headed straight south to join up with the Ring Road. Our first stop along the way was at Skálholt Cathedral. Another relatively large cathedral compared to the tiny churches dotting the landscape elsewhere. This is the 10th church on the same spot, spanning over 1,000 years. I'm not exactly sure what terms like "diocese" and "suffragan" mean, but it's definitely a significant location for the Church of Iceland. Not to mention, its location is stunningly beautiful!

    Next along our journey was Kerið, a volcanic crater. It was believed that Kerið was a result of a volcanic explosion that blew the top off, like Crater Lake in Oregon, but it turns out it was most likely a slow flow of magma leaving the reserve and collapsing the cone. Not the "pew pew 'murica!" way, but the result is nonetheless incredible. We walked the ridge, then made our way down to the water inside (which isn't due to rainfall, but rather the crater reaching the level of groundwater in the area). The volcanic rock is red instead of the black color we come to expect, which makes for an otherworldly look to the whole area.

    We made our way down to Selfoss for a famous Icelandic hot dog lunch (not a joke, they love hot dogs!) and to check out a handmade wool shop where we picked up a couple of knit goodies. In Selfoss, the same river from Gullfoss changed names, widened, and meets the ocean. It was pretty neat to see that progression!

    Our final stop for the day was in Hveragerði, a town that has changed a lot over the past of decade. The whole town sits on top of a geothermal spring and in the middle, there has historically been a geothermal park gated off where people can check out different springs and such. But now those springs are all dried up after a massive earthquake in 2008 shifted where the hot water ended up making its way to the surface. New springs popped up and old ones dried up... Iceland keeps you on your toes. Anyway, up the hill from the town is a steaming river where keen bathers can take a dip. It's quite a hike to get up to it, so only half of our group made it. And of that duo, one is pregnant, so we only dipped our hands in the river, but it was quite the spectacle! Barely above freezing temperature outside with a bunch of half naked tourists laying in a stream... strange.

    On to the next, the south coast!    Read more

  • Jason and Danielle ÅkeÍsland 2018
    Day 6

    South Coast

    September 21, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Day 6:

    The theme of today is waterfalls and we're sorry to TLC, but we definitely went chasing... it was a full day, so we got started early with some coffee and pastries, then hit the road. We stopped along the way at another wool shop and were able to snag up the last handmade wool blanket of the only four from the summer! We've learned that those are a serious rarity here. Everything else has been machine made and even those made in Iceland are uncommon. You know, supporting local artisans and traditional trades and all... Anyway, back to the actual trip.

    First stop was Gluggafoss, which is actually called Merkjárfoss after the river that forms it, but the common name comes from the several "windows" formed in the rock. Basically, it was our own private waterfall, since we saw maaaybe 5 other people during the better part of an hour we spent adventuring there. We were even able to sneak behind the lower falls! It was about the best start to the day we could ask for.

    We drove across a gravel road, stopping once for a few wool toting pedestrians, to meet back up with the ring road and continued over to Seljalandsfoss. This was definitely not a private waterfall, but was fantastic nonetheless. On the path up to the falls, we could hear and feel how surprisingly powerful the little waterfall was, with water pounding into a small pond at the base. The part that sets Seljalandsfoss apart from others is the path that loops completely behind the falls. With the wind ripping against the cliffs, we got absolutely soaked, but laughed our way through it all. As if we didn't expect the result we got, we dipped our hands in the pond and guess what... it was cold. There were several other waterfalls on a path to the west, but with more on the list and a hankering for a hot cup of coffee, we skipped the hike and kept on down the road.

    Next up was Skógafoss, which according to legend, is home to a treasure buried by a giant viking. We didn't find any treasure, but we re-soaked ourselves in one of the biggest falls on the island. It is really shocking how so much water flows down these coastal falls, but the rivers at the bottom of them are almost always very calm. Strange, but it really allows you to get up close and personal with them, which is really fun ...hence the getting soaked. We went up a neverending staircase to the top of the falls and got a phenomenal view between 35 mph wind gusts! After making our way back down, a warm meal was absolutely necessary. Then back in the car, which has somehow tried to name itself Miles despite definitely being named Landon, to scoot down the road to our final stop.

    Finally, we reached the Dyrhólaey nature preserve. This sweet little promontory is closed off during summer as a migratory bird breeding ground, but now only feathers, eggs shells, and incredible rock formations are left. On our way up to the viewpoint, we witnessed a few of the "thank your lucky stars that survival of the fittest doesn't apply to modern humans" types attempting to drive compact cars up a steep, gravel, 4WD-only road... a nice blend of funny and terrifying. Once at the top, we had an amazing view of the Mýrdalsjökull glacier to the north, a vast black sand beach to the west, Reynisdrangar to the east, and the Dyrhólaey Arch in the water to the south. With so much to stare in amazement at, our tired selves spent a good amount of time trying to soak it all in. Mýrdalsjökull is the fourth largest glacier on the island and sits atop a volcano that is about 20 years past due for an eruption. That pretty much sums up why Iceland is the land of fire and ice (calm down GoT fans, we're not there yet). The Dyrhólaey Arch (GoTers may freak out now) may look familiar, as it has adorned many a waiting room wall. Historically, the arch was a great navigational point for sailors, who called the area Portland because of the porthole-like opening in the lava. More importantly, the puffins (who have all gone out to see for the winter by now) absolutely love the steep sea cliffs. Reynisdrangar is a collection of basalt sea stacks, formed by lava and shaped by the unrelenting Atlantic. Of course, that's not the whole story according to folklore... it seems some trolls were up to no good, trying to pull ships out of the ocean onto the shore, when they lost track of time and the sunrise turned them to stone. I like that story better... but in a somehow darker reality, Reynisfjara Beach is known to have "sneaker waves" which, out of nowhere, send a massive wall of water significantly further up the beach than any of the previous waves and carry a powerful undertow that can carry a person far out to sea. Tourists die creepily often here, but that sort of power really goes to show how the amazing columns were formed. Pictures, of course, can never imitate the feeling being in a place like that gives you. Bitterly cold, we peeled ourselves away from our little heaven to head into Vík for the night.

    After getting to bed in an actual hotel, we received a call from the hotel staff, letting us know that there was some faint Northern Lights activity! As a sort of once in a lifetime experience, we'll take faint. The best way I can describe it is as if someone were painting those wispy nighttime clouds in the sky. Sometimes a line would move quickly like whipping the brush, other times it would develop slowly in a small area... the bright colors we all associate with the dramatic pictures of the Northern Lights weren't there, but it still had a sort of magical feeling to it. The summary comes down to the fact that they're indescribable and we all accept how fortunate we are to have experienced them, no matter how weak they were.

    Up next, more glaciers and black sand heading to the southeast!    Read more

  • Jason and Danielle ÅkeÍsland 2018
    Day 7

    Glaciers, Waterfalls, and Black Sand

    September 22, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    Day 7:

    Another full day of travel in the books and the number of amazing sights just keeps stacking up. Although its a small country, it is quickly becoming apparent that it would take a lifetime or more to really see everything this place has to offer. In summing up each day, we find out more and more that we "missed". The biggest, best, hidden and most impressive are still out there and that really fills you with a hunger for more travelling. Its right on the border of maddening and inspiring... kind of like Hemingway.

    Okay, our first stop was a bit of an unplanned one, but is well known from all of those Instagram travellers and of course... Game of Thrones. Fjaðrárgljúfur. That's Icelandic for "please have an easier to pronounce language". But seriously, its Fjaðrá Gorge, still difficult. Painfully beautiful, painfully screwed by tourism. Its one of those "you've got to come see this, but please don't" type situations... The gorge was cut out during the Ice Age and genuinely looks like James Cameron made it up in a studio. Walking down the canyon like our boy Jon Snow is strictly prohibited now due to the degradation of the landscape, yet somehow dozens were still down there... We chose the the mile-long uphill path was available for our enjoyment, complete with a viewing deck! Absolutely stunning. We had the opportunity to see it when it was cloudy with a little bit if rain on the way up and sunny and clear on the way back, which made the gorge look completely different!

    Just 20 minutes down the road, we popped to the side for a minute to check out Foss á Siðu, a little waterfall situated on private property. It wasn't hugely impressive in terms of Iceland, but it is fun to see a waterfall from the road and stretch our legs a bit after some backroads driving at the last stop.

    As we made our way to the next stop, we turned off the road to get a better look at Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Europe. Also included in our pull off was a show of the power of glacial runoff... there were mangled pieces of a bridge that once crossed the river Ölfusá before a particularly high volume of water widened the river and made quick work of the man made bridge.

    The next stop was one that we were all really excited to see... Svartifoss. Partially because we could easily translate it, but mostly because of the impressive basalt stacks that serve as a backdrop to the falls. It is located in Skaftafell, which used to be it's own national park, before joining the expansive Vatnajökull National Park. A decent hike later, we made our way to the falls and aside from being a bit smaller than we expected, the Black Falls did not disappoint. Unfortunately, there was a little Eastern European kid jumping on the viewing platform so the pictures we captured are a bit shakier than we would like, but those are secondary to hearing and feeling the falls. The basalt stacks were actually the inspiration for the wings of the Hallsgrímskirkja, clearly evident by the hexagonal shape. These columns are breaking off from the bottom, so the shape of the falls is ever changing and quite dangerous, but that may add to the allure of the unique waterfall. We realized that we should have cut out time to hike to and possibly on the glacier, but rain and tour buses coming in gave us good excuses to move on and add it to the "next time" list.

    Another unplanned stop caught our eyes off the road, Fjallsárlón. We deduced from our next planned stop that "sárlón" meant something the the effect of a river lagoon, and the glacier coming up to the water's edge made it an a tempting stop. Let's say it did not dissappoint... large bits of blue glacier were floating in a frigid pond with the backdrop of the massive glacier. They offered boat tours, but we opted for the views from the rocky beach. Touching the glass-like pieces that floated to shore was another experience like no other, but we knew that more of this was in store for us at the next stop.

    Jökulsárlón is one of those places exploited by Hollywood over and over, but it's again understandable due to its otherworldly look. Overall, it can be described in the same way as Fjallsárlón, but the chunks of glacier were much larger and there were dozens of seals swimming amongst them. Pictures will never do this place justice, but of course we still tried!

    Across the street was the so-called Diamond Beach. A black sand beach where the pieces of glacier from Jökulsárlón make it out to sea, then are tumbled back onto the beach. The black sand really makes the chunks of ice stand out, whether crystal clear or frosty with a hue of blue. We spent a good amount of time here, almost in a daze of wonder. We realized that 3 of us had never touched the Atlantic Ocean, so we thought the calm ripples would be the perfect place to do so, far from the sneaker waves of Reynisfjara. One of us, cough... Tom ...cough! Didn't quite time out the set well enough and got soaked by the ice cold water. Hilarious? Yes. Fun? Less so.

    One last hour of driving and we arrived at our little cottage in Höfn. We again lucked out in seeing the Northern Lights! This time they were significantly brighter and spread across nearly the entire sky. Simply amazing!

    Next up, from the Southeast to East Iceland!    Read more

  • Jason and Danielle ÅkeÍsland 2018
    Day 8

    Into the East

    September 23, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ☀️ 3 °C

    Day 8:

    We've hit the midway point and it feels like this trip is moving way too quickly! These days have been stacked with sights, activities, and short nights. We're all ready for the slower pace of the East and North to recharge us.

    Along the coast, we stopped a few times to look at the serene coastline on our way to our first stop, a tiny little fishing village called Djúpivogur, which sits at the mouth of three fjords. It may be tiny, but the town has an extremely interesting history. First and foremost, there was a man named Hans Jonatan, originally from Saint Croix, who was taken as a slave in Copenhagen. He escaped slavery, joined the navy and was a war hero during the early 19th century, so Danish royalty granted him freedom. The woman who "owned" him, sued to get him back as her property, despite the fact that slavery was and had been illegal in Denmark. Basically, the legal outcome of the case was that he was to be sent back to Saint Croix, but he escaped again and nobody knew where he was. Turns out that he made his was to Djúpivogur, where he became the first person of color in Iceland. He owned farmland, was an incredible guide and helped map the rugged terrain of Iceland, ran a trading post, and was married with children. This year, almost 200 years after his death, researchers were able to isolate his genome from samples taken from his descendants. The first time this has been done without remains. So he was AGAIN the first at something. Simply incredible.

    The early 20th century saw the addition of a tiny orange lighthouse called Æðarstein, which is ridiculously adorable. In more modern history of Djúpivogur, an Icelandic artist named Sigurður Guðmundsson created large granite replicas of the eggs of all 34 bird species that nest in the area. The town is also the only in Iceland to join an Italian movement to slow down the pace and improve the quality of life. Overall, it's a pretty neat little town.

    After a stop for coffee, we made our way up through a winding, gravel, mountain road. This was our first sight of snow, not glacier, on the trip. Snow covered mountains and grasslands, absolutely full of streams and waterfalls. It wasn't the easiest road to drive, but it was a lot of fun to see everything and make pullouts when we could.

    The next point of interest was Hallormsstaðaskógur, a large national forest, which is a big deal in Iceland. As previously mentioned, the Vikings and their sheep decimated the trees that had covered about 40% of the island, so giving the native species a place to grow and reestablish themselves is extremely important. To be honest, we didn't do much here, namely because there isn't much to do.

    Within the forest is Lagarfljót, a large lake with its own little bit of folklore. According to local legend, Lagarfljótsormurinn lurks under the surface. This lake monster is obviously not as well known as Nessie, but why not look over the lake for the "Lagarfljót Worm"?

    Our last stop in the forest was Hengifoss, or more accurately, the tiny falls beneath Hengifoss. We could see the top of Hengifoss, with its layers of black basalt and red clay, but the uphill hike was too much after a night of little sleep. Luckily, there were sheep and an adorable little waterfall at a lower altitude for us to enjoy before heading to our accomodations.

    We stayed at a dairy farm and horse ranch in the middle if nowhere, which is right on pace of what we were looking for! Snow covered mountains to the east, a stream going through the property to the south, Lagarfljót to the west, and farmland all the way to Egilsstaðir to the north. A hearty dinner of fish and potatoes, and we were ready for bed. Then a knock came at the door of our host letting us know that the Northern Lights were out. The third night in a row for us! They stretched across the wide open sky, still not powerfully bright, but experience is indescribable nonetheless.

    Up next, the loooooong drive to the north!    Read more

  • Jason and Danielle ÅkeÍsland 2018
    Day 9

    Northbound

    September 24, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Day 9:

    Leaving another lovely ranch, we headed up through the tundra with only one stop and a lot of driving in the plan. Despite the fairly mundane itinerary, this was one for the books almost entirely for one reason... we saw 2 reindeer! During the drive, we were enjoying more waterfalls and river carved canyons, then right when we were driving through the highlands, we slammed on the breaks when flippin' Sven and Rudolph popped into view! Considering that only about 3,000 of these live in Iceland, we are EXTREMELY lucky to have seen them! *note the overuseage of exclamation points.

    Snow covered mountains abound, we made our way to our one stop for the day, Dettifoss. This is known to be the most powerful waterfall in Europe in terms of how much water flows over the edge and how far the water drops. It is an impressive sight to behold, but we had to earn the view, so a little backtrack is needed. We pulled up to a snow covered parking lot, complete with rain and a nice bit of wind. Nothing we hadn't experienced before. Within an earshot of the falls, the trail became... different. Deep, yellow mud covered the path and made for slow progression. Once at the falls, the path between the two viewpoints honestly looked like a mixture of baby poo and yellow curry, but somehow was more gross. The less than 1km hike took more out of us than a 5km hike normally would. Exhausted, we finally arrived and right as we were admiring the beauty, as if by the power of some ancient Nordic god, the sun peaked out from behind the clouds and displayed a brilliant rainbow in the mist from the falls. Then, of course, the trudge back to the car, but this time with an extremely cautious pep in our steps.

    Layers stripped off and weatherproof flooring thanked, we set our sights on the old fishing town of Húsavík. After arriving in the adorable little town, we went to dinner at a tiny little yellow house called Naustið. We tried the national dish of Iceland for the first time and it was an interesting experience. The fermented shark has a tough texture, but tastes like a fairly bland fish for the first 5 or so seconds. Then comes the ammonia flavor. It fills your mouth and your sinuses and is a bit overpowering. We're definitely glad we tried it, but once is enough.

    Tomorrow, whale watching and the waterfall of the gods!    Read more

  • Jason and Danielle ÅkeÍsland 2018
    Day 10

    Whale Tails

    September 25, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ 🌧 3 °C

    Day 10:

    Today we woke up, packed the car, and went straight to the harbor in Húsavík to head on our whale watching tour. Our boat was named Garðar after the Swedish Viking who first settled in the region. After climbing aboard, we put on giant jumpsuits to save us from the cold ocean breeze. In no time, we were on our way out to Skjálfandi Flói, the shaky bay. Named thusly due to the high volume of earthquakes in the area. We sailed past a rock that is home to 10,000 puffins in the summer and into the wide bay. After nearly an hour, we reached an area where the captain believed we would see some whales and he was right! We saw probably three different Humpback whales surface a few times each. For a couple of us, that was our first experience seeing whales in the wild! They would come to the surface every 30 seconds or so for a few times, then lift their tail out of the water and dive for 10-15 minutes at a time. The rain really started to come down as we were out on the water, so we added on bright orange rain jackets on the outside of our jumpsuits. We really looked like giant traffic cones. The smooth rocking of the boat on the way back just about put our wet, frozen selves to sleep. Once back on dry land, coffee and a nice heater were needed before even thinking about going anywhere else.

    After a good hour of defrosting, we hit the road to Goðafoss, the waterfall of the gods. Legend has it that after Iceland adopted Christianity around 1000 AD, a lawmaker named Þorgeir threw pagan idols over the falls. It may be named after discarded idols, not its beauty, but nonetheless did not disappoint. Despite snow on the ground, it was a pleasantly warm stop and the sun was shining behind the falls. Beautiful. We can also tell that we are making our way beyond the standard tourist trip, as the amount of tour buses at our stops has greatly diminished as of recently.

    The last stop and home base for the next 2 days was Akureyri, the so-called "Captial of the North". We're staying in Höepfnershús, an over a century old wooden house with a view of the fjord. That is about 30 years prior to Iceland's independence! Fish stew for dinner, and it's time to knock out for the night.

    We will be staying in town and taking a bit of a break tomorrow, but our next stop will be an old turf house, then a village of less than 600 people!    Read more

  • Jason and Danielle ÅkeÍsland 2018
    Day 11

    The Slow Road West

    September 26, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    Days 11-12:

    Wednesday started off with breakfast at a nice café downtown, then strolling around through the shops into the afternoon where we found some lovely trolls working in one. Along the way, we noticed small statues on stone bases and upon closer investigation, they represented the sister cities of Akureyri. These include Västerås, Sweden and Ålesund, Norway, two cities we have ties to! Most of the last Winterströms in Sweden live in Västerås and there is a statue representing one of Mama Bear's ancestors in Ålesund. We visited Akureyrarkirkja, another relatively newly built cathedral on our way back to home base. The stained glass windows each had a biblical story along with an Icelandic story, like the pagan idols being thrown over Goðafoss. That pretty much completed the amount of effort we were willing to put into the day and we were more than happy about it!

    Thursday was a planned travel day, but we did have some exciting events! Along the drive, there was some light snow through the mountains, which is a HUGE deal for Californians... Once we made it through our intense meteorological experience, we stopped in Glaumbær to see the old turf houses. This type of construction was a way for early settlers to insulate their homes. The land would be prepped with large stones, then a strong wooden frame would be built and finally, layers of sod blocks would be stacked on. And since keeping up appearances apparently was a thing even when living in homes made of dirt, the blocks would commonly be set in a herringbone pattern. Grasses would grow over the tops of the homes, further insulating them. As the turf homes evolved over the millennium they were used on Iceland, they split from a longhouse style to interconnected individual homes, windows were added and the entrances developed from small doors into full wooden fronts. It's a pretty neat design and really shows the ingenuity needed to live and thrive in such a harsh and ever-changing environment!

    We continued to the village we will be staying in for the next two days, Hvammstangi. It is a tiny little place on the Vatnsnes peninsula with a population of about 580, held together by shrimping, a wool manufacturer and of course, a blossoming tourism industry. A little to early to check in to our next home, we stopped by the wool factory because it's Iceland and wool is everything here. A short tour through the factory gave some insight into how machine made wool products are created on the island. Although they may not be traditionally handmade, the raw materials are Icelandic and the work is all done in Iceland, so that seems good to us! That being said, of course our eyes were drawn to the only thing in the shop that was, in fact, handmade... A local woman tans sheepskin and a one in particular tickled our fancy. As animal lovers, we did consider that all of the sheep here are free grazing and seem to have enjoyable lives, so we were happy to support the sustainable practices.

    Next up, we had lunch overlooking Miðfjörður, the little fjord that Hvammstangi is located on, and the uninhabited peninsula on the other side. Seafood soup was of course the dish of choice for the shellfish lovers amongst us and a lamb burger for Papa Bear. It's safe to say that we will greatly miss the seafood and lamb when this trip is over! Having not spent enough time wandering yet, we drove out along the west coast of the Vatnsnes peninsula, expecting to see a few of seals that it is know for. Instead, while bumping along the unpaved road, we started seeing the trademark misting breaths of whales in the bay. Not one or two like we saw on our whale watching tour, but numbering into the double digits. With our refreshed whale knowledge, courtesy of the tour a few days ago, we tried to figure out what kind of whales would be in a pod in this area. Semi-safely to the side of the road with telephoto lenses out, we were able to pretty confidently identify them as humpbacks. Since humpbacks are definitely not supposed to be in a pods, we are still a bit puzzled by it, but we won't complain. We spent a good hour looking a full kilometer out in the bay at the whales breaching, tail slapping and diving (the attached picture includes one whale tail slapping). It was a completely unexpected experience and another lucky part of our trip! To top off our unplanned coastal drive, we saw the Skarðsviti Lighthouse, which we know nothing about, but is absolutely stunning with a view of the Westfjords in the background.

    Tomorrow will be spent just milling around the Vatnsnes Peninsula and staying in our tiny little town until Saturday when it's back to thermal springs and waterfalls!    Read more

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